Why Should Olive Oil Be Used In Indian Cooking

India is a country where cooking involves a heavy usage of both fats and spices. While this food is extremely tasty to eat, it can play havoc with one’s health. So let us see how the use of olive oil for cooking eliminates these dangers.

Cooking can be quite a pleasure with olive oil. In fact this oil has a flavour of its own which it imparts to the food being cooked thus giving it a heavenly taste in additional to a healthy twist. Thus today more and more people especially people in India and the Mediterranean are switching over to olive oil cooking.

Benefits that succeed this transfer

Olive oil is extremely rich in monounsaturated fats or MUFA which is a crucial element required by the body for keeping the heart healthy, wealthy and wise. Some of the major health benefits of Olive oil include:

Low death rate: Olive oil has been known to increase the longevity of a person thereby ensuring that regions which have switched over to the use of olive cooking oil have an extremely low death rate. This is due to the presence of MUFA which helps to keep the cardiovascular system in order by:

a)      Reducing the levels of LDL or bad cholesterol,

b)     Normalising instances of blood clotting and

c)      Keeping the arteries from getting clogged.

Depression rate reduced: It has been seen that people who consume a high level of trans fats which are readily available in the form of junk food, pastries etc., are at a higher risk of getting depressed. People with diets rich in MUFA and PUFA or polyunsaturated fats are at a relatively much lower risk.

Breast cancer risk reduced: Breast cancer is a cause of great concern for women. And it has been found that olive oil for cooking has a key mechanism which protects the body and inhibits the growth of breast cancer. This benefit results from the fact that the activity of an oncogene is greatly reduced by the daily use of olive oil. The reduction of the oncogene protects women by:

a)      Preventing damages caused to their basic DNA,

b)     Encouraging the death of tumour cells and

c)      Triggering changes in pathways used for protein signalling.

Reduction in stroke risk: This is one of the most important olive oil for cooking benefits. It has been found that consuming olive oil on a regular basis helps to reduce the risk of strokes in old people by about 41%, which is quite commendable.

Helps maintain cholesterol levels: Regular consumption of olive helps to reduce the amounts of LDL or bad cholesterol and bring about an increase in HDL or good cholesterol. This, in itself, is an important benefit since bad cholesterol or LDL gives rise to a number of diseases and ailments.

Prevention of high blood pressure: Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid which cannot be produced in the body. It needs to be taken from an outside source and greatly helps to maintain the normal blood pressure of the body thereby reducing the risks resulting from an increase in the same. Olive oil is considered to be the best cooking oil for health because it is an extremely rich source of Omega 3.

The advantages of using olive oil for cooking are plenty; some of these known and some as yet unknown. Regular use of olive oil, thus benefits the body in ways which are always positive. It is no wonder that even doctors prescribe the use of olive oil for cooking.