Cooking with olive oil - unhealthy?

[fitoverforty]

I have read a few times on here that you shouldn't heat Olive Oil.
I got rid of all vegetable oils a while back and replaced them with EVOO - thinking this is a healthy fat. The occasions when I stir fry or pan sear veggies or meats where it calls for 2 tbsps. or so of oil, I use Olive oil. Is this bad for me and if so, why? What oil should I use to stir fry with?
thanks for any input!!!!

[Boss Man]

Olive Oil is pretty good to cook with, as it is quite heat stable and has a pretty high "smoke point".

Coconut Oil is higher for stability however and the Lauric, Capric and Capryllic acid and called Medium Chain Fatty Acids or Triglycerides, (MCT's), which don't store and convert to energy.

Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil is reckoned to be the best type, as it's purer and goes through some type of filtration process. I think it's to do with not losing some of the fat content because the process doesn't use heat, which can affect Fat when cooking as well as Carbohydrates and denaturing Proteins.

Something that reaches the smoke point, can become toxic and Carcinogenic.

This will provide more insight

Fat....................................................Smoke Point °F.................Smoke Point °C
Unrefined canola oil......................................225°F.............................107°C
Unrefined flaxseed oil....................................225°F.............................107°C
Unrefined safflower oil...................................225°F.............................107°C
Unrefined sunflower oil..................................225°F..............................107°C
Unrefined corn oil........................................320°F..............................160°C
Unrefined high-oleic sunflower oil......................320°F..............................160°C
Extra virgin olive oil.....................................320°F..............................160°C
Unrefined peanut oil.....................................320°F..............................160°C
Semirefined safflower oil...............................320°F..............................160°C
Unrefined soy oil.........................................320°F..............................160°C
Unrefined walnut oil.....................................320°F..............................160°C
Hemp seed oil............................................330°F..............................165°C
Butter.....................................................350°F..............................177°C
Semirefined canola oil..................................350°F..............................177°C
Coconut oil...............................................350°F..............................177°C
Unrefined sesame oil...................................350°F...............................177°C
Semirefined soy oil.....................................350°F...............................177°C
Vegetable shortening...................................360°F...............................182°C
Lard......................................................370°F...............................182°C
Macadamia nut oil......................................390°F...............................199°C
Refined canola oil.......................................400°F...............................204°C
Semirefined walnut oil.................................400°F................................204°C
High quality (low acidity) extra virgin olive oil.....405°F.................................207°C
Sesame oil ..............................................410°F.................................210°C
Cottonseed oil..........................................420°F.................................216°C
Grapeseed oil...........................................420°F.................................216°C
Virgin olive oil..........................................420°F.................................216°C
Almond oil...............................................420°F.................................216°C
Hazelnut oil.............................................430°F.................................221°C
Peanut oil...............................................440°F.................................227°C
Sunflower oil............................................440°F.................................227°C
Refined corn oil........................................450°F..................................232°C
Refined high-oleic sunflower oil......................450°F.................................232°C
Refined peanut oil.....................................450°F..................................232°C
Refined Safflower oil..................................450°F..................................232°C
Semirefined sesame oil...............................450°F..................................232°C
Refined soy oil.........................................450°F..................................232°C
Semirefined sunflower oil.............................450°F..................................232°C
Olive pomace oil.......................................460°F..................................238°C
Extra light olive oit....................................468°F..................................242°C
Soybean oil.............................................495°F..................................257°C
Safflower oil............................................510°F..................................266°C
Avocado oil.............................................520°F..................................271°C

[fitoverforty]

Thank you Bossman.

[Boss Man]

You will lose some of the Fat however.

[isla22]

i cook with olive oil probably twice a day- in the morning with eggs and for dinner with veggies or tofu or whatever..
i always wondered if maybe there was a better alternative? what about a low fat omega3 butter instead?
i use extra virgin olive oil- i know it contains healthy fats- but it's also high in calories and high in fat. any input?!?

[Boss Man]

All fats are high in calories, because they're 9 calories per gram. One major difference between Saturates and Unsaturates are that Saturates contain Nitrogen which can convert to Uric Acid and increase Gout risk. Unsaturates don't contain Nitrogen.

However there has been some evidence linking them to cancers, but then moderation is the key anyway.

One of the main Fats in Butter is Lauric Acid, a Medium Chain Triglyceride / Fatty Acid, that converts to energy in the Liver. It is found along with Capric and Capryllic Acid in Coconut Oil, one of the most heat stable fats around. Coconut Oil converts to Energy asnd doesn't store, because the two a formentioned fats in it, are the same kind as Lauric Acid.

You can get Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I don't know the exact method, but I believe the Olives are pressed without the presence of Heat. As Heat can reduce Fat content when cooking, it's logical this process may produce a slightly purer end result, with less Fat wasteage.

There are also things called Fat Mimetics in certain foods and possibly as standalon products.

Fat Mimetics mimic Fat for taste and texture, tricking the body into thinking it's had Fat and may use it in the same way, but it comes with less calories.

There's also Fat replacers that may be used instead. one you might have heard of is Olestra.

Olestra Page

A similar thing has been observed in relation to Sugar, with Polyols, (Sugar replacers), like Xylitol, Maltitol, Sorbitol, Mannitol etc etc.

Olive Oil is fine for food, so don't necessarily start showing it distain, but if you're worried about smoke points, or possible toxic conversion affecting your food, then put it on afterwards.

After all there's a chemical in Teflon, certainly in American made teflon products, that can be toxic called PFOA. Though the American government claims it will be removed from all Teflon products by around 2015.

[isla22]

Hahaha i'll have to youtube that

Thanks for all the tips once again- so then the only fats found in olive oil are unsaturated so therefore they will not turn to fat (when used in moderation)?

[Boss Man]

They shouldn't, no.

Olestra has had a few detractors I admit, but then anything that could be classed as a synthetic macronutrient such as Olestra and Polyols, will always get some detractors anyway, beacause it's not the norm as yet, or like GM food, something seen as science possibly going too far.

[cassiegose]

Olestra makes people poo.

I believe the term is " leakage".... read that some where once and now whenever I see or hear about Olestra the term " leakage" flashes through mind.

[Boss Man]

At least it doesn't sound as bad as Colorectal bleeding. I mean with Blood in the Urine, you can use the term Hematuria, to make it sound less reviling, but Coclrectal bleeding I don't think has any posh terms, though I could be wrong.