Oil​—in Ancient Times and in Your Diet

WHEN vegetable oil is mentioned, what comes to your mind? Do you think of a substance used for salad dressings or cooking purposes? Are you also familiar with its role in the manufacture of medicines, perfumes, paint, margarine and soap? What about the past? Did you realize that the use of oil has a very ancient history, going back for thousands of years?

We might take a closer look at this slippery substance. Oil is lighter than water and, instead of combining with the heavier liquid, it floats on the top. The old adage, “Oil and water do not mix,” well describes one of the chief characteristics of this fluid.

The most commonly used vegetable oil of ancient times was extracted from the fruit of the olive tree. As much as 30 percent of ripe olives may be oil and, in the case of the pulp alone, about half of it. In a good year, a healthy olive tree may yield from ten to fifteen gallons (38 to 57 liters) of this liquid. That amount would be enough to supply the proportion of fats needed in the diet of a family of five or six persons.

Anciently, as indicated in the Bible, olive oil had a great variety of uses. Besides being employed in cooking and baking, it was commonly rubbed on the body after bathing. This served to protect the exposed portions of the skin from the intense rays of the sun and it also contributed toward keeping the skin supple. (Ruth 3:3; 2 Sam. 12:20) Along with wine, olive oil might be applied to bruises and wounds, to soften and soothe them. (Luke 10:34) And it was olive oil that burned in ancient lamps, providing light when needed.​—Matt. 25:3-8.

How was olive oil obtained? The very best oil was produced by beating the olives in a mortar until they were well bruised. The bruised olives were then transferred to strainer baskets wherein they would release oil. For a common grade of oil, the olives were crushed in a mortar or hand mill. The poorest grade of oil was extracted from the pulp that remained after the olives were crushed in an olive or wine press. The pulverized pulp was put in baskets and these were stacked between the two vertical pillars of the olive press. While in the baskets, the pulp was subjected to the pressure of a weighted lever.

Oil in Modern Times

As in ancient times, vegetable oils have many uses today. They still serve valuable purposes in ointments and medicines. Oils extracted from safflower seed, soybeans and flaxseed have been used for paints. The oil from flaxseed, called linseed oil, is also employed in making printing ink, linoleum and varnish. Cottonseed oil and sesame oil may be used in producing soap. And certain lubricants, resins, chemicals and perfumes owe their existence to vegetable oils. Also, as in ancient times, olive oil and other vegetable oils serve as food items.

There are three major methods used today in extracting oils from fruits, nuts and seeds. There is the “hydraulic cold press” method, the “expeller press” method, in which oil-containing material is subjected to great heat and pressure, and the “solvent” method. In the case of solvent extraction, oil-containing products are ground, steam heated and then mixed with a solvent. After releasing the oil from the pulp, the solvent is removed from the oil. Some persons object to this method, claiming that a residue of the solvent might remain and possibly contribute to the development of cancer in persons using the oil for food. Solvent extraction, however, is used by large commercial oil processors because it is the most efficient and economical method.

After the oil has been extracted it usually is subjected to a refining process. This removes, among other things, chlorophyll, vitamins A and E and phosphorous compounds, and makes the oil light and clear. Because refining strips valuable substances from the oil, persons who object to refined white sugar and white flour may prefer unrefined or crude oils.

Many people favor vegetable oils over such animal fats as cream, butter, lard and suet (in beef and mutton). This is because animal fats contain cholesterol, a fatlike substance that may contribute to a hardening of the arteries. Moreover, animal fats are “saturated” with hydrogen atoms, whereas vegetable oils, by and large, are “unsaturated,” which means that they are more readily digested and absorbed by the body than are animal fats.

Among the vegetable oils used for food are those extracted from safflower seed, cottonseed and olives. Safflower oil is rated as containing the most linoleic acid, which is thought to work in decreasing cholesterol in the blood. Most of the cottonseed oil produced in the United States finds its way to the table. It may be prepared for margarine, cooking oil, shortening, salad dressing or mayonnaise. Many salad lovers and cooks prefer olive oil due to its delicate flavor and its being easily digestible.

Persons concerned with keeping their cholesterol level low may use corn oil instead of cream or ice cream in making creamy milk shakes. Also, they may mix butter with safflower oil in a blender, thereby reducing the intake of cholesterol.

It may be noted, however, that a vegetable oil product is not necessarily better than an animal fat product. In his book Food Is Your Best Medicine, Doctor H. G. Bieler writes: “In some cases, instead of leaving unsaturated cooking oils and margarine in their natural states, commercialism has again stepped in, altered their melting points to make them resemble butter or other natural shortenings, ‘fortified’ them with synthetic ‘vitamins,’ added monosodium glutamate or glutamic acid, aniline-dye coloring matter, salt and traces of butter or cream for special flavor. Actually, all of these additives tend to saturate the hydrocarbons so that the final product, pleasing to the taste and gratifying to the mind of the consumer, is little more than glorified grease!”​—Pp. 117, 118.

He concludes that, as long as the liver is in good condition, it makes little difference whether one eats natural, unadulterated animal fats or vegetable fats.

Another factor that is often overlooked is that vegetable fats become saturated when heated. The more often they are reused, as in preparing deep-fat fried foods, the more saturated they become.

Of course, when it comes to food, opinions vary greatly as to whether something is good or not. Moderation is by far the best policy. The Bible urges: “Do not come to be among heavy drinkers of wine, among those who are gluttonous eaters of flesh.” (Prov. 23:20) Moderate amounts of animal fats are certainly far better than excessive amounts of vegetable oils. For those who want to throw moderation to the wind, an ancient Egyptian papyrus proverb may add a sobering thought: “We live off a quarter of all we eat. Doctors live off the other three quarters.”