Olive oil in coffee? It seems like an odd combination, and it may have you questioning whether it鈥檚 good for your health. Turns out, there鈥檚 no harm here.
Theresa Dvorak, a registered dietitian in the (NUIP) in the College of 人妻中出视频 and director of at 人妻中出视频 of Utah, shares why.
Packed with health benefits
Both olive oil and coffee are packed with compounds that promote good overall health. They are great components to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle.
Olive oil: Olive oil is an oleic acid鈥攊t is rich in unsaturated fats and loaded with antioxidants. A good source of vitamins E and K, it also contains omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols.
Some of olive oil鈥檚 many benefits include:
- 鈥 Fights inflammation and chronic disease
- 鈥 Reduces the risk of stroke, some cancers, and even dementia
- 鈥 Lowers
- 鈥 Improves cholesterol levels and blood pressure
Olive oil is also a main component of the Mediterranean diet, which dietitians have long touted as one of the healthiest and most sustainable eating patterns in the world. Research has shown many benefits of this type of diet, including helping heart and brain health and preventing chronic disease.
Coffee: Besides helping boost your energy levels (thanks to the caffeine), coffee is also packed with antioxidants, potassium, and B vitamins.
It has many similar health benefits to olive oil, such as reducing inflammation, heart disease, liver disease, and the risk of stroke. Other research has shown coffee may lower the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, .
Be mindful of your intake
With both foods, it鈥檚 important to moderate how much you consume. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says about for an adult is generally OK.
Research has also found that consuming may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. But it鈥檚 important to keep in mind that a spoonful of olive oil is about 119 calories. Increasing your olive oil intake also ups your calories.
鈥淎ny time you add oil or fat to your food or beverage, it鈥檚 automatically going to increase that calorie consumption,鈥 Dvorak says. 鈥淏ut olive oil is a great source of calories because it's those unsaturated fatty oils.鈥
It鈥檚 not a magic potion
While the two super foods are packed with health benefits, the addition of olive oil in coffee doesn鈥檛 make it magical.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to have these magical properties that are going to ramp up your health more than overall healthful eating,鈥 Dvorak says. 鈥淓ating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and unsaturated fatty acids (like olive oil and other plant oils) and getting plenty of physical activity is the best option to better health.鈥
The bottom line
Individually, both coffee and olive oil are great components to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle. If you鈥檇 like to combine the two ingredients, there鈥檚 no high risk here.
鈥淚ncorporating unsaturated fats like olive oil is a great way to boost your health, especially if that offsets eating those unhealthy fats found in fast foods or fried foods,鈥 Dvorak says. 鈥淏ut just that one tablespoon alone isn't going to magically cure us of our chronic disease.鈥
Dvorak says you should talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian if you have questions about diet and overall health goals.