An overview of Cooking oil
When it comes to cooking, frying or baking, cooking oil is the basic ingredient in the process of food making. Sometimes it’s just used for flavoring where cooking oil is not heated i.e. salad dressing and bread dips. Now, the question arises in our minds, where it comes from or how it gets prepared.
Cooking oils are extracted from various plants like olives, sunflower, corn, peanut, avocado, coconut, canola and much more.
As, each one of cooking oils contains different levels of nutrition, fats and other health benefits, it becomes pretty difficult choosing the best one which suits us.
Although there’s a vast range of cooking oils, we have selected two of them; Avocado oil and Olive oil and we will provide you a short comparison to make an easier selection of Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil, according to nutrition values and health benefits, which is better for cooking?
What Is Avocado Oil?
Avocado oil is obtained from the fleshy pulp of avocado fruit instead of extracting from seeds as the most cooking oils are derived from. Through a process, oil is parted from water (as the fruit contains 65% water). It has multipurpose usage from cooking foods to trickling a thin stream over salad, gingering up sandwiches, bread spread, searing steaks etc.
Health Benefits of Avocado oil
Along with delish flavor and mild taste, Avocado oil has plentiful health benefits. A few are listed below: –
- It is enriched with oleic acid which is the basic component of monounsaturated fatty acids. It helps in reducing the risk of heart diseases, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes.
- It helps in keeping cholesterol at a lower level and improves heart health.
- Consumption of lutein prevents from age-related eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration. Avocado oil is a great source of lutein.
- Being high in monounsaturated fatty acids, it enhances the absorption of carotenoid antioxidants and other important nutrients.
- Combination of avocado and soybean oil helps to reduce the risk of arthritis disease which causes soreness and inflammation in body joints.
- The above combination also prevents from gum disease which involves gum redness, gum-bleeding, stinky smell and breakage of teeth tissues.
What is Olive Oil?
Olive oil is extracted from the paste of ripe fruit of olive tree after crushing it. The paste is pressed and squeezed after extracting water from it. The liquid we get from the first press also known as “cold press” and “extra virgin” is called olive oil.
After the “first press” the paste is now mixed up with hot water or steam and pressed the second time and it is called “second press” which is less healthy and beneficial than the “first press” olive oil.
Health Benefits of Olive oil
There is a long list of health benefits of olive oil and it is also called “liquid gold”. Here are a few of them: –
- Olive oil has the modest capacity of killing harmful bacteria especially Helicobacter pylori which habitats in your stomach and causes ulcer and stomach cancer.
- It is a powerful opposition against Rheumatoid arthritis involves deformation and itching of joints.
- The oil is enriched with antioxidants which prevent the oxidative damage and lowers the risk of cancer.
- It creates a wall against type 2 diabetes by improving the effectiveness and sensitivity of insulin.
- It reduces your cholesterol level and prevents you from the heart attack as well as your body will not gain extra weight.
- Helps against stroke by maintaining the blood flow to your brain and prevents a blood clot or bleeding.
Similarities in Avocado Oil and Olive Oil
- Avocado oil and olive oil both are low carb and low protein oils and have an almost similar quantity of calories.
- Both contain the equivalent amount of saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat which are beneficial for heart health.
- The ratio between monounsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids in both is the same.
- Unlike many other seed-based cooking oils both avocado and olive oils are fruit-based extractions. Both the oils have a decent amount of vitamin E.
- Both oils have the same texture and could be used in both ways heated (for cooking, baking, frying) or unheated (flavoring and gingering up salad, sandwiches, and bread dips).
- Both are equally beneficial for heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and arthritis.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Taste
Avocado oil comes with a mild buttery flavor and it seems to be a bit cleaner tasting than olive oil. It does not overpower the taste of your food having delicious aroma and essence of avocado. While olive oil has a peppery texture with a little bitterness. That bitterness varies depending upon the mellowness of fruit. The oil extracted from more ripe fruit the less bitterness will come along.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Nutrition Facts
Avocado oil is compounded with diverse nutrients like vitamins (A, B, C, K, Riboflavin, Choline, Niacin, Folate, and Pantothenic), minerals (Potassium and Magnesium), Lutein/zeaxanthin, 80% of Beta-sitosterol antioxidants and other healthy substances.
On the other hand, olive oil is loaded with less amount of vitamin E and K in comparison with avocado oil but it is enriched with various numbers of antioxidants and minerals like Calcium and Potassium.
In case of calorie count, both are equivalent to each other (per 100g/884cals), and both have zero carb and proteins.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Fat Content
Avocado and olive oil equally loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (avocado oil, reduced omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, and saturated fat, however, when it comes avocado oil vs. olive oil, avocado oil is a few steps ahead of olive oil. Avocado is the major source of lutein where olive oil won’t have such capability.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Phytosterol
Although both oils are fruit-based and have a higher rate of phytosterols than the seed-based oils but this ratio between Avocado Oil Vs. Olive Oil is almost 2:1. Avocado oil is associated with different healthful phytosterols that prevent our body from cholesterol absorption in digestive organs. Avocado oil possesses a high percentage of beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol than olive oil.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Proteins
In this field, again, Avocado Oil Vs. Olive Oil both have the same score like cholesterol as zero protein and carb have been found in them.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Antioxidant
Olive oil has a large number of antioxidants like Tyrosols (Oleocanthal, Oleuropein), Flavones, Secoiridoids, Beta-carotene and Squalene, Lignans, Hydroxycinnamic acids, Anthocyanidins, Flavonols, and Hydroxybenzoic acids. On the other way, polyphenols, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, 3-leucoanthocyanidins, condensed tannins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids are found in avocado oil.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Cholesterol
Both avocado and olive oils have zero cholesterol and commonly effective in reducing LDL(low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol, and increasing HDL (high-density lipoprotein)or good cholesterol in the blood.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Smoke Point
When we have a match between Avocado Oil Vs. Olive Oil about the smoke point, avocado oil is much better than olive oil. Avocado oil won’t smoke until the temperature rises between 480°F and 520°F (270°C) and a great choice for stir-fry recipes, searing meats, and other high-temperature cooking,whereas olive oil has a very low smoke point in comparison with avocado oil and suitable for low to medium heat cooking.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Purity
Both oils come through the same process (fruit-based), unlike the other seed-based cooking oils family where chances of impurity are higher. Extra virgin avocado and olive oils are the best for your health but because of a high smoke point, avocado oil remains unpolluted with respect to olive oil.
Moreover, being great texture and mild taste of avocado oil, edible oil companies have less intention to add chemicals in the oil extraction process, whereas, to eliminate the bitterness of virgin olive oil, there are chances of impurification with chemicals to add flavor.
Avocado Oil vs. Olive Oil: Skin Benefits
Olive oil contains numerous vitamins and mineral which are helpful in skin nourishment. A noticeable level of vitamin E, K and iron put a great effect on skin and bone health along with the increase of red blood cells. Avocado oil, however, is equipped with 25% extra vitamin E than olive oil and more beneficial for skin dryness, hair fall and even for psoriasis.
So, which is the best cooking oil for your family?
For me, it’s hard to answer what cooking oil is better than the other when it comes to avocado oil vs. olive oil because if one is loaded with one type of healthy nutrients the other is enriched with the other benefits. When it comes to popularity, olive oil is on top, when it comes to price, avocado oil is more expensive, when it becomes to texture and taste avocado oil wins the race and when it comes to health benefits, although olive oil is way ahead to other cooking oils it stands behind the avocado oil.