Is Extra Light Olive Oil Truly Healthy?

By Author: Luessi Dino
Total Articles: 24
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Thanks to its heart-healthy fat composition essentially because of its high monounsaturated fat content, light olive oil makes for a good choice for cooking as well as for salad dressings. Of course, when comparing the different olive oils, the health benefits will always tend to vary based on their extraction time and the process used.

This is why it is important to acknowledge that even extra light olive oil possesses certain health benefits that it provides to its consumers. Let us have a look.

Health Benefits of Olive Oil

The polyphenols, present in the olive oil are responsible for the health benefits that it offers to its consumers. Sometimes even light olive oil has that slightly bitter and pungent taste that you get in extra virgin olive oil. That is basically because of the presence of these polyphenols. This happens to be the best thing that olive oil contains. You see the more the phenolic content, the healthier the oil.

The choices are endless when it comes to the different kinds of cooking oils available ...
... in the market. These can very well include vegetable oil, canola, sesame, coconut oils etc. Extra light olive oil happens to be one of the best oils one can use for cooking purposes. This is essentially due to its heat stability and the flavour that it has.

Extra light olive oil also contains monounsaturated fatty acids, the healthier fat variety that help lower the risk of heart diseases and bad cholesterol as well.

Extra Light and Light Olive Oils

What is meant by the terms light and extra light in the context of olive oil can get confusing sometimes. Let us clear that up first. What extra light and light basically refer to is the colour and flavour of the olive oil. These two words have nothing to do with the calorie content of the oil.

Extra-light olive oil is a pale and mild-flavoured oil since it has been ultra-refined. This however gives extra-light olive oil a higher smoke point compared to regular or extra-virgin olive oil. this , in turn, helps it withstand hotter temperatures. Extra light olive oil makes for a great oil to use for baking or deep frying as well.

Another great thing about extra light olive oil products is that they also make a great addition to salad dressings or other dishes.

The Difference in Oils

Extra virgin olive oil has been processed the least. Extra virgin olive oils have a fruity, bitter, and almost peppery taste to them. Even in extra virgin olive oils, the variety where they are available in the cold-pressed mode tastes the best and is the healthiest as well.

Extra olive oils are processed oils. However, there are certain advantages to the use of extra light olive oil over extra virgin olive oil. For one, extra light olive oil can be used without any fear in recipes that call one to fry the ingredients. It can also be used for baking and sauteeing vegetables and in all the manners in which we would use vegetable or seed oils. The credit for all these uses goes to the mild flavours of the extra light olive oil.

The Bottom Line:

Olive oils, as a whole, happen to be a wonderful ingredient to add to your daily diet to increase its nutritional value and to provide the body with additional health benefits. Whether it is the extra virgin kind or the extra light kind, both have their benefits to provide. It is important that a simple oil such as the extra light olive oil being recognized as a brilliant addition to any healthy diet. The oil should be brushed off as unimportant or not healthy.