Customers ask all the time for ideas on how to use olive oil other than salad dressings. They are usually a bit surprised when I tell them to bake with it. For so long, consumers have been told that olive oil is only good for salad dressings. With time, people have forgotten the olive oil is the original vegetable oil! They associate it with bread dipping at Italian restaurants. True extra virgin olive oil however, has a variety of tastes and flavors as we have explored in other posts. For this post, however, we will discuss the virtues of baking with olive oil.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil has so many proven health benefits, including and not limited to the following:
- Reducing your risk of heart attack due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties
- Reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure coming from reduced fat intake combine with using EVOO
- EVOO has been proven to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL)
- EVOO with high levels of oleic acids have been proven to protect women against certain types of breast cancer
- Studies have also shown that the polyphenols present in olive oil can fight certain types of cancer, including colon, prostrate and other forms of cancer
- Reduces inflammation in the body, which is good news for those suffering from arthritis.
So by substituting olive oil in your baking, not only are you reducing your saturated fat intake, you are integrating healthy olive oils into your treats.
You can also substitute olive oil for butter in baked goods… just use the handy chart here
Check out some of these recipes that use olive oil:
Or just take any of your favorite baked goods and substitute olive oil for the vegetable oil and Enjoy!
