5 Surprising Health Benefits of Olive Oil
We’ve been in an on-again, off-again relationship with fat in America. Once the reduced-fat craze took hold in the 80s, it held on for dear life, despite lacking concrete evidence for heart health and weight loss. Since then, the diet pendulum has swung from low fat to low carb to low sugar, leaving many people at a loss for how best to maintain their health. We’ve got news for you: low fat is out – olive oil is in.
What We Can Learn from a Mediterranean Diet
Olive oil has been the fat of choice for people living in the Mediterranean, like Sardinia, Italy, one of the five Blue Zones. If you don’t know what a Blue Zone is, it’s where people live the longest and are the healthiest. Other blue zones include cities in Japan, Greece, and California. These places typically have a high frequency of centenarians and it seems that consuming healthy fats is among the characteristics of the people who live there.
Sardinia, Italy, is one of the five Blue Zones and primarily uses olive oil.
Dan Buettner, Blue Zone founder, says in his cookbook that olive oil is regularly eaten with bread, salads, and veggies, and is used for cooking nearly everything in this particular Blue Zone. It’s rare when something so delicious and high in fat is touted as liquid gold by food and health professionals alike! The Mediterranean diet is also associated with a reduced incidence of cancer, as well as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Extra virgin olive oil may actually be the healthiest fat on the planet, and here’s why:
Olive Oil is High in Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats are fat molecules made up of one (“mono”) unsaturated carbon bond. In terms of how they affect your health, monounsaturated fats have been proven to lower bad cholesterol (LDL), which in turn reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Olive Oil Promotes Weight Loss
Contrary to popular opinion, diets that are rich in monounsaturated fats have been shown to actually prevent weight gain by keeping your blood sugar stable. These monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) promote a feeling of fullness and help curb cravings, aiding in weight loss. So throw out that bottle of reduced-fat salad dressing and combine our Texas Miller’s Blend EVOO with your favorite vinegar and tell yourself it’s healthy because it is! Click here to learn how to choose the right olive oil for your next salad dressing.
Olive Oil Is Rich in Antioxidants
We know that antioxidants are substances that protect your cells against free radicals, which may play a role in heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. What you may not know is extra virgin olive oil is full of a specific type of antioxidant called polyphenols, which are found in plant foods like fruits, veggies, and olives. Phenols are a powerful cell protector because they help protect the body from oxidation. They also contribute to the bitter taste present in some olive oils. Try swapping out your mild olive oil for a more peppery and robust one to see what we mean.
Olive Oil has Anti-inflammatory Properties
One of the 20+ phenols in extra virgin olive oil is oleocanthal. Scientists have studied oleocanthal because of its similarity to ibuprofen in its anti-inflammatory properties. It’s beneficial to work anti-inflammatory foods into your diet for several reasons. Chronic, low level inflammation can lead to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and obesity. Some other anti-inflammatory foods include tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, nuts, fatty fish, and many fruits.
Olive Oil is Antibacterial
The polyphenols found in olive oil also have antibacterial properties. That isn’t to say rubbing down your countertops with olive oil would be the same as spraying them with disinfectant spray, but it does help slow the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut while allowing beneficial probiotic bacteria to grow.
If you want to reap the benefits of extra virgin olive oil, it’s important you choose a brand with quality certification. Olive oil fraud is real! You might go to the supermarket and pick up what you think is legit EVOO but is actually an adulterated blend of lesser quality oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, or canola oil. To take the guesswork out of it, browse our award-winning selection here.
Sources:
https://www.bluezones.com/about/history/
https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/top-anti-inflammatory-foods-and-why-everyone-should-be-consuming-them
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/monounsaturated-fats
https://www.ndtv.com/food/weight-loss-heres-how-olive-oil-may-help-promote-weight-loss-and-cut-belly-fat-1989891
https://badgut.org/information-centre/a-z-digestive-topics/olive-oil-an-anti-inflammatory/
https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/top-anti-inflammatory-foods-and-why-everyone-should-be-consuming-them
https://brightland.co/pages/learn-about-olive-oil
Written on spec for Texas Hill Country Olive Oil Co.