Cooking oils are essential to any sort of diet. In fact, you can’t cook anything without resorting to cooking oil first.

Generally speaking, you should always aim for cooking oils that are known to be healthy. If you’re a marathon runner or an athlete, it becomes more important than ever for you to be on the lookout for the healthiest cooking oils, so that you get the nutrients you need to perform at your best each day.

Here is a list of some of the healthiest cooking oils for marathon runners. Remember to maintain a balanced diet!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is the highest quality of olive oil. It is derived from the fruit of the olive plant without using any harsh chemicals or even heat.

Very little mechanical processes are used in extracting extra virgin olive. For this reason, the oil is abundant in nutrients and is also free from trans-fats.

Instead, extra virgin olive oil contains a significantly high proportion of monounsaturated fat (roughly 70%). It also contains smaller proportions of saturated and polyunsaturated fat.

Because of this high monounsaturated fat (‘good fat’) content, extra virgin olive oil is ideal for those who care about consuming a healthy and balanced diet.

For athletes, especially for marathon runners, it’s pertinent to consume ‘good’ fats, which is why extra virgin olive oil is the number one recommended oil for them.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Vs. Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is not the same as Olive Oil. In fact, this distinction is a very important one to keep in mind.

Olive oil is of a lower quality. In other words, it’s basically a lower-grade oil as compared to the Extra-Virgin alternative. This is because Olive oil extraction requires a whole lot of chemical processes and procedures, and also a lot of pressure and heat.

All of these processes successfully strip the oil of any and every nutrients that it originally possesses.

While Olive Oil has more or less a similar fat profile as Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it lacks many of the natural antioxidants that can be found in large quantities in the latter.

Another reason why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is preferable to Olive Oil is that Olive Oil has a high concentration of trans fats.

Tran fats are entirely undesirable because they raise the levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol in the body while lowering levels of ‘good’ cholesterol.

Trans fats can also increase your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, and your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

The bottom line is that while it is mistakenly assumed that Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil are the same thing and are equally healthy, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

As an athlete, especially as a runner, you want to consume oil that gives you the highest amount of ‘good fat,’ so stick to Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Why Cook With Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

You can use Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for all sorts of cooking while maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet. The best thing about this oil (apart from its nutritious content) is its flavor.

EVOO is safe to be used for frying, roasting, sautéing, and even baking. Its high antioxidant concentration protects it from breaking down into harmful free radicals when exposed to high temperatures.

The oil’s rich flavor can enhance the flavor of any food that you are cooking. For example, even if you are just frying an egg in this oil, it is likely to taste so much better when fried in EVOO.

You can even just sprinkle this oil on a salad to improve its flavor. Salads are an important part of any athlete’s diet. In fact, the more vegetables you consume, the more you are able to build the strength you require to run.

You can even add some boiled pieces of chicken to the salad to make it all the more wholesome and to make sure you get your required protein intake.

Another great thing about EVOO is that it can actually help with the absorption of nutrients, including antioxidants and vitamins.

What Are The Benefits Of EVOO?

There has been a whole body of research investigating just why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is so beneficial to athletes.

The research has found that Extra Virgin Olive oil has all the various benefits:

Quick Recovery From Inflammation And Injury

Regular consumption of EVOO can help athletes to recover quickly from any injuries or inflammation caused by the injuries.

This is because of the oil’s high antioxidant concentration.

Bone health

EVOO can improve bone health and stimulate muscular regeneration because of its high vitamins and nutrient content.

Improved Heart Health

EVOO has zero Trans fats. Trans fats are undesirable because they increase levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and reduce levels of ‘good’ cholesterol in the body.

Trans fats also increase your risk of a heart attack and stroke and even Type 2 Diabetes.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil also contains about 70% monounsaturated fats making it an excellent choice for anyone who cares about their heart health.

For an athlete, maintaining good heart health is optimal for exceptional performance.

Improved Metabolic Health

Extra Virgin Olive Oil can work wonders on improving your metabolism, allowing for easier and better intake of nutrients from the food that you consume, again an essential prerequisite for superior athletic performance.

Improved Weight Management

EVOO doesn’t contain any useless and harmful trans fats. In fact, all of the fat content of EVOO is ‘good’ fat that your body needs.

As such, consuming EVOO regularly will keep your weight in check.

How Much EVOO Should A Runner Consume?

Typically, a runner or any athlete should include about two to three tablespoons of Extra Virgin Oil in their daily diets.

The exact amount any athlete should consume will depend on his individual body requirements and overall goals.

How To Include EVVO In Your Daily Diet?

Breakfast

You can consume two poached eggs or two boiled eggs.

Eggs are important in the diet of any athlete because they help build strength. Two eggs each day for breakfast, along with a slice of wholegrain bread or toast, make for a great start to the day!

Instead of spreading butter on your toast, you can sprinkle a few drops of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Lunch-Time

You can have baked vegetables for lunch if you really wish to be healthy.  Take an oven-safe container, put your vegetables inside, and sprinkle a few drops of EVOO before putting the dish inside the oven.

Remember, EVOO has a high antioxidant concentration, which prevents the oil from breaking down into harmful particles, even while exposed to high temperatures.

EVOO’s rich flavor will only enhance the taste of your baked vegetables.

Dinner-Time

If you want to have something special for dinner, why not go for poached fish, along with mashed potatoes? You can even have some salad to go with it, and instead of dressing your salad with salad dressing, sprinkle some drops of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and tada! A scrumptious and healthy dinner, everything that an athlete could ask for!

Make sure that the EVOO you select has an authentic label on top which says ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil.’

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is extracted from the white part of the coconut fruit. Historically speaking, coconut oil didn’t have too great of a reputation. In fact, it was considered to have a very high saturated fat content.

Recently, though, the benefits of coconut oil when it comes to boosting athletic performance are being widely recognized.

Additionally, there is a whole body of research focusing on how coconut oil can prevent weight-related and cardiovascular problems.

Here is why coconut oil is one of the best oils you can consume if you wish to boost your athletic performance.

A Quick Source of Energy

In many Asian countries, particularly in the Southern parts of Asia and in South America, coconut oil is used daily for cooking purposes and has been for hundreds of years.

This is because coconut oil contains more energy than any other oil. Virgin coconut oil is free from any chemical processing and refining.

As a result, virgin coconut oil contains about 50% of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), a type of fatty acid that is absorbed much quicker than any other type of fatty acid.

In fact, MCFAs can go into the bloodstream directly and are then transported into the liver, where they are oxidized so that your metabolism works quickly and efficiently.

As a result, coconut oil functions as fast-acting fuel for the body. This is why it is one of the healthiest oils an athlete can consume.

In fact, you should make sure to get in some coconut oil before a marathon race, so that you have enough energy to last throughout the race.

Boosts Metabolism and Strengthens the Immune System

Modern research is increasingly supporting the idea the coconut oil can help with weight management and help you maintain an ideal body weight.

This is because coconut oil enters the bloodstream, reaches the liver, and oxidizes in no time at all.

Because it is so great for the body’s metabolism, the oil is suitable for those who want to lose weight. It is also equally effective for those who want to gain weight because of its high calorie intake.

Coconut oil contains about 117 calories for every tablespoon full.  Because of its benefits on the body’s metabolism, coconut oil can help burn excess fat and help you develop a lean, strong body – something that’s very important for an athlete.

Additionally, coconut oil has anti-inflammatory properties. These can help you heal from injuries faster than you otherwise would have.

Coconut oil is also rich in Lauric acid. Lauric acid is fundamental to building and maintaining a strong immune system.

If you are an athlete, especially a marathon runner, you require your immunity to be strong.

How Can You Incorporate Coconut Oil Into Your Diet?

One quick, effective way of incorporating coconut oil into your diet, especially if you are an athlete or always on the go, is to make a ‘coconut milk smoothie.’

For a coconut milk smoothie, you will need about one cup of coconut milk, two cups of protein powder, some frozen fruits and berries, and, of course, some coconut oil.

All you have to do is blend all of these ingredients together in a blender and enjoy.

The coconut oil, together with the coconut milk, will give you all the energy you need to get you through the day, especially if you have a number of races that day.

Remember, being an athlete requires a whole lot of strength and persistence, and the foods you eat are very important for getting you by each day.

Remember when selecting a coconut oil, to choose one that has ‘Extra-Virgin’ specifically written on it. Only the ‘Extra-Virgin’ variety is unrefined and free from any harsh chemicals.

Extra Virgin coconut oil has the highest concentration of good fat and is also an instant source of energy, both of which are very important for athletes.

These were some of the healthiest oils for marathon runners. So if you are an athlete, you should begin to add these oils to your daily diets as soon as possible.

Stop waiting and grab your bottles of extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil today from Maverik Oils.