sorting through the information

I have always lived by the belief that if I have a question or don't understand something, the chances are pretty much 100% that I am not the only one. As I am striving to develop my own healthier cooking and eating habits I am delving into the immensity of present day knowledge of what happens in our bodies with what we put into our mouths. It is heavy stuff and I do not want to be a walking digest of antioxidants and types of saturated fatty acid chains. However I do want to understand the basic pros and cons of eating various foods and additives and to incorporate this knowledge into how I cook and what I eat.

In this vein I subscribe to a daily email which provides recipes for healthy food and information about nutrition. I found today's information especially interesting about why it is best not to heat extra virgin olive oil. I had heard this before, but hadn't yet investigated. The bottom line (what I really want to know) is that heat damages virgin olive oil. Easy peasy...for those of you who are interested in the more detailed information, I have taken it from the World's Healthiest food info site....www.whfoods.org ....and I quote...

"In general, monounsaturated fat increases the stability of a vegetable oil in comparison to polyunsaturated fat. This increased stability is related to the chemical structure of monounsaturated fat. MUFAs have fewer "reactive spots" than PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and it is more difficult for oxygen radicals to interact with these kinds of fat. However, despite this lower reactivity, olive oil and other vegetable oils containing a high amount of MUFAs (like canola oil) still have relatively low smoke points and cannot withstand a large amount of heat. Unless these high-MUFA oils have been refined or conditioned in a way that increases their smoke point, they typically cannot withstand heats of much greater than 200-250˚F (93-121˚C) without incurring damage (the temperature of stove-top frying is 375-525˚F, or 191-274˚C). So even though the high-MUFA composition of extra virgin olive oil increases its chemical stability, it does not protect this wonderful oil from most stovetop or oven cooking temperatures.

It is worth noting in this discussion of MUFAs that the oleic acid found in olive oil has been the subject of expanding research interest when it comes to insulin resistance, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have made it clear that oleic acid can directly alter the activity of certain cancer genes and appears to have anti-cancer effects that may be part of the Mediterranean diet's health benefits. This primary MUFA in extra virgin olive oil may also help to lower a person's risk of insulin resistance as well as favorably altering some of the blood fat patterns that can be associated with risk of cardiovascular disease.

Yet, to get these benefits it's important to enjoy extra virgin olive oil when its MUFAs are best protected, which means at heats below 250˚F (121˚C).

Heat damages extra virgin olive oil"

end of story....have a great day everyone! To Life, Learning and Love