Too Much Of A Good Thing?
If super-size meals are a concern, maybe super-size olive oil should be as well. Have you seen those cooking shows that begin a healthy recipe by pouring olive oil into a skillet while counting slowly to ten. Ok, I’m exaggerating, but not much. While I appreciate their heavy use of vegetables and lean meats, I cringe at beginning a recipe with unnecessary fat. Starting with ¼ cup of EVOO dishes out 477 calories (83% of your total daily value), obviously all from fat. Many people don’t consume that many calories in an entire meal. It would take a 200 pound person a little over 2 hours of walking at 2 miles per hour to burn those off.
Now before you throw stones, let me assure you I understand that the fat in olive oil is mostly monounsaturated and is good for you. I personally have replaced all of my trans fats and many of my saturated fats with monos and polys. I figure if something I eat will work for my “good cholesterol” and against my “bad cholesterol”, I’ll gladly take the help. I enjoyed Spinal Health’s graphic showing the types of dietary fat and their main sources.
The idea “if a little is good, a lot would be better” is not necessarily true. If you choose a ¼ cup of olive oil over a ¼ cup of hydrogenated vegetable oil, I say good choice. But if a drizzle can accomplish the ¼ cup purpose, I say moderation is the better choice.
