if I go to a nice Italian restaurant, I get nice olive oil and bread for dipping before my grilled chicken arrives. The Mediterranean diet is good. But if I coat chicken in bread crumbs and fry it in olive, that’s bad. Why?

Question

I’m consuming the exact same ingredients – olive oil, bread, and chicken. But fir some reason, one style is healthy and the other is not. What makes it unhealthy? Why aren’t both methods “Mediterranean”?

In: Other

Answer 1

The difference is in the cooking method.

Frying changes the chemical composition of the oil you use. High temperatures stimulates “hydrogenation”, which is the reaction that changes unsaturated fats in trans fats. There is a general consensus that unsaturated fats are better for your diet and your blood lipid equilibrium.

In addition, repeated frying or excessive temperatures may lead to the buildup of cancerous substances. In some countries, the health department requires strict monitoring of frying equipment for this reason.