Olive oil bad for you...thoughts?

rjroubi

rjroubi

Cathlete
I'm reading this "interesting" book that states vegetable oils (which includes my beloved cold pressed olive oil ) are bad for you because they contain no fiber, are devoid of nutrients and are 100% fat. They also say the health claims of the "Mediterranean diet" have really been based on its high fiber content not on the olive oil like everyone believes. I'm just wondering what your thoughts might be. (Please don't think I am sold on the idea...or I would not be posting this question;)....)Please don't be afraid to speak your mind.

I'm only asking a personal question...it's not a political debate for anyone to be attacked or to be afraid to answer. I've always thought olive oil was was so good for you....this was the absolute first time I ever read that it might not be that good (I've always used it).Has anyone else read anything that might suggest it might not be all "that"? Have I always been wrong?

Robin
 
My 0.02- I hate articles. All they do is mess us up!!

I personally think Olive Oil is one of the best ones, and fat isn't bad for you- it's necessary!!!

I wonder what that article has to say about BACON. }(
 
I think that in general whole foods are better for us than processed foods (including oils), and that our bodies are created to deal with real, whole foods. However, a small amount of oil isn't going to be harmful.

That being said, I would choose flax seed or meal over flax oil (because of the extra nutrients). And I use minimal amounts of oils in cooking, prefering to get my fatty acids from avocados, flax, hemp, raw nuts, etc.

I think I know the book you're talking about, and I think some of his ideas are a bit extreme (like what he considers to be "ideal weight"!). I do agree with him in general.

I agree that the healthful benefits of the mediterranean diet are probably not mainly due to olive oil, but to the plant based diet, water intake, general activity level of people who walk more than Americans do, and perhaps even moreso, to the avoidance of processed foods.
 
Well, we all need fat in our diets. I understand where the author is coming from, but based upon my tastes, I prefer to get most of my fat from salad dressing, so I'm a big believer in olive oil. I do agree that it is devoid of fiber and nutrients and obviously is pure fat. But I'm getting more than my share of fiber and nutrients from my other foods, and my body needs the olive oil to absorb and process the fiber and nutrients, so for me, I think it works.

-Nancy
 
Hi Robin,

Well, I don't really know what to say. Every cardiologist and dietician I know (and I know several) extols the virtues of olive oil. Being of italian ancestry, I was practically raised on the stuff--LOL! I use it daily for cooking, salad dressings--you name it!

Fats are important in a healthy, balanced diet, and essential for the metabolism of fat soluable vitamins.

Sometimes I think people can be a little over the top when it comes to nutrition and I prefer a more moderate approach. I would never recommend to someone that they use liberal amounts of any oil, but in small amounts, as is intended, I think it has it's place in a healthy diet.

Michele :)
 
IMPHRO That isn't true. Olive Oil is high in Vitamin E, and you need that for your circulatory system as well as your lovely skin ;). It is the healthiest of all oils, and you need the fat in it to absorb minerals and vitamins.

I don't know what book you are talking about, but it seems that many people are willing to go "out there" to try to create a following a make a buck. I do get the whole Mediterranean - fiber connection, though, totally. I don't want to let it discredit olive oil for myself, though.

I have never read anything against olive oil, either. This is a first.

No debating here! :)

Missy
 
I personally think some fats are essential to the diet. Better to pick the healthier ones. Sure it may be 100% fat but there are vitamins in there and the fats are carriers of other nutrients to the body. So what fats are they representing here? Some of these fats have essential nutrients that we need. Vitamin E is a major one. Even when you find foods with this nutrient they usually have some fat. Wheat germ for one. Fiber is found in other foods. Most protein sources do not have fiber, so do we eliminate them? I have read so many articles that seem to make since at first and then after you think about it awhile you know that cannot be right. I believe you should pick the fats with the most nutrients and the lowest cholestral producing ones. Low saturated fats for sure.
Diane Sue
http://wd.1ww.us
 
""vegetable oils (which includes my beloved cold pressed olive oil ) are bad for you because they contain no fiber, are devoid of nutrients and are 100% fat.""

Sorry but that statement just seems silly to me. True, oils are 100% fat and don't have fiber, but that doesn't mean we don't need them. I know oils do contain vitamins E and A, so that's just wrong. The body needs (healthy) fats and that lack of fiber should not be an issue. We get fiber from other sources like fruits and veggies.
 
Thanks so much for you imput...yes, it does make sense to me that "whole foods" are always better than anything we process into oils (ie" flax seeds verses flax seed oil or olives verses olive oil). I was just wondering if anyone has stumbled across this before because this really was the first time I ever heard it.

Robin :9
 
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