A staple in Mediterranean cooking, olive oil contains monounsaturated fats, which can help improve blood cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease.
Olive is great for the overall health of everyone in your family. For adults, for example, the phytonutrient in olive oil, oleocanthol, can help reduce inflammation. It can help decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and it helps with bone mineralisation, assisting in the prevention of osteoporosis.
Olive oil is also a great cooking oil for your kids – it is rich in antioxidants, especially vitamin E, which can help protect your family from infections.
Tips:
Extra virgin olive oil has the most health benefits because it comes from the first pressing of the fruit. Essentially, it’s raw. Drizzle it over your kid’s steamed veggies or use it as a salad dressing. Pure olive oil doesn’t pack the same antioxidant punch as extra virgin because the heat used in the oil extraction process disperses the antioxidants. It’s still a great source of monounsaturated fats and great to use when grilling meat, fish, and veggies. Try sautéing the veggies for a yummy fried rice for your kids with this oil. Extra light olive oil is only light in colour, not in calories! It has a high smoke point, making it great for high-heat frying. Use it to cook delicious homemade chicken or fish nuggets for your kids.
Where to buy: FairPrice, Sheng Siong, and all other major supermarkets in Singapore. You can also buy it online at redmart.com.
Cost: Approximately $7-9 for 500ml of extra virgin olive oil. The price varies according to store and type and brand of oil. Try the FairPrice brand for competitive prices.