Olive oil – a real gold mine
“Clinicians should be counseling patients to replace certain fats, such as margarine and butter, with olive oil to improve their health. Our study helps make specific recommendations that will be easy for patients to understand and hopefully implement into their diets.”
Marta Guasch-Ferré, a senior research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School.
Did you know that, in the long run, something as simple as consuming olive oil every day can have a positive effect on your health in many different ways, and even increase your chances of living a longer life? Brand new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that was published in January 2022 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, shows that study participants who consumed the most olive oil, compared with those who consumed none at all or very little, reduced their risk of premature death due to cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases (age-related brain diseases). Not only is olive oil really healthy, but the aroma of a delicious olive oil that might be used as a dip for a tasty sourdough bread or in a yummy lemon dressing over a crisp salad is incredible. Personally, I love it when the first harvest of the year is ready and the olive oil has a very special, delicious taste. Olive oil takes centre stage in my home, not just because it’s incredibly tasty, but because it’s also one of the healthiest things we can eat!
“Replacing saturated fat with olive oil and consuming a couple of tablespoons a day is a good habit and an easy way of contributing to many positive health effects.”
Olive oil is extra rich in protective antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fatty acids
In 2005, Nature, one of the most prestigious medical journals, published an article with exciting information about olive oil containing a natural substance that exhibits the same anti-inflammatory effect as the well-known drug Ipren (ibuprofen). Researchers in the US had succeeded in isolating this substance and could see that it provided the same anti-inflammatory effect. By regularly consuming olive oil, you can take advantage of its beneficial properties. Even if the effect is less potent than of a drug, it helps counteract harmful low-grade inflammation. In recent years, research has indicated that it is its combination of useful monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of vital antioxidants that contribute to olive oil having many different positive effects on our health. Besides helping to reduce the degree of low-grade inflammation, our intestinal flora, blood pressure and sensitivity to insulin, among other things, are also positively affected.
“Consuming a couple of tablespoons of olive oil each day helps to counteract harmful low-grade inflammation.”
Mediterranean diet and olive oil
When I was a clinician at the hospital, I was often surprised that the majority of patients who had cardiovascular problems did not know that regularly consuming olive oil could have a positive effect on their condition. Many studies over time have been able to demonstrate that those who eat a so-called Mediterranean diet are at a lower risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease and stroke, among other things. A link has also been observed to a lesser extent with dementia and certain types of cancer. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in April 2020 was able to show that if you consume at least half a tablespoon of olive oil a day, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by 14 per cent compared with not consuming any olive oil. It was also observed that blood lipids were positively affected and the substances that can detect inflammation in the blood reduced. The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, herbs, beans, nuts and seeds, as well as whole grain products. Mediterraneans eat more fish, and mainly oily fish, while red meat and dairy products are consumed more sparingly. Something else that is characteristic of the Mediterranean diet is that it contains little saturated fat and consists mostly of monounsaturated fatty acids from olive oil. It has replaced other fats with olive oil, and this is an important factor in its positive health effects.
Easy ways to consume more olive oil:
Use olive oil as a base in salad dressings.
Dip bread in olive oil instead of spreading butter on it, which is common in Scandinavia.
Use plenty of olive oil in pasta and in tomato sauce for instance. Personally, I usually add a couple of tablespoons to my tomato sauce, which I often buy ready-made.
Pour a couple of extra tablespoons of olive oil in stews when they are ready.
Remember:
Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is the first olive oil that is pressed and the one that contains the most nutrients.
Olive oil easily goes off if stored in a warm or light place so store it in a dark and cool place.
Buy olive oil in a dark glass bottle and no more than you can use in a reasonable time. That way you will get fresh oil with a high nutritional value.
My advice:
Find ways to replace saturated fats such as butter and cream with olive oil. Consume at least a couple of tablespoons each day to take advantage of the many wonderful health benefits that olive oil provides.
