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.
If you include virgin olive oil in your diet, you can significantly reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. This comes from the ability of virgin olive oil to regulate cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterol: HDL and LDL. It is important to minimize your levels of HDL cholesterol and maintain healthy levels of LDL cholesterol. Unfortunately, when LDL cholesterol oxidizes, there can be negative health consequences but again, consuming virgin olive oil can help prevent that from happening.
You may wonder why virgin olive oil is preferable to regular olive oil. When olive oil is given the “virgin” definition, it is the second pressing from the olives that is used. As a result, it contains higher levels of beneficial compounds than more highly processed oils. The only olive oil that contains higher levels of beneficial compounds is extra virgin olive oil, which is made from the first pressings of the oils.
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.
Many Mediterranean cultures use olive oil in their daily lives and diets. They also have lower rates of heart disease and stroke. That alone clearly illustrates what a good choice it is to include it in your diet.
Discover the many health benefits of olive oil. You can find more olive oil health benefits on my website.
