Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The highest quality and least processed olive oil is extra virgin olive oil.  Olive oil is considered a good oil for high cholesterol diets.  Extra virgin olive oil is considered a good fat for the purpose of weight loss regimes since it is a fat that will help you burn fat instead of just adding to stored fat.  Olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, and real butter are rated among the top healthiest oils for weight loss.  For low cholesterol diets, olive oil can be mixed with butter when cooking to make a healthy margarine.

Light in Flavor Olive Oil
Since extra virgin olive oil is the strongest tasting variety of olive oil, light in flavor olive oil can be used when a strong taste of olive oil is not desired.  Though light in flavor olive oil is refined more than extra virgin olive oil, it is still a much healthier alternative to vegetable oils and canola.  In fact, I use this type of olive oil as a substitute for every recipe that calls for vegetable or canola oils since it is better with respect to fat and cholesterol.  Though olive oil is not recommended for cooking on high heat, I have successfully used olive oil to bake fries and chips at just over 400 F.

Some good sources for Olive Oil Information:

http://www.oliveoilsource.com
http://oliveoilonly.org/