Olive oil ...Trendy / Required for cooking?

In most cookbooks you come across Olive oil always as the chosen oil in most recipes. It seems everyone is gravitating to using olive oil in making healthier meals?

Why you may ask?  Is Olive oil really an healthier choice?  Should I completely scrap other forms of oil when making meals for myself and the family?.

What is Olive Oil?
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. The oil is produced by pressing whole olives.It's commonly used in cooking, whether for frying or as a salad dressing.

How healthy is Olive Oil?
The main type of fat found in all kinds of Olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). MUFA s are considered a healthy dietary fat. If you replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats, such as MUFA s and polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), you may gain certain health benefits. Some of these health benefits include:

•  Prevention of heart disease
• Olive oil may reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes
• Olive oil has powerful antioxidants.
• Prevention of weight gain and obesity.

Compared to other oil, Olive oil might not be the best oil for frying as it has a relatively low smoke point. This means you're more likely to get those off-flavors if you use Olive oil for super-high-heat cooking, like searing meat and deep-frying.

Vegetable oil has similar heart healthy benefits as olive oil since the oil is a blend of heart healthy oils, such as canola and olive oil. Vegetable oil has a higher smoke point than Olive oil, making it a better option when cooking at extremely high temperatures.

Lesson learned: Although Olive oil especially the extra virgin olive oil is great for cooking and might have many other uses, it is not always the best oil for cooking especially deep frying. Try and diversify with other healthy oils such as canola oil etc. and your palate will thank you for it.