Fried Food Healthy When Cooked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• comments
• 
• 

A new study is now suggesting that frying can be healthy when using olive oil. In fact, research revealed that frying in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is healthier than other forms of cooking methods.

Researchers from the University of Granada (UGR) in Spain suggest that frying vegetables in EVOO improves the chemical compounds already found in them, as reported in Medical Daily News. Results show that frying in EVOO has been the most effective way to increase the antioxidant capacity and levels of phenolic compounds in raw vegetables.

To come up with this conclusion, they started with the Mediterranean diet.

Several studies have already been done to prove the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. It has been proven to lower risk of cardiovascular problems such as stroke and other chronic and degenerative disease, improves gut health and slows the degeneration of the brain. In particular, the Spanish Mediterranean diet recommends plenty of vegetables and EVOO which are both good sources of phenols.

Phenolic compounds are the antioxidant properties believed to lower the risk of many health problems. The concentration of antioxidants can be improved or reduced according to how the food is prepared. This is what the researchers wanted to know: what is the best cooking method to maximize the antioxidant capacity of vegetables used in the Mediterranean diet.

The team specifically experimented on most vegetables used in the Mediterranean diet, which include potato, pumpkin, tomato and eggplant. In the study conducted, the team cooked 120g of potato, pumpkin, tomato and eggplant getting rid of the seeds and skins.

The researchers then cooked them in three ways: frying, boiling and cooking with a mixture of EVOO and water. The team followed the traditional Spanish cooking methods to determine the ratio of vegetable to water.

They found out that frying in EVOO transfers phenols from EVOO to the vegetables, adding more benefits that are not natural present in raw vegetables. They also found that the method increases fat content and reduced moisture, an effect not manifested in other cooking methods.

"Oil as a means of heat transfer increases the amount of phenolic compounds in vegetables, opposite to other cooking methods such as boiling, where heat transfer is done through the water," explained Cristina Samaniego Sánchez, a professor from UGR, via NDTV Food.

Although all three cooking methods were found to an increased level of antioxidant capacity in all vegetables, the final levels of phenols varied after cooking them in various ways.

The high levels of phenols found in raw vegetables were greatly enhanced when it was cooked in EVOO. The researchers concluded that frying and sautéing should not only be used to conserve its goodness, but also to enhance it.

As an inspiration, check out the video below on how to make the traditional Spanish Patatas Bravas: