Olive Oil And Sunflower Oil - Differences And Benefits

Author: Maryam Ayres Time for reading: ~2 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Olive Oil And Sunflower Oil - Differences And Benefits

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)

Which product among olive oil and sunflower oil is more useful with regular use?

Olive oil boils at a lower temperature than sunflower oil and is not suitable for use in frying, stewing and in general in dishes that require heat cooking. However, even in terms of their raw use, sunflower oil and olive oil have long challenged the palm of the championship. In this aspect, the apple of discord is not related to their thermal resistance, but to the purely health benefits of taking them.

The only feature in which olive oil and sunflower oil have comparable benefits is the caloric content . One tablespoon of olive oil and sunflower oil contains almost the same amount of calories - about 120 . From then on, the differences begin, which determine which of the two products we will prefer for daily flavoring of our dishes.

Fat content

Both oil and olive oil are low in trans fats and rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They work extremely well to reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. However, their content in the two types of vegetable fat is very different. 65% of the composition of sunflower oil is polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids . In olive oil, they form only about 10% of the content.

Content of vitamins - E and K

Vitamin E is the most powerful antioxidant among vitamins. An adult needs about 15 mg of it daily. One tablespoon of sunflower oil provides about 6 mg of vitamin E. In the same amount of olive oil, the amount of antioxidant vitamin is three times less - about 2 mg.

Vitamin K is another important vitamin, the source of which are both types of vegetable fats. It is involved in the mechanisms that trigger platelet coagulation and blood clotting. In terms of vitamin K content, olive oil has an advantage. One tablespoon of olive oil provides about 8 mcg of vitamin K, eight times more than we can get with the same amount of sunflower oil.

Micronutrient content

Vegetable fats are generally low in micronutrients, but if there is a type of vegetable fat that can still partially meet the daily needs of some of them, it is olive oil. The trace elements contained, albeit in low doses, in the fat extracted from olives are iron , potassium , sodium and calcium .

It is clear that there is a difference in the composition and benefits of regular intake of sunflower oil and olive oil. The choice of one of the two vegetable fats depends mainly on the type of diet of each person and the extent to which he can compensate for the differences in the content of useful unsaturated fats , vitamins and trace elements with other products in your daily menu. From here, the choice between olive oil and sunflower oil is a matter of taste only.

Olive Oil And Sunflower Oil - Differences And Benefits

CHAPTERS (Table Of Contents)

Fat content

Content of vitamins - E and K

Micronutrient content

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