Why Olive Oil?


Why all the fuss about olive oil? 

Let’s begin by putting things in perspective. The ancient Greeks and Romans ate olive oil like crazy and their life-expectancy was a third of ours. And what about the Japanese? 

They eat practically no olive oil and their life-expectancy is one of the highest at over 80.7 years. There in lies a good clue to the health puzzle; there isn’t one magic bullet and reducing stress, depression and hostility may very well contribute exponentially more to your health than substituting olive oil for butter. And exercising your brain (if not your body) and thus increasing brain blood flow would certainly give you more useful years.
“Olive oil” is how we refer to the oil obtained from the fruit of olive trees. People have been eating olive oil for thousands of years and it is now more popular than ever, thanks to its many proven health benefits and its culinary usefulness.
Olives can only grow in certain regions, yet millions of people are involved in olive oil production throughout the world and the culture of olive oil is rich and vital.
Of course, from that simple beginning it gets a bit more complicated. Here are the basics you should know.

Οlive Oil Health Benefits 
and Nutrition
The health benefits of olive oil are unrivaled, and research reveals more benefits nearly every day. In fact, we are only just beginning to understand the countless ways olive oil can improve our health, and our lives. Olive oil is the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet — an essential nutritional mainstay for the world’s longest-living cultures. Many of the health-promoting effects of the Mediterranean diet have been attributed to olive oil consumption.
Replacing butter and other less healthy fats with olive oil has been shown to aid in the prevention of a myriad of diseases and counter effects of aging. One prominent cardiologist recommends at least two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil each day to enjoy the many ways olive oil can be beneficial to your health and well being.
Olive oil benefits are so extensive that it is considered a functional food with components that contribute to its overall therapeutic qualities including a reduction of risk factors of coronary heart disease, the prevention of cancers, and alterations of immune and inflammatory responses.
Evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that a higher proportion of monounsaturated fats in the diet are linked to a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. This is significant because olive oil is considerably rich in monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid. Olive oil, a natural juice which preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and properties of the olive fruit, is the healthiest oil and therefore a prime component of the Mediterranean Diet.
The Mediterranean Diet

Foods included in the Mediterranean Diet:

  • Variety of fruits, green and other vegetables, consumed almost daily.
  • Abundance of items rich in carbohydrates and fiber, such as pasta, bread, rice, potatoes and cereals.
  • Dairy products, especially cheese and yogurt, consumed in moderation.
  • Seafood, poultry and lean meats in moderation.
  • Olive oil must be adopted as the main source of fats.
  • Wine, consumed in moderation, and in general, accompanied by solid foods.
  • Sporadic consumption of red meat.
Olive Oil-The essential Ingredient
Olive oil is an essential part of the cooking styles and traditional flavors of the Mediterranean Diet. It’s a daily choice for cooks in the region, used to season cooked dishes, salads and vegetables. And on every table you’ll find a bottle olive oil for flavoring foods and dipping bread.
No Mediterranean kitchen is complete without a bottle of quality olive oil. It contains no cholesterol, no sodium, no trans fats, no sugars, and is a rich source of monounsaturated fat — all of which add up to better health.
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12 Steps to Mediterranean Living

Now it’s your turn to live a Mediterranean lifestyle. Start enjoying the health benefits of olive oil with these simple steps:
  1. Use olive oil as a substitute for butter and margarine.
  2. Snack on nuts, seeds and fruit, rather than processed snack foods.
  3. Include a generous variety of seasonally fresh and local produce (like leafy greens) with your main meal daily.
  4. Select whole grain sources of breads, rice, pastas and other grains.
  5. Eat at least a few vegetarian meals each week.
  6. Serve dishes that include legumes like beans and lentils.
  7. Try fish, poultry, beans, nuts and eggs as alternatives to red meat.
  8. Limit red meat to small occasional servings (a maximum of 12 to 16 ounces per month).
  9. If you drink red wine, include no more than a glass or two daily (1 for women, 2 for men).
  10. Enjoy fresh fruit for dessert.
  11. Set aside enough time to savor and enjoy each and every bite.
  12. Integrate physical activity to promote a healthy weight, fitness and sense of well-being into everyday habits.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is made simply by crushing olives and extracting the juice. It is the only cooking oil that is made without the use of chemicals and industrial refining.
Extra virgin olive oil must have no taste “defects.” It needs to have a nice flavor of fresh olives and achieve higher scores in lab tests for its chemical composition than other grades.
Since extra virgin olive oil is simply fruit juice without any additives, its quality and taste are influenced by the varieties of olives, the terroir where they were grown, and the countless decisions and production practices of a dedicated producer.

The benefits of Olive Oil consumption for the health have been known since the Antiquity. Already Hipocrates, Galeno or Dioscorides wrote treatises on the subject. In modern times, scientific research has confirmed the old beliefs and techniques used by the ancient civilizations in the area of the Mediterranean sea.


Why should I use Olive Oil?
Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat and the cornerstone of the famous Mediterranean diet. Most people choose olive oil because of its many proven benefits to human health. Extra virgin olive oils offer even more: a world of fruity-bitter tastes that chefs are capturing to elevates dishes to a level they never thought possible.
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Why does Olive Oil cost more?
Like wine, there are a lot of factors that go into the price of a bottle of olive oil. Often it is tied to the production cost: one is from a highly automated, large-scale and efficient producer, while the other might be harvested by hand from trees scattered among steep hills, for example. Prices multiply by the intervention of middlemen along the supply route. That beautiful packaging adds cost, and if you’re buying olive oil at a souvenir shop in a tourist town, you’re not just buying olive oil, you’re paying someone’s rent. There are good olive oil buys for $12.99, just like your favorite everyday wine, but go ahead and splurge once in a while. You only live once.