Why Extra Virgin Olive Oil Is The Best Fat For The Keto Diet.
Updated 23rd February 2023
Contents:
- What Is The Keto Diet?
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil And The Keto Diet
- The Keto Diet For Weight Loss
- The Keto Diet And Type 2 Diabetes
- Health Benefits Of Keto Friendly Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is often touted as the healthiest fat and it’s easy to see why. It’s one of the best options for those following a Keto diet, as compared to other cooking oils, due to its high monounsaturated fats and low polyunsaturated fats.
In addition, extra virgin olive oil contains beneficial antioxidants that can fight inflammation and help protect against serious illnesses like heart disease. From an extra depth of flavor when cooking to health benefits, extra virgin olive oil is truly one of the most versatile and beneficial fats around. So, if you are wondering which olive oil is best for a Keto diet or any diet requiring healthy fat consumption, look no further than a quality extra virgin olive oil.
What Is The Keto Diet?
The Ketogenic diet (or Keto diet) has been surging in popularity in recent years and is now well-established in Europe as well as North America. It is also expanding in popularity in Asia.
The fat-centric diet was initially used to treat children and adults with epilepsy. However, modern studies have shown that adhering to a ketogenic diet may have a variety of other health benefits, including weight loss and mitigating the effects of Type 2 diabetes.
The diet works by having adherents replace carbohydrates and proteins with fats. However, not all fats are the same. Many health experts and enthusiastic followers of the ketogenic diet recognise that because extra virgin olive oil consists mostly of unsaturated fats vs. saturated fat, including extra virgin olive oil in the diet is a great way to improve its efficacy.
The ketogenic diet – keto for short – is primarily based on the consumption of fat, giving less emphasis to the other two macronutrients – proteins and carbohydrates. While ratios vary depending on the individual and their goals, the caloric intake of keto diet adherents is typically composed of only 5 to 10 percent carbohydrates and 15 to 30 percent protein, with the remainder of the diet made up of fat.
The idea behind the diet is to achieve ketosis, a state in which the body and brain switch from breaking down carbohydrates to processing fats as the primary source of energy. During ketosis the body converts fat into ketones, which are then converted into energy. At the beginning of the diet, the body solely burns newly-consumed fat, but as the body adjusts, it begins to break down stored fat too.
Since the body is reverting to this alternative source of fuel, it is important to not consume a high volume of carbohydrates, as it will quickly convert back to using this macronutrient as fuel.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil And The Keto Diet
Extra virgin olive oil is one of the best choices for those on the keto diet. Not only is extra virgin olive oil a healthier option than other fats and oils, but it also adds flavor to food without extra calories or carbohydrates. But which extra virgin olive oil is best for the keto diet?
Look for raw and unrefined extra-virgin olive oil with “first cold press” or “cold extracted” on the label, as these will have higher levels of healthy fatty acids. Olive oil can be used for several different cooking methods on a keto diet, like dressing salads, baking recipes, sautéing vegetables or marinating proteins. For extra flavor you can even infuse extra virgin olive oil with herbs and spices – there are plenty of creative ways to use extra virgin olive oil while following a keto diet!
Since roughly 70 percent of caloric intake on the ketogenic diet comes from fat, it is important to be eating the correct kinds.
Consuming significant amounts of monounsaturated fats is important for improving the efficacy of the keto diet. For this reason, extra virgin olive oil, which is composed of about 73 percent monounsaturated fat, fits perfectly within the keto diet.
Not only does the consumption of extra virgin olive oil as part of the diet complement many of the aforementioned health benefits, but some evidence suggests that it is among the preferred fats to digest by a body that is in ketosis.
Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in polyphenols, which help protect the body against harmful free radicals. Since a limited number of carbohydrates is critical to success for the ketogenic diets, consuming salads dressed with extra virgin olive oil or vegetables grilled with the stuff helps the body get the most out of these foods.
The Keto Diet For Weight Loss
The primary use of the ketogenic diet is to lose weight. After the body has burned through all of the carbohydrates, it solely converts fat into energy, which burns far more calories. There is also some evidence suggesting diets high in fats and proteins are more satiating and result in participants consuming fewer calories overall.
The Keto Diet And Heart Disease
Research suggests that the ketogenic diet may also lower the risk of heart disease and mitigate the risk of metabolic syndrome (i.e. high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar) by raising the body’s level of “good” cholesterols and lowering the level of “bad” cholesterol.
The Keto Diet And Type 2 Diabetes
Adherence to the ketogenic diet may also mitigate the impacts of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. The ketogenic diet may be beneficial because it uses up the body’s insulin and prevents it from building up in the bloodstream. Insulin helps to fuel the growth of cancer cells and too much of it in the blood can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes.
Health Benefits Of Keto Friendly Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or EVOO is a great source of healthy fats and it comes along with an end number of healing and medicinal properties. Some of these benefits include:
- The Extra Virgin Olive Oil contains a lot of dietary antioxidants which are considered good for the body since they have been known to reduce the risks related to chronic diseases such as cancer, heart diseases and can also fight some deadly bacteria and viruses.
- The Extra Virgin Olives Oil is rich in Na or sodium content. It makes them a great option for a low-carbohydrate food for the beginners of the keto diet since it can help reduce the symptoms of keto flu which include headache, dizziness, fatigue, constipation etc.
- The healing properties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil are well known to improve the dieter’s heart health in the long term. Since oleic acid is present in olives, it is associated with improved heart health and may protect the heart from bad cholesterol.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil also helps in improving calcium content and gradually bone and nail health. Studies show that olive oil can prevent bone loss and osteoporosis.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats which help in reducing body inflammation, getting rid of toxic free radicals and also have good effects on some types of cancer cells.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in good fatty acids which help in ketosis and also have powerful healing properties.
- Extra Virgin Olive oil contains oleuropein which is the primary antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties and helps in protecting our body cells from damage due to injuries etc.
- The Extra Virgin Olive oil contains antibacterial properties which have many health benefits. It can cure the diseases caused by bacteria Helicobacter pylori which causes severe stomach ulcers and cancer in extreme cases.
- Studies show that people who intake 30 grams of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on a daily basis are less prone to bacterial diseases and have eliminated the risk factors related to Helicobacter pylori infection up to 50%.
- Cooking the food in Extra virgin olive oil is also known to reduce appetite and calm the hunger pangs of the body which is necessary in a Keto diet. It is one of the basic necessities in the Ketogenic diet and hence the keto dieter’s food should be entirely cooked in the EVOO.
Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil
When choosing an olive oil it is however crucially important that you choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil like Morocco Gold.
Simply the best Picholine Marocaine olives, selected early in the season, handpicked by a co-op of female harvesters, and cold pressed within 24 hours of picking.
The end result is a ‘liquid gold’: an incredibly rare, extra virgin olive oil of exceptional quality, extraordinary health benefits and a taste like none other.
