The place of Olive Oil in healthy eating

Olive oil is an important part of the Mediterranean Diet and it is this way of eating - plenty of fruit and vegetables with cereals and pulses and only small amounts of meat and fish - that is now recommended as the best way to eat. However, olive oil is still a fat and contains just the same number of calories as any other fat, around 120-125 kilocalories per tablespoon.

Current healthy eating recommendations also recommend that a high percentage of saturated or animal fats should be replaced by mono and poly-unsaturated fatty acids from vegetable sources. Olive oil is made up mainly of mono-unsaturated fatty acids with a small amount of polyunsaturated fat and an even smaller amount of saturated fat which makes it a particularly healthy choice.

In addition to its fat content olive oil also contains around 1.5%-2% non-fatty acid components such as antioxidants and vitamins. These substances are not present in other vegetable oils and add considerably to its healthy attributes. Ordinary olive oil retains its fatty acid profile during the refining process but loses a percentage of its vitamin content.

As research continues it seems that there is not much that olive oil is not good for! It helps the digestive system, protecting the mucous membranes and stimulating the gall bladder. It promotes good bone structure and is good for the brain. It is important in the fight against coronary heart disease. It is the recommended fat for diabetics and is thought to help in the fight against cancer.