Both have benefits and nutritional value, so when browsing the oil aisle, which one should you buy?
What is olive oil?
Olive oil is a plant-based cooking oil made from the fruit of the olive tree.
Thehealthiest oilsare unrefined and minimally processed, though.
Those can be stripped away when oil is refined.
Health benefits:
There are many notablehealth benefits of olive oil.
Studies have also linked the monounsaturated fats in extra-virgin olive oil tocholesterol reduction2, making it a heart-healthy oil.
Plus, it’s oh-so-moisturizing for theskinandhair.
(Note: Malaxing just means mixing the paste).
The final result: what you see on the shelves.
Avocado oil is also very healthy.
It’s also high in antioxidants and carotenoids, which help tolower inflammation and support eye health5, respectively.
Like olive oil, avocado oil can also be nourishing for theskinandhairthanks to itsfatty acids6.
A recentFood Controlstudy foundmost avocado oils in the U.S. market are stale or impure8.
Despite the similarities in making olive oil and avocado oil, their health benefits and cooking uses vary slightly.
Here are the key differences between them:
Olive oil has a higher antioxidant content.
It retains its high vitamin E content even whenexposed to heat9.
So the winner in terms of antioxidant count?
Olive oil, but just slightly.
Avocado has a higher smoke point.
Smoke point is the temperature at which an oil burns and begins to releasepro-inflammatory free radicals.
This makes avocado oil better for high-heat cooking techniques like pan frying.
Olive oil is slightly higher in oleic acid, a healthy fatty acid.
Summary
The best ways to use them.
Here are a few recipes that showcase them:
The takeaway.
Just double-check you’re buying the cold-pressed, unrefined, extra-virgin kind.
And if you’re cooking anything at higher than 390 degrees, opt for avocado oil instead.
