Safflower Oil Vs. Olive Oil

Eating nutritious foods, avoiding saturated fats and eliminating trans fats in your diet can help you sustain better health and vitality. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends avoiding "bad fats" by including more vegetable oils in food preparation. However, certain vegetable oils such as coconut oil are high in saturated fats. Healthier oils, such as safflower oil and olive oil, may help fight certain diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Good Fats

Healthy fats to include in your diet are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Both olive oil and safflower oil primarily contain these "good" fats, with olive oil containing more monounsaturated fat, and safflower oil containing more polyunsaturated fat, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. These fats include important fatty acids, which are essential for vital functions in the body and help keep LDL, or "bad," cholesterol levels lower, according to the USDA. You should include both oils in food preparation to get plenty of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in your diet.

Vitamins

Olive oil and safflower oil contain trace amounts of vitamins such as choline, but they contain significant amounts of other vitamins such as vitamin E. In vitamin comparisons between safflower oil and olive oil, safflower oil comes out ahead for vitamin E content, but olive oil provides more vitamin K, according to Nutrition.gov. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant believed to promote cardiovascular health and a strong immune system, and vitamin K helps regulate blood clotting and process glucose in the body.

Cooking

You can feel comfortable replacing butter, spreads and other animal fat-based or oil-based condiments and ingredients used in food preparation with olive oil or safflower oil to avoid calories and bad fats. However, it's best to limit overall consumption of any type of fat if you're trying to lose or maintain weight. Many people use extra virgin olive oil in raw form on foods such as salads and breads, but use regular olive oil or safflower oil in cooking. Olive oil has a low smoke point and when overheated, it can lose some of its nutritional value. Safflower oil has a higher smoke point and is sometimes a better option for sauteing or frying foods. Some people do prefer to use safflower oil in raw form in salads and other desserts, however, because it is flavorless.

Price

Price is another determining factor for safflower oil versus olive oil. Olive oil usually costs more, especially when you use premium-priced extra virgin olive oil more frequently. However, you can save your extra virgin olive oil for salads and breads, and use more safflower oil for cooking as a way to cut costs.