Why You Should Avoid Buying 'Light' Olive Oil

From flashy packaging to limited-time buys, marketing has a huge effect on our purchasing habits. While these tactics occasionally work out in our favor and entice us to buy products we end up loving, sometimes marketing can also lead to nothing more than a bottle of misconceptions. For all those who keep a bottle of "light" olive oil in their cabinets, this is actually a perfect example. 

While some cooks might grab a bottle of this "light" staple off the shelf believing it's a healthier alternative to other olive oils, that is not the case. "Light" olive oil can be misleading if you haven't looked at the label closely, as the qualifier doesn't refer to the product's nutritional value but rather the color and flavor of the oil. This is why you'll often see it sold as "light-tasting." This type of olive oil is treated and refined, stripping it of its natural flavor, color, and even some of its health benefits, but it contains the exact same number of calories and fat content as extra-virgin olive oil. This makes it a great neutral oil to use in baking projects, much like corn or vegetable oil, but not the best choice when a neutral isn't necessary.

For all those who swear by using light olive oil in their recipes, you're not doing yourself or your dishes any favors (certainly not flavor-wise). Oil is fat, and there's no way around cutting this building block out of the kitchen entirely. However, if pungency and optimized nutrition is your goal, choose extra-virgin olive oil instead. 

Opt for extra-virgin olive oil instead

Fatty ingredients like olive oil actually do good things for our health, from regulating blood pressure to stabilizing our gut biome. So, instead of searching for another possible alternative for 100% olive oil beyond light, we suggest checking out our ultimate guide to buying olive oil and sticking to nutritionally beneficial options like 100% extra-virgin olive oil. 

This pure oil is full of naturally occurring and positive fatty acids. It has the most benefits of all olive oils thanks to all those acids, which help lower the levels of bad cholesterol in our bodies. Fat levels aside, olive oil is also a well-known anti-inflammatory and is full of antioxidants, so it has more benefits than one. Whether you use a few tablespoons to grease up a pan or infuse salad dressing with shine, extra-virgin olive oil can do it all while benefiting you health, too. If you're overwhelmed by all of the options on the shelves, start by trying out one of Andrew Zimmern's favorite olive oils for cooking and dipping.

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