Dec 3, 2009
Using Olive Oil In Your Diet
Anyone who is trying to transform their diet into one that is much more beneficial for their health can consider including virgin olive oil in their daily food intake. This is because olive oil is so high in beneficial compounds that it can add an overall boost to many of the body’s systems.
The specific ingredient in Virgin Olive Oil that has one of the most beneficial effects is oleic acid. This is an antioxidant rich monounsaturated fat that is almost considered to be a miracle ingredient. Any compound which is rich in antioxidants all help prevent damage from occurring to the body on a cellular level. When cells oxidize in the body, they are damaged and if these cells reproduce they can form tumors so reducing cellular damage can help reduce the chance of growing tumors as well.
Although reducing the chance of developing tumors is critical, it is also important to keep your cardiovascular health as high as possible. Because olive oil can regulate cholesterol levels it can significantly reduce your chances of having a heart attack or suffering a stroke. The blood contains two types of cholesterol which are known as HDL and LDL (HDL is the one that is dangerous to the cardiovascular system). You want to keep both of these within certain levels and in proportion to each other. LDL cholesterol can, however, oxidize in the body and become less beneficial but using virgin olive oil can keep the LDL cholesterol in your body from oxidizing in the first place.
If you view different forms of olive oil you may see that there is virgin olive oil and processed olive oil but it is the virgin olive oil that you want to use. Made from the second pressing of the olives it is less heavily processed. The less an olive oil has been processed it will retain more of the beneficial compounds and elements in the oil. If you want to ensure you are consuming the highest levels of beneficial compounds you need to use extra virgin olive oil.
It is simple and delicious to use virgin olive oil in every day cooking. It is incredibly easy to simply use it in the place of animal fats or the hydrogenated vegetable oils that many people choose to cook with. It can be fun to play with the flavorful oils and see how you can use them in place of other seasonings which may be less than healthy. Remember that while it is possible to heat olive oil without damaging the compounds in the oil it may affect the way the oil tastes and so you may want to use it in less heat-intensive applications.
The Mediterranean diet was the first definitive proof that eating olive oil can help you maintain and even improve your health. It showed the beneficial effects that it can have in lowering heart disease and cancer rates. This proof alone has been enough to make many people include this wonder food in their daily diets.
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