I read on some websites that vegetable oils are not good because they are not 'natural' (they need to be extracted). But also I read that omega 6 needs to be balanced with omega 3. And a rich source of omega 6 is vegetable oils. Is the advice to not eat vegetable oils bad?

PS: I love olive oil on salads and it would be hard to give up.

I may add the following:

Aren't juices extracted also? And if so, aren't they bad because they are not natural (not found on naturally)?

Some vegetable oils are high in omega 6 relative to omega 3 (e.g. corn oil, safflower oil), and others are exactly the opposite (e.g. flaxseed oil). Oils in general are less preferable to eat as fat sources than nuts and seed because they are not whole foods. Oils do not have the fiber and the benefits that fiber brings including satiety and phytonutrients (e.g. lignans). As an example, whole flaxseed includes the fiber and it's valuable lignan whereas flaxseed oil just contains the omega 3s but none of the whole seeds lignans. Flaxseed oil by itself has been linked to prostate cancer in men, whereas the whole seed has not.

In general, take whole foods when you can where you can. I know I said canola oil in your other thread (I also said limited). Is there an exception? For me, yes. Whole olives would be better than extra virgin olive oil except that they are mostly brine cured, meaning full of salt. I can't eat a high sodium diet. So, when/if I use olive oil or any oil, I limit it to 2 teaspoons per day, about 80 calories. I'm not going to get fat on 80 calories.

Paul

This is a good question and I'm sure you'll get lots of replies.
For me, again, I prefer to use whole food sources, eating nuts and seeds, avocado, olives, coconut instead of the extracted oil. If I do use coconut or olive oil there are brands that are careful about how they extract the oil as well as what they're using to get the oil from. It's worth it to check into the processing and pay a bit more for quality for this concentrated food source.
You can make a nice salad dressing with blended nuts and seeds or avocado instead of oil.

As for juice, many believe that the extracted juice isn't actually healthy when it's consumed without the balancing fiber the whole plant comes with naturally. The elevated levels of sugar in fruit juice in particular can cause quite a spike in blood sugar. In my opinion juice is helpful for addressing specific health concerns, I treat it like it's a medicine. I wouldn't have it all the time, only when juice fasting or to temporarily meet a specific nutritional need.

I know a little bit about olive oil. You have to watch out for the labeled 'Italian oil' as it the biggest scam ever. The oil comes from like 20 different countries and it is blended in Italy. The downside is that the age of the oil from each country is different. So you drink stale oil. Good oil tastes floral. If it is not floral it is a blend of some type with a base of cheap staled oil. Next time you shop for olive oil, look for the origin not where it was processed. Try to get fresh single origin oil.

Could not cold pressed olive oil be called olive oil juice?

Gotta watch for generalizations. For instance, I buy an Italian olive oil that comes from olives from the region. There are oils where they list the countries in which they source the olives but I feel that it should only come from one country. Trader Joe's has great olive oil from Italy and Spain. And not adulterated the way some olive oils are! I bought a bottle (much more expensive than TJ's) and it had such a nothing flavor that I returned it. My olive oil is very green in hue.

banana who Wrote:
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> My olive oil is very green in hue.

Very good sign

I fear adulteration with olive oil, the labeling laws are oddly wacky. It can be perfumed, flavoured, coloured, mixed with what-the-heck-ever. It's good to choose a reputable company to buy from and you can expect to pay more than the stuff you'll find in a grocery store. I heard somebody from an olive oil producing company laughing over the price one time, saying it's not possible to produce even the lowest quality real oil for that cost, never mind shipping and percentage increase for the store.

Did I mention, I scored one of these giant tins of it at Malwart one time on sale for FIFTY CENTS. I use it for lamp oil, burns great .

I buy stone cold pressed single origin olive oil from the Arabic import store--they do not put up with Phoney Moroni olive oil! I don't avoid all oils, but I do prefer nuts and seeds and avocadoes to liquid oils. But to me it matters more to not overdo either kind of fat as opposed to worrying about what is more "natural." Mazola oil is not natural--we don't know what is in it or how it was processed. Extra virgin unfiltered coconut oil? OK by me