Olive oil is one of the best natural ingredients that can help with weight loss. It is full of healthy fats and antioxidants that can help to boost your metabolism, reduce inflammation and support your body's natural processes. While there are many olive oil varieties, the best olive oil for weight loss is Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). In this blog post, we will discuss the amazing health benefits of olive oil, how to use it to lose weight fast, and the best olive oil for weight loss.

How Replacing Saturated Fat With High-Quality Olive Oil Helps Weight Loss

Harvard research suggests that saturated seed oil is a common cause of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and brain aging!  The study also shows that most people could greatly benefit from replacing the saturated fats in their diets with olive oil and extra virgin olive oil.

“In two large cohort studies with up to 30 years of follow-up, people who ate higher amounts of olive oil showed a lower risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality compared to people who never or almost never eat olive oil,” Marta Guasch-Ferre, a senior research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-author of the study, told Olive Oil Times.

But what about weight loss? Well, first if you are healthy you’re going to be more in the mood to exercise. But other than that, olive oil speeds up your metabolism and is the healthy kind of fat you need in your diet, the one that won’t give you brain damage!

How Much Weight Can You Lose With Olive Oil?

This of course depends on many other factors. You can’t have a high-calorie diet and no exercise but spice it up with a spoon of olive oil and expect to lose weight. However, In 2010, 44 women were split into two groups, with each group following a specific eight-week diet plan that had 1500 calories a day. One plan featured a diet rich in healthy fats, based around extra-virgin olive oil, while the other was a low-fat plan according to the recommendations of the US National Cancer Institute. Following 16 weeks, the average weight loss was 7kg; however, the women on the EVOO diet lost twice as much as those on the low-fat diet. So, whatever weight you lose - you will double that loss with olive oil. 

Olive Oil For Weight Loss 2023 - How To Use It?

It is not enough to consume three tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to begin slimming down; the weight loss will become noticeable when the oil is combined with a nutritious Mediterranean-style diet full of veggies, fruits, legumes, whole grains, a moderate amount of dairy, and minimal meat.

Though there are those who say that olive oil massages are beneficial for losing weight - while extremely fun - there is no scientific evidence to back this up. On the other hand, there have been studies showing that massaging with olive oil can be advantageous for preterm babies in terms of weight gain.

It is often said that combining olive oil and lemon juice together is an effective method for dropping pounds quickly. Nonetheless, this is likely due to the use of this blend as a cleansing system that can lead to severely reduced calorie consumption and consequentially, loss of both fat and muscle!

Healthy Croatian Recipes With Olive Oil For Weight Loss

Zoodles With Pesto

Recipe by Lada Treselj

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini cut into noodles
• 2 salted anchovies
• 7-8 cherry tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• salt, chilli pepper
• 1 tablespoon of hazelnut parsley pesto

Instructions

1. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan.
2. Add 2 salted anchovies torn into pieces, a handful of cherry tomatoes and zoodles (spirally sliced ​​zucchini). 
3. Fry for a few minutes until the water evaporates.
4. Add the chilli flakes and parsley, hazelnut and olive oil pesto.

Butarda Risotto 

Recipe by Lada Treselj

Ingredients

• 4-6 pieces of sea bass or any white fresh fish roe
• 0.5 l of fish stock
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 150 g of rice

Instructions

1. Saute onion in olive oil. 
2. Add butarda (fresh fish roe), and after a few minutes - the rice. 
3. When glazed, pour the fish stock. 
4. Add salt, pepper and stock until done.

Gregada Fish & Potato Stew

Recipe by Lada Treselj

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 dl olive oil
• 4-5 dried tomatoes 
• 3 larger potatoes
• 1/2 kg of stingray 
• 1/2 kg of orata fish
• a handful of mussels 
• 1 dl white wine
• 0.5 dl of prosecco
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Saute sliced ​​onion in olive oil.
2. Add garlic, dried tomatoes, and pour 2 dl of fish stock over it.
3. Cut the potatoes into thin slices.
4. Add the pieces of stingray and orata, a handful of mussels and cover with potatoes.
5. Drizzle with white wine, olive oil, prosecco, and sprinkle with capers. 
6. Add salt and pepper. 
7. Cook until potatoes are done.

Tuna Confit

Recipe by Lada Treselj

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg of tuna 
• 1 lemon
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• a handful of cherry tomatoes
• 2 dl olive oil
• 4 dl of sunflower oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Arrange pieces of tuna, lemon slices, garlic, chunks of onion and cherry tomatoes in a round dutch oven. 
2. Drizzle with a mixture of oil in the ratio of 1 part olive to 2 parts sunflower, and cover. 
3. Cook in the oven at 100 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Canapes With Basil And Almond Pesto

Recipe by Lada Treselj

Ingredients

• 70 g almonds
• 30 g basil leaves
• 1 dl olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 6 slices of toast

Instructions

1. Make a pesto of olive oil, fried, peeled and ground almonds, basil, salt and pepper.
2. Spread the pesto on thinned toast bread.
3. Leave the bread overnight.
4. Cut into bitesize pieces. 

Which Olive Oil Is Best For Weight Loss?

Homemade, extra virgin olive oil. Maybe one that’s not mixed with cheaper refined oils, such as soybean oil, peanut oil and canola oil. Maybe one that’s preserved from the time of Roman Dalmatia, hand-picked and cold-pressed in November at the annual village harvest, in our little selo near Zadar. That would be your best choice, but any other authentic extra virgin olive oil will do.