Is fried food a staple in your dinner line-up?  Well, for the sake of your good health and your waistline, I hope not.  Fried food is certainly popular ….. but most of us know fried foods are high in excess calories and are not particularly healthy for us. And yet, there are times when a perfectly fried addition to a meal is called for.  For me ….. it’s onion rings!  Oh gosh, my favorite!

Here’s today’s tip: a new study shows that frying with olive oil is healthier than frying with several other popular oils.  The study  was published this month in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.   In the study researchers took pieces of raw potatoes and either  pan-fried and deep fried them in one of four different cooking oils:  corn, olive, soybean and sunflower.  All of these oils are unsaturated oils (see my post about muffins for more on unsaturated fats ).    Each oil was reused 10 times and was tested for the effect on the stability of the oil to resist deterioration into unhealthy fat metabolites (breakdown products).  The results …. Olive Oil was more stable than the others, and maintained its health supporting benefits better than the others!  So, thinking of frying up something good?  Think Olive Oil!

An older study from 2013 looked specifically at blood tests for certain unhealthy biomarkers after eating meals containing different oils.  In this study, olive oil, sunflower oil, and mixed sunflower/canola oil, were each taken through 20 heating cycles before the oil was used in preparation of identical breakfast meals.  In this study, the blood tests confirmed that the olive oil promoted healthier blood levels of different biomarkers when checked a few hours after eating the meals.  Geeze!  There is no hiding from it … what you eat matters!

Are you in the mood for some fried onion rings?  Well, if you are a deep fryer person, change your oil to some Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil.  It will be healthier for everyone who eats some of your yummy creations, starting with the onion rings.  Here is a great deep fryer recipe.

But …. to be candid …  I’ve got an alternative that really is delicious and so much healthier than deep fried onion rings  …. Oven Fried Onion Rings!  No, really, these are a delicious alternative!  Try it … you’ll like it!!