But which fat is the best to cook with for weight loss? While butter does taste great (and surprisingly has some health benefits), and coconut oil is praised for being healthy, the best oil to cook with for weight loss is actually olive oil.
Butter contains 11g fat per tablespoon, 7g of which are saturated fats. Remember, the recommended daily upper limit in an 8700kJ day is just 24g saturated fat. Canola oil contains more fat, but only 1g saturated fat per tablespoon. Instead, canola oil has mainly monounsaturated fats which are good for heart health.
If you are looking for a diet to lose weight, you must pick a cooking oil that has the least amount of saturated fat in it. Coconut and canola oils are your best bets.
What's important to understand is that the biggest factor in weight changes is your balance of calories consumed versus burned on a daily basis. And olive oil and butter are virtually identical calorie-wise. They each contain about 100-120 calories per tablespoon, meaning they're both very dense calorically.
Looking at both the fat nutrition-wise, one tablespoon of butter contains 102 calories and 11.5 grams of fat, of which about 7.3 grams are saturated. While a tablespoon of olive oil contains 119 calories and 13.5 grams of fat. However, only 1.8 grams are saturated, which is far less than the amount in butter.
You don't need to banish it entirely, but you should limit your intake to 1 tablespoon or less per day. Each tablespoon contains 7.3 grams of saturated fat, which raises LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Curb your butter intake even more if you enjoy other sources of saturated fat, like red meat and ice cream.
Potential Health Benefits of Butter
It's rich in nutrients like bone-building calcium and contains compounds linked to lower chances of obesity. Butter can also be part of a low-carbohydrate diet, which may help people better maintain their weight or lose weight quicker than they would with a low-fat diet.
It can help reduce body fat.
Butter contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is the type of fat you typically find in meat and dairy products. While this may seem like a bad thing, it's actually great when it comes to reducing your body fat.
Olive Oil Is Not Associated With Weight Gain and Obesity
Additionally, one three-year study in 187 participants found that a diet rich in olive oil was linked to increased levels of antioxidants in the blood, as well as weight loss ( 33 ).
Olive oil is packed with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). These fatty acids along with keeping your heart healthy and blood sugar levels stable also help assist weight loss. It promotes the feeling of satiety, which prevents you from bingeing on other refined or trans-fat sources laden with empty calories.
Coconut oil is the best bet to reduce belly fat. Since there are shreds of evidence that show that coconut oil boosts fat loss, it reduces belly fat. It happens due to MCTs in coconut oil which stimulates metabolism and suppresses appetite by inducing satiety.
Both of these fats have health risks. Some guidelines for healthier cooking: Use olive or canola oil instead of butter or margarine. Choose soft margarine (tub or liquid) over harder stick forms.
Olive oil is best used when you're looking to eat healthier. Olive oil has significantly less saturated fat than butter.
Olive oil has a lower smoke point-the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke (olive oil's is between 365° and 420°F)-than some other oils. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form.
Best Essential Oils to Curb Appetite And Sugar Cravings
The citrus essential oils – grapefruit, lemon and bergamot - as well as fennel, cinnamon, peppermint and ginger, are all known to be effective appetite suppressants to help naturally promote weight loss.
“The general body of research says that once you have two or more tablespoons a day, you'll improve your blood pressure, your glucose levels and your good cholesterol,” Flynn says. “But I've found that the weight-loss effect comes into play at three tablespoons, so that's what I recommend.
Myth #2: Olive Oil Contains Too Many Calories
The Truth: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is pure fat meaning it's naturally greater in calories than other nutrients. Though caloric intake is a factor, as discussed above, fats have been proven to actually aid in weight loss.
Butter slows down your metabolism
Butter contains omega-6 fatty acid which converts consumed carbohydrates into fat. It slows down your metabolism and leads to weight gain.
Rather than slathering it on bread, consider alternate toppings like nut butters, avocado or olive oil. Since the main health concern with butter is its high levels of artery-clogging saturated fat, consider, too, where else you're getting saturated fats in your day.
“One of the healthiest ways to shed weight is to reduce your intake of sugar and rapidly metabolized carbohydrates,” says Bennett. “In particular, you want to cut out or drastically curtail your intake of high-glycemic-load foods, such as sugary snacks, processed carbs and soft drinks.
A cutting diet reduces a person's calorie intake to lose body fat while maintaining muscle mass. This diet's meals include lean meats, yogurts, and whole grains. Bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts often use a cutting diet after a bulking phase to achieve a leaner physique.
Yes, you can eat bread while trying to lose weight.
There is no need to avoid it completely from your diet. Limit your intake of bread to 25 percent of your plate and enjoy it with vegetables to avoid overconsumption. The secret to losing weight is consuming fewer calories than you utilize during the day.
Although butter contains saturated fats but these fats are heart-healthy while the poly-unsaturated fat (omega 6 fatty acid) in oils are unwanted fats which may cause inflammation, and should be avoided.
Nutritionally, olive oil is a healthier choice than butter because it has more healthy compounds, less saturated fats and total cholesterol levels, and a higher smoke point – unless you're using clarified butter.