When it comes to eating healthy, adding things like butter or cooking oil to your food is typically seen as counter-productive. While it's true that there are some types of cooking oil you might not want to put into the pan or pot in order to keep things healthy, you should know that adding lemon basil extra virgin olive oil or something similar will likely offer more benefits than drawbacks. Here's why you should start cooking more often with olive oil today.

Get Some Vitamins and Antioxidants

Extra virgin olive oil offers vitamins E and K with each pour into the pan. These are two vitamins that many people don't get enough of. Vitamins E and K can help keep your skin healthy, and your skin actually your body's largest organ when you think about it.

But this type of olive oil is also especially well known for offering a high dose of antioxidants. Antioxidants fights oxidation inside your blood vessels and this may help lower the risk of heart disease or some other chronic aliments like diabetes over time, according to the Mayo Clinic. This is a great way to make some of your foods more nutritious and healthy, all with just a simple splash from an olive oil bottle.

Your Body Does Need Certain Types of Fat

Extra virgin olive oil does include some fat, but in this case, the main fat that is included is something your body actually needs. Extra virgin olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat. The American Hearth Association notes that monounsaturated fat might help your body reduce bad cholesterol levels. In other words, this is the type of fat that can "undo" some of the damage caused by saturated fats. This again lowers your risk of heart disease, as well as stroke, according to the AHA.

A Healthy Way to Add Flavor

If you are on a diet, you might be moaning about the lack of flavor in some of the food you've been eating recently. But with a dash of lemon basil olive oil or some other specific flavor, you can keep your dish healthy, possibly add additional health benefits and also pack in some delicious flavor. Food cooked with lemon basil extra virgin olive oil will make your taste buds sing and you'll forget all about the fact that you are actually counting your calories.

Contact a provider of olive oil today for more information.