Do You Prefer Olive Oil or Butter?
Image Credit: primaoliva.com
Dear Friends, I hope you are doing fine. Today I have come up with my another blog with the subject of "Do You Prefer Olive Oil or Butter? ". Everybody likes to eat tasty and healthy food and therefore ingredients should be such that meet the criteria which makes a food tasty as well as healthy. As far as my personal liking is concerned, I like both olive oil and natural butter. Both are among organic foods and have their own characteristics, taste and health benefits. Of course, if you eat something in excess quantity then there will be some side effects as well. However, if used properly and in normal quantities, then both olive oil and butter are useful for health and they also give taste to their eaters. Olive oil is more used in salads dressings and cooking, whereas butter is used in breakfasts and in evening snacks with bread and other confectionery items. Let's take a deeper look into the formation and ingredients of both products i.e. Butter and Olive Oil.
♣ What Is Olive Oil ?
Image Credit: Wikipedia
✤ Introduction
As the name implies, Olive oil is a form of oil extracted from "Olives" which is a Round Green "Drupe" like fruit (about 1 to 2.5 centimeter) of a small tree (as shown above) mostly found in upper African and Western Asian Nations such as Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and in European countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece. The tree grows only about 25 feet in height. The best olives are found in Spain and in Morocco because the climate of these countries support the olive crop as it needs light winter and long / dry summers. Olives is among the most grown crops in the world as it is very beneficial for the exports and generates revenues for the country. Olives has very sacred history and is regarded as a holy fruit in religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam and has been in use since ancient times because of its health benefits. In the market, Olive Oil is available in different forms such as simple Olive Oil, Virgin Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. These forms do not depend on the quality of olive oil but on the process through which oil is extracted from the olives, the acidity level and the additives used in the oil. For instance, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is generally darker in color and most importantly, it is an unrefined oil which is why it is called Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it is full in its ingredient quality and is pure form of olive oil and in the process of extraction, no heat or chemicals are used in making the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Therefore, this form of olive oil is the best among its different qualities available in the market.
Video Credit: Dr. Josh Axe via youtube.com
✤ Classification Of Olives
Image Credit: pixabay.com
Olives are classified based on the time at which they are picked from the olive tree. Following are three main classifications and types of olives:
♦ Green olives
Generally, when we think of an olive, a green round shape fruit comes into mind and that is the reason why olives are found mostly in green color. This is so because these green olives are picked from their tree when they have attained their maximum size but before they have started to ripen.
♦ Brownish Olives
Some olives look brown in color and this is so because they are picked from their trees when they are in semi ripe condition and they have started to turn yellowish brown. Although they are picked in the semi ripe condition but the inner part of olives has not started to change its color and texture at this time.
♦ Black Olives
We see Balck Olives in the market and these are olives which have fully ripened and are in fully matured form. They are picked when they have become full ripened and have started to turn their color from purple to black. For olives, this whole process of turning from green to black color takes about 3 to 4 months depending upon the climate where these are being grown and the weather conditions.
✤ Ingredients Of Olive Oil
Olive oil is famous to be a healthy oil and it is an essential part of a healthy diet. This is so because of its ingredients value and suitedness for people of all age especially for older people and the ones who have some cardiac issues. Other oils are harder to digest and disturb the immune system of elderly people and that is the reason why Doctors all around the world recommend to their elderly patients the use of olive oil instead of other oils. Olive oil is a mainly used for salads dressings and for sauteing. Let's look at the ingredient factors which make olive oil a special one and different from others:
♦ Oleic Acid
Oleic Acid is a form of Fatty Acid and is an important energy source present in our daily diet and it is mainly found in vegetables and animals fat. In olive oil, there is 55 to 83% of Oleic acid. Oleic acid is an edible substance and it is in colorless, odorless form when fresh. Oleic acid is easily available in natural items such as avocado, olive and canola. It is a member of Monounsaturated fat which is among the beneficial types of fats because monounsaturated fats especially protect against cardiovascular disease and this is the reason why Doctors recommend using olive oil especially to elderly people. Oleic acid helps in controlling glucose and insulin levels in the body and helps in good blood flow in the body. Therefore, the younger ones should also start using olive oil in their cooking because sooner they start using it the better. Oleic Acid is also a family member of Omega-9 which have proven benefits on health.
♦ Linoleic Acid
Another important fatty acid for our body is "Linoleic Acid" and it is a family member of omega-3 fatty acid which also has very beneficial effects on our health if used on daily basis. This is termed as "Essential Fatty Acid" because our body cannot chemically produce such fatty acids and we need to obtain them from the diet. Linoleic acid is mainly found in Olives, Sun Flowers, Canola and Walnuts. Linoleic acid helps a great deal in body functions and its development. If there is lack of linoleic acid in the body then normal growth is disturbed as it leads to ill health and causes deficiency symptoms to develop. Linoleic acid helps to control lethal health condition such as coronary heart disease, sudden cardiac death and heart failure, heart beat issues, formation of blood clots, plaque build-up inside the arteries. Furthermore, it also helps in anti-inflammatory mechanisms of our body.
♦ Palmitic Acid
It is another form of fatty acid which is very important and beneficial for the body. The main function of this fatty acid is to send "Full Signal" to brain when eating, thus it helps in controlling the habit of over eating. These Palmitic acids serve as a potential source of energy and energize our cells. Some palmitic acids play an important role in the health of our brain function, heart and blood vessels. Palmitic acid is mainly found in Olives, Walnuts, Almonds, Red Beans and Cow Milk etc. Excessive use of Palmitic acid is not recommended as it can disturb the cholesterol levels in the body.
Image Credit: www.livestrong.com
♣ Benefits of Using Butter
Video Credit: Freez Frame Films via youtube.com
Wherever there are domesticated animals like cows and goats etc, there is use of milk and butter. The origin of butter goes back many thousands of years when humans first started domesticating animals. Butter is commonly known as a dairy product and it is produced form milk when milk or cream is "churned", either in fermented or in a fresh form. This physical change in liquid changes it from an oil-in-water structure to a water-in-oil combination. In this process, fats in the milk or cream is broken down and they join together to increase thickness and to create the hardness that is essential for butter. Therefore, we can say that butter is a form of fat from the milk. Butter is respected for its nutritious potential and health benefits. In recent history, there has been a shift in the use from butter to margarine and this has given butter something of a bad name and people are turning towards other overly processed and chemically altered substitutes. For instance, by 1960 butter consumption had decreased and it resulted in more heart diseases and heart diseases had become number one killer in the USA. However, this must be kept in mind that butter is an organic food and scientists have been highlighting the importance and benefits of using organic diet for better functioning of heart and other organs.
Image Credit: pixabay.com
There are many benefits of using butter because of its positive qualities as it contains essential vitamins and minerals in a large quantity. In butter, there is an ample quantity of Vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as other essential minerals like manganese, chromium, iodine, zinc, copper, and selenium. The benefits of using butter do not end here because butter has other nutrients in it and more potential benefits are being discovered all the time. Butter is generally composed of fats and not all of them are harmful, in fact, many of them are essential to human health. Butter acts as a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-cancer agent in the body because there are high levels of carotene in natural butter which is an unusual and essential nutrient for human beings. Carotene is an important nutrient for humans because it helps in maintaining the health in two ways, either it converts into antioxidants or it converts into vitamin A. Therefore, large amount of carotene consumed in by the body is changed into disease-fighting cells in the body. Antioxidants are also known as anti-infectious and thus provide a boost to our immune system. Vitamin A is essential for our body and it gives strength to our skin, eyes, mouth, throat and urinary and digestive tracts. It also helps a great deal in cell regrowth and its repair, protecting it from vulnerability to infections.
As you can see in graph above, the use of butter has not remained in trend and alternate use such as margarine has been up. However, with the passage of time as the people start to realize the importance of natural butter, the use of butter is coming back to its normal stage which is a good healthy sign.
Some other benefits of using butter in our daily diet are as follows:
♦ Reduction In Intestinal Conditions.
Butter has a special type of fatty acid that protects our body against many stomach and intestinal issues and conditions. Butter strengthens the mucus layers in our digestive system along its membranes and making it more difficult for bacterial infections to assemble inside our intestines.
♦ Improvement In Cardiovascular Health
Good use of natural butter can help to improve the health of our heart, rather than disturb its function. This is so because butter contains "HDL cholesterol" which is considered as a “good” cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is an omega-3 fatty acid and it reduces the over presence of omega-6 fatty acid "LDL Cholestrol" which is also known as “bad” cholesterol. This LDL cholesterol can add up in arteries and lead to lethal heart conditions such as heart attack and stroke. Organic butter has higher levels of good cholesterol than processed butter and margarine etc.
Image Credit: foodnavigator.com
♦ Help in Thyroid Health
Thyroid gland is an important part of our system and it has a strong link with "vitamin A'. In people who are suffering from thyroid related diseases have lack of vitamin A in their body which is necessary for proper functioning and regulating of hormones in the body. Butter has more vitamin A than any other vitamin, therefore, people suffering from thyroid issues must use butter in their diet.
♦ Sexual Health Improvement
Butter has such fat-soluble vitamins which are essential to human health because they are necessary to take nutrients out of water-soluble vitamins. In recent research, it has been proved that that fat-soluble vitamins can improve sexual health. Butter has sufficient amount of both vitamin A and D which are important for the development of proper brain and nervous system. The same are also helpful in improved sexual development. In the absence of important fats such as these vitamins, both men and women can experience a type of nutritional deficiency and it may result in a condition where their sexual characteristics don’t appear properly. Use of butter can solve the rising concerns of sexual dysfunction and impotency as these diseases have become common because people have stopped using required amount of butter in their daily diet.
✪ Here is the "Querlo Chat" for you. Isn't it fun to Chat with a Chatbot ?
♣ Conclusion
Dear friends, both Olive Oil and Butter are gifts from God to humans on earth. We must include both in our daily diet in order to get the maximum health benefits from these two genuine natural foods. People all over the world have started to realize the importance of Organic Foods after a number of scientific studies have proved the importance and necessity of these items in our daily diets. Both our items in discussion i.e. Olive Oil and Butter fall under Organic Foods. Therefore, for a healthy living we must not miss the nutrients value both olive oil and butter have for us.
Thanks for Reading.
This Blog Was Written by Refaquat Noman, a Resident of Saudi Arabia and a Traveler.
DISCLAIMER: The contents of Blog above are that of the author and does not represent his company or agency. The sites, videos, and photos used in this Blog are for information purposes only and links are available for direct access. The author does not receive any monetary benefit from those companies or sites.
