10 "Superfoods" to Eat Daily for Optimal Health - Part 8

Olive Oil for Heart Health

Olive oil is considered a healthy dietary fat was shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. The primary fat found in olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). MUFAs have been shown to lower total cholesterol and help stabilize blood clotting.

Olive oil has been linked to lowered insulin levels, blood sugar control. Research has shown a great benefit to those suffering from type 2 diabetes.

Olive oil is also bursting with antioxidants called phenols linked to prevention of cholesterol buildup in the artery walls. Look for “virgin,” “extra-virgin,” or “cold-pressed” olive oils for best nutritional values.

The recommended dose is one tablespoon daily to reap heart-healthy benefits. 

Olive Oil and Its Uses

Another goodie form Grandparents

Almost every kitchen has a bottle of this gold-green elixir that can dress a salad or sauté vegetables, imparting heart-healthy fat in every teaspoon. But olive oil (regular or light, save expensive extra-virgin for flavoring food) can also help make dirty work a little easier:

Remove paint: Forget the harsh chemicals. To remove paint from your skin, just use olive oil and a little granulated sugar or salt. The paint will come off and your skin will be exfoliated and moisturized, too.

Take it outside!: Olive oil can help you do your yard work. Spritz it onto lawn mower blades in the summer to help keep grass from sticking, and onto snow shovels in the winter so that snow will slide off the shovel more easily. You can use it on other garden tools like hoes and rakes, too.

Polish leather shoes: No need to use that nasty-smelling chemical stuff. A little olive oil and a soft cloth will keep your shoes looking great.

Get gum out of hair: Apply the olive oil to the gum and the surrounding hair; work it through gently and let it sit for a few minutes. Work a comb through the strands until the gum is gone, then wash with shampoo.

Olive Oil Tips

I found these tips in one of my Italian cookbooks that dates 1999.  This information was good then and is still good now so I'm sharing.  These are terms you need to know when selecting olive oil.

Extra-Virgin - This is the results of the first pressing of olives, extra-virgin olive oil has the lowest acidity, as well as superior taste, color, and aroma.  It is considered the best and has a high price to match its reputation.  It's also the most delicate:  Heat breaks it down, so save it for uncooked or lightly cooked dishes.

Fino - This word actually means "fine" and this olive oil is a blend of both extra-virgin and virgin olive oils.

Virgin - This classification has a slightly higher acidity than extra-virgin, but is also a first-press oil.

Light - This olive oil should not be misinterpreted as reduced in calories or fat.  Light, here, refers to both the lighter color and fragrance achieved through a special filtration process.  Light olive oil has a higher smoke point that results form this process and makes this class of olive oil ideal for frying, baking and cooking.

Pure - Also simply called olive oil, pure olive oil is a combination of refined olive oil and virgin or extra-virgin oil.

Cold-Pressed - Olive oils that are cold-pressed are considered the finest.  The oil is extracted by pressure - no heat or chemicals are used - and thus have a naturally low level of acidity.  By law, virgin olive oils must be cold-pressed.

Smoke Point - An important characteristic of any oil, the smoke point is the stage at which heated fat begins to smoke and emit acrid odors, imparting an unpleasant flavor to foods cooked in it.  Olive oil has a relative low smoke point compared with oils like safflower or peanut, rendering the finest olive oil inferior when used for cooking at high temperatures.  For this reason, some cooks suggest having at least two olive oils in your pantry - an extra-virgin for salad dressings and floating onto soups, and a less expensive variety, such as pure or light, for sauteing and cooking at high temperatures.

Now I know why my dishes that require hot oil sometimes comes out with a strong taste.  I also know why some of my dressings don't have that delicious, delicate olive oil flavor.  I'm simply not using them correctly.

Recommended Power Foods - Part 14 - Olive Oil

Recommended Power Foods - Part 14 - Olive Oil
(Information from The Power of Food - Bonnie Raffel R. D., Author)

This oil is a rich source of monounsaturated fats, the kind that keeps the HDL (good) cholesterol high and the LDL (bad) cholesterol low.  Olive oil is considered to be a healthy promoting oil, by benefiting the heart, decreasing inflammation and aiding numerous other health conditions.  Change your diet by replacing margarine and butter with olive oil on bread or toast, add to vegetables, or create vinaigrett4es and salad dressings by using olive oil.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on uncooked dishes where the flavor complements the food.  Select extra virgin olive oil for excellent taste.

Olive Oil

Olive Oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol.  It contains antioxidants such as flavonoids and polyphenols which have anti-aging and other disease-fighting properties.  Polyphenols also aid in lowering blood pressure.  So, how can you tell them apart?

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – Produced from the first cold pressing of olives that have been picked the same day.  Best used for salads and as a condiment.  This is the most expensive and has the most pronounced flavor and fruitiness with a dark green coloring.

Pure (Regular) Olive Oil – Made with subsequent pressings of the olives with some additional filtering and refining.  It can be blended with extra-virgin olive oil to boost flavor lost in processing.  It’s less expensive and a good choice for cooking with a golden yellow coloring with green hues.

Light Olive Oil – This doesn’t mean it’s light in calories but light in color, fragrance and flavor.  It has been finely filtered and is suited for high-temperature frying due to its higher smoke point.  The coloring is pale yellow.