Is Avocado Oil Healthy?
Avocado oil has gained a lot of traction for its’ high smoking point. Refined avocado oil can be heated to 520 degrees Farenheit, and unrefined can be heated to 482 degrees Farenheit. This makes it a good option for high heat cooking, frying, and seasoning cast iron pans. It is a rich source of heart healthy, anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fats. Studies have shown that avocado oil has many benefits including reducing bad LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Is Avocado Oil Better Than Olive Oil?
Both are considered good sources of monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, but olive oil has more vitamins and minerals like potassium
Olive oil and avocado oil share identical amounts of certain nutrients such as 120 calories, 14 grams of fat, two grams of saturated fat, and ten grams of monounsaturated fat per tablespoon.
Avocado oil’s (unrefined) smoking point is higher at 482 degrees Farenheit compared to extra virgin olive oil which has a smoking point of 410 degrees Farenheit.
Where is Avocado Oil Produced?
The main producers, according to National Institutes of Health are New Zealand, Mexico, USA, Chile, and South Africa.
Is Using Avocado Oil as Good as Eating an Avocado?
Generally, it is always best to choose a whole food source over fat extracted from a plant. Stripping oil from a plant, such as avocado oil from avocados, removes the fiber and other nutrients. One avocado has a whopping 14 grams of fiber!
What Avocado Oil is Best?
Unrefined oils are cold pressed, preserve the natural flavor, and are generally best. Refined oils are typically treated with heat, bleached, and deodorized, so look for the words “unrefined,” or “extra virgin” on the label to determine what level of refinement the manufacturer is using.
In a study this year, University of California Davis (UC Davis) has uncovered that about 70% of private label avocado oils sold to consumers were either rancid or mixed with inferior oils like sunflower, soybean, canola, and safflower oil.
Their findings included:
- Of the 36 private label brands tested for purity and quality, only 31% were pure, and 36% were of the quality that was advertised
- Only 3 refined samples, and 1 virgin/extra virgin met both quality and purity standards
- Extremely low priced avocado oils were more likely to be adulterated, but it was not an absolute, so high cost did not guarantee purity and quality
- The findings were published here in the journal Food Control
- The Avocado Oil Expert Group was formed in collaboration with American Oil Chemists’ Society to develop standardization measures
The brands tested were as follows: Bowl and Basket, Fresh Thyme, Good & Gather, Great Value, Harvest Peak, Hyvee, Irresistibles, Olivari, President’s Choice, Private Selection, Publix, Signature Select, Simple Truth, Simply Nature, Sprouts, Stop and Shop, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, 365 (Whole Foods)
The authors of the study share the brand names tested, but do not indicated which of the four brands passed the purity and quality tests, and they have not responded, to date, to my email inquiry.
In a previous avocado oil study conducted in 2020, UC Davis indicated only two brands passed for purity and were not oxidized. Those two brands were Chosen Foods, and Marianne’s Avocado Oil, both refined avocado oils from Mexico. Chosen brand claims to not apply excess heat or chemicals in the refining process. The virgin grade CalPure, produced in California passed purity tests and was considered “fresher” than other virgin grade samples.
How Can I Tell if My Avocado Oil is Real?
Until there is standardization and more testing, here are some general tips in choosing avocado oil:
- Good virgin avocado oil is grassy and buttery, kind of like good olive oil, and will have a slight mushroom flavor
- Virgin avocado oil is green, and refined is light yellow
- Good quality oils will become rancid over time. Store them in a dark place away from heat, and smell before using. If there is a sharp, bitter, unpleasant smell, it is rancid
- Check for production date, and try to choose a brand that is close to this date when you purchase it. This is a better indicator of freshness compared to a sell by or use by date
Check out this delicious dark chocolate avocado mousse made with whole avocados. A quick whirl in the blender, and voila! It’s vegan, decadent, has dark chocolate, and is packed with polyphenols and fiber. You’ll never miss the cream and eggs!
