Olive oil: Okay, oil right!

These days, some people are so health-conscious that when dining out, they demand to know in what kind of cooking oil their food was cooked. (Fact is, it doesn’t really matter to us as long as it’s not cooked in baby oil.) For those cooking at home and can afford it, naturally the choice would be olive oil as it is naturally high in monounsaturated fats and said to be the best oil for cooking (the more virgin, the better) because it does not break down easily into single oxygen molecules (free radicals) like most oils do when they are heated. Monounsaturated fats are considered healthier than polyunsaturated fats (like flaxseed or canola oils) because of their ability to lower bad cholesterol levels and raise (or maintain) levels of good cholesterol. Now, that’s one fat of life you ought to bear in mind.

But how much do you know about olive oil (no, not Popeye’s reed-thin main squeeze)? For starters, we squeezed out this little info on how olive oil gets to our kitchen or dining table. Did you know that after the olives are crushed and much of their oil is released, the remaining olive paste is pressed (this word you will encounter when buying olive oil). The first pressing produces the most desirable first-pressed oil. The next pressings are usually inferior to the first one. After it’s pressed, the oil is decanted, filtered, settled, and finally tested for taste and acidity. An oil with less than one percent acidity is said to be "extra-virgin" while oil that has one to three percent acidity is considered "virgin."

You do not cook with extra-virgin olive oil because high heat can destroy its flavor. It is best used for salads and other dishes were olive oil can lend its distinctive color and flavor. Bread also tastes great when dipped in some olive oil. Yummy! A lot of fine restaurants serve fresh olive oil in decanters instead of butter (some don’t serve this at all).

Expensive you say? Well, it can cause a dent in the pocketbook if you don’t know which brand to buy. There are reasonably priced brands on the local market today. Then, too, make your peso go a longer way by making sure you store your olive oil in a cool, dark and dry place as it can be easily damaged by light, heat or dampness. Properly kept, olive oil stays fresh up to one year.

The bottom line is, say nutrition experts Dr. Joseph Rechtschaffen and Robert Carola, less fat is best. Reduce the amount of fat in your diet to 15 to 20 percent of the total amount of your food intake. They dish out these guidelines:

Eat less of these – fatty beef (if you must, use cuts that contain little internal fat and remove all visible fat); fatty lamb and veal; pork and pork products (eat only lean pork); all fatty meats (these include sausages, cold cuts and frankfurters); Brazil, cashew, macadamia nuts; duck, goose and other fatty fowl; high-fat cheese andother high-fat dairy products including whole milk; mayonnaise (use only low-fat); high-fat cakes and other pastries; custards and puddings; deep-fried foods; animal cooking fats and oils, including lard.

Instead, take these: fish, chicken and turkey (mostly white meat without skin), low-fat or skim milk; low-fat cheese, yogurt and other dairy products; vegetable oil (like olive, corn oil, safflower).

That’s oil for now.

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Here are the Kaisa hot lines We received this e-mail from feisty anti-crime crusader Tessy Ang See:

Dear Ms. Alano,

Your piece on kidnapping elicited a lot of attention. e groups alerted readers to the article.

One mistake though (our fault): Our address and phone numbers were not changed. The 24-hour hot lines are 526-6798 and 527-6083. (Just let the guard know that the call is urgent and T. A. See must be contacted.)

The address is Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran, Inc., second floor, Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center, Anda cor. Cabildo Sts., Intramuros, Manila.

Sorry for the mistake. – TESSY