Another week, oils and fats are the protagonists of the ‘Nutrition Alphabet’, within the framework of our analysis of the nutritional pyramid from “El Scalurí”, this time, focused on the consequences they have on our health. How much oil is healthy to consume? Would we be healthier if we eliminate all fats and oils from our diet? Past, incompatibilities and benefits of a diet rich in these nutrients
Olive oil has an important historical tradition in Spain. Its origin dates back to the Phoenicians and Greeks, who discovered the benefits of olives and promoted their cultivation. The Romans contributed to improving the yield of the oil and consolidated its exploitation, although it was not until the arrival of the Arabs, that with better extraction techniques, they extracted this juice from the olives and obtained better quality oils, even incorporating the term ‘ oil ‘to our tongue.
In Spain, although olive oil is still the most popular, there has been a downward trend in its consumption since the 1960s, reducing by almost half. This decrease is mainly associated with the rise in price. However, outside of Spain there has been an increase in its consumption.
Olive oil, which was previously used as a commercial currency between peoples, has become an indisputable part of the culture and gastronomy of the Mediterranean. But how much oil is healthy to consume? Would we be healthier if we eliminate all fats and oils from our diet?
In the new installment of ‘El Bisturí’, the head of health and nutrition at Nestlé, Laura González, clarifies all these doubts.
“Raw olive oil does not make you fat”, myth or reality?
As the nutritionist has already commented on several occasions, no food has the ability by itself to make us gain or lose weight. The cause of us gaining weight is found in the total calculation of the calories in the diet and this depends on the eating habits and lifestyle of each individual.
However, olive oil increases the caloric value of the dish to which we add it, so its consumption must always be adjusted to the recommended servings. Above all, it is recommended to use it to accompany foods that are healthy.
Fats, in general, should account for approximately 30-35% of the total calories in the diet that we eat in a day.
A serving of oil is equivalent to one tablespoon. The consumption recommendations are between 3 and 6 servings per person per day, which is equivalent to about 30 to 60 grams.
If we are obese or overweight, should we eliminate all fat from our diet?
When we need to lose weight, a low kilo-calorie diet is recommended, among other measures. Make it a hypocaloric diet, but at the same time, balanced.
e they usually recommend dietary guidelines, such as prioritizing the consumption of low-fat meats (white meat, chicken, turkey); avoid frying or control the oil that we add in our recipes, whether raw or cooked.
However, for a diet to be effective and not pose any health risk, we must always seek a gradual, gradual and nutrient-balanced weight loss.
A drastic reduction in fat in the diet can lead to poor adherence in the medium term because food loses palatability and ends up being monotonous and not very tasty diets.
In addition, it can be difficult to meet the daily needs of some nutrients, such as omega 3 or some vitamins, especially vitamin E.
Therefore, for a correct weight loss a control of the total caloric intake is recommended and not exclusively the reduction of total fat.
In addition, we must take into account other factors such as: creating good eating habits; educate in a healthy and quality diet; and practice physical exercise on a daily basis.
