With the knowledge of more nutrition and people’s inclination towards eating healthier foods, it has become a popular trend to choose plant-based, super-foods that contain a surplus of essential minerals and vitamins for uptake.
With that awareness, a common competition has been evoked between different foods from the same groups: let’s take plant-based oils
for example. Recently, Grape- seed oil has emerged to be trending plant oil in the market, and people have been comparing it to olive oil. To pick which one is the best, perhaps the most logical thing will be to compare the two in terms of different health increasing factors, so let’s find out.
Grape Seed Oil – is there any Health Risk?
Before evaluating the risks associated with taking grape- seed, it is necessary we consider the processes through which the product is sold in the market and how does the risk apply to it.
While plant based oils like olive oils are generally extracted through the oil extraction processes that involve crushing and grinding, a solvent extraction process for extracting the grape seed oil is common in the market.
Now, we might consider it nothing, but science does not say so. The solvent used for extracting and making the final grape- seed oil product in the market is Hexane.
In many scientific studies, scientists have highlighted the possible threats the chemical compound imposes on the individuals who consume the product.
The biggest threat on the health involves the claim that the compound is carcinogenic. The ability of this compound to cause cancer, although not confirmed by the FDA, is still under scientific consideration.
So, the government has not banned the product until it is proved to be harmful like its constituent compound.
Olive oil, on the other side, is not subjected to such claim as there is no involvement of a solvent like Hexane in its extraction process.
This is especially implicative for extra virgin olive oil which indicates that the oil has been extracted through the simplest extracting techniques without the integration of any complex technique that might render the chemical composition of the product.
Does Smoke Point Matter?
Although you can consume both oils raw by adding them as dressings for your salad or using them as a garnishing product in your dishes, the fact that you might need to use them for cooking your foods should not be overlooked, especially when you are using them as your main oil instead of a garnishing product.
In this regard, we need to see two things:
- Whether the oil is sustainable in the heat or not
- Whether it induces an irreversible chemical change in the food being cooked or not
In both cases, we need to recognize one technical term: Smoke point.
Smoke point is the point of temperature where the oil being heated starts giving off smoke. The sooner it gives off smoke, the more chances it has to irreversibly get changed in its chemical composition.
Comparing both oils, experts have noted that the Grape- seed oil has a medium smoke point which is lesser than olive oil. This means, the former is more likely to change its chemical configuration and hence disintegrating the nutritional quality of the product as whole.
Not only the taste and the health is affected, you also waste your money on purchasing such a product. But as long as it is being used in raw form, it is fine to use.
In that case, you might need to buy a separate oil for cooking, such as canola oil.
Which One is More Nutritious?
If we see the nutritional content of both oils, we see that grape- seed oil is exceedingly high in Vitamin E. vitamin E is essential for making plasma membranes for cells at a micro level and for maintaining our skin, nails, and hair health at a macro level.
The total content for Vitamin E in one tablespoon of this oil is 3.92 mg. In this regard, we can say grape- seed oil to be acting as a supplement for people who are Vitamin E deficient.
On the other hand, olive oil comes with lesser amount of Vitamin E in quantity – only 1.94 mg per tablespoon. However, the real tables turn to find out that olive oil is not sufficient in this vitamin alone. In addition, it has considerable amounts of iron as well as Vitamin K with amounts 0.08 mg and 8.1 mg per tablespoon respectively.
While vitamin E is good for reasons already explained, Iron is good for improving red blood cell count and tackling anemia. Also, vitamin K is great for providing better clotting ability to the body. That’s how we can see that in terms of nutrition, olive oil has won the battle again.
Which oil gives more Omega Fatty Acids?
Omega fatty acids are not only important for improving physical health, but studies have revealed that they are highly conducive for proper brain functioning.
There are two types of omega acids
- Omega 3
- Omega 6
Our bodies need a proportioned quantity of these acids to function at its best with omega 3 being much higher than omega 6.
Unfortunately, grape- seed oil contains these acids in the ratio reverse to what the body requires. So, consuming this disproportional quantity of omega fatty acids through consuming grape- seed oil might lead to adverse effects.
On the contrary, olive oil does not show this disproportion and also has increasingly high amount of omega three fatty acids that contain DHA and EPA, both highly beneficial for maintaining gut and brain health.
Is Too Much Polyunsaturated Fat Bad For Me?
Yes, especially when polyunsaturated fatty acids, or PUFA’s are consumed in cooked form, it might not be beneficial for you. There are a lot of antioxidants present in such fats that take heat as an adverse change and therefore degenerate.
To make sure you do not waste the antioxidant content, it is much better you consume these fats in raw form. Grape- seed oil is one example of why consuming it raw should be preferred – as it contains high PUFA amounts.
On the other side, olive oil is richer in monounsaturated fatty acids. These fats are good for cardiac health as they elevate LDL cholesterol from the body and increase HDL cholesterol levels, which are good ones for the body
That is why olive oil consumption is recommended in patients with cardiovascular problems. Also, if you have a liver condition, it is better you consume olive oil as the MUFA’s are light on the liver in comparison to conventional saturated fatty acids.
Which is Friend-lie For cooking?
Olive oil is plant-based oil much friend-lier for cooking as compared to the grape- seed oil. This is because the latter contains heat sensitive ingredients that on cooking change the chemical composition of the oil,
thus rendering it ineffective when taking nutrition into sight. That is why, with olive oil, you can get to have more flexibility in terms of making foods.
Final word
Considering all these details, we would say using olive comes with much more benefits as compared to using grape- seed oil, not only olive oil is cost effective but also it is high in nutrition content, giving you optimum health and fitness.