There are two major things one must do at the beginning of their weight loss journey – cut out junk food from their diet and incorporate a healthy cooking oil. When we think about healthy oils, perfect for people on a diet, the first name that tops the list is “olive oil.” Many people believe that just a tbsp of olive oil a day can keep the doctor away! The success of many fad diets is based on the inclusion of olive oil. For someone who’s on a diet to lose weight, olive oil is a staple, and that’s the reason, Rati Beauty Weight Loss diet promotes olive oil in their recipes. This oil, which is extracted from the olive fruits by crushing them, is the best in its cold-pressed variant. Also, extra virgin olive oil is obtained by extracting the fresh juice out of olives without using any heat, completely unrefined. What makes olive oil absolutely must-have for weight loss enthusiasts is the amount of healthy fats and antioxidants it contains. Olive oil, in its cold-pressed version, is rich monosaturated fat which is great for heart health. As we have mentioned earlier, olive oil is good to boost weight loss efforts, but let us set this straight, it’s not a magic bullet that will burn all the fat away on its own. Practicing clean eating, a healthy diet, and exercise will do the magic. Also, moderation is the key when incorporating olive oil into a weight loss diet because there are approximately 120 calories and 13.5 grams of fat in just 1 tablespoon of olive oil. If you are thinking about consuming it raw, up to 2 tbsp is quite right. Since we have established that olive oil is good for shedding extra kilos, let’s find out how exactly does olive oil help with weight loss.
Nutraceutical Value of Olive Oil:
1. Rich in antioxidants which neutralizes the effect of harmful free radicals that damage healthy cells.
2. Omega-3 fatty acids, monosaturated fatty acids that are excellent for the heart and body.
3. Rich source of vitamin E (great for skin, hair, and body).
4. Good source of vitamin K, calcium, potassium, squalene, polyphenols, etc.
Different Ways Olive Oil Helps with Weight Loss:
1. Helps protect the nervous system and reduces anxiety and depression. Increased stress, anxiety, and depression prevent weight loss and triggers the body to store fat. Olive oil alleviates stress and anxiety symptoms and we know how low stress level helps with weight loss. Read all about the connection between stress and weight gain in this post (12 Things in Life That Cause Abnormal Weight Gain).
2. Oleocanthal and oleuropein, the two antioxidants found in olive oil have anti-inflammatory effect, and cause weight loss by reducing inflammation in the body. (Read How Inflammation Might be the Reason you are Not Losing Weight in this post).
3. The rich antioxidants in olive oil strengthen the immune system and a strong immune system is one of the main pillars without which losing weight is not possible. Read “How Strong Immunity can Boost Weight Loss” here.
4. It helps regulate blood sugar and lower insulin level by increasing DAG concentration, improves insulin sensitivity, and prevents sharp insulin spikes. Insulin, as we all know, is a fat-storage promoting hormone and insulin sensitivity can help with weight loss. (How Insulin Makes you Fat and Prevents Weight Loss).
5. Olive oil leads to feeling of fullness and prevents mindless snacking.
6. Olive oil boosts metabolism and helps with burning of calories.
7. Monosaturated fats in olive oil help to prevent weight gain and the storage of fat.
8. Medium-chain triglycerides in olive oil promote weight loss by triggering release of appetite-regulating hormones such as peptide YY.
Ways to Consume Olive Oil for Weight Loss:
1. In many cultures in the west, people usually consume one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil with lime water every morning to feel full, boost metabolism and lose weight.
2. Moderation is key with olive oil because despite all its health benefits, it is still calorie dense, and you should totally set to how much oil you are consuming. As we have mentioned earlier, about 1-1/2 tbsp of olive oil is the limit and beyond that, you would be adding more calories to your diet. You can gulp down one tbsp of olive oil in the morning without diluting to get all the benefits linked to this oil.
3. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top of your salad.
4. Crush half inch ginger and consume it with olive oil to boost metabolism and burning of calories because ginger provides additional thermogenic effect in the body.
5. You can also add 1 tbsp of olive oil in homemade smoothies.
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