You get olive oil from grinding or pressing whole olives and collecting the oil that seeps out. You can use olive oil in all kinds of dishes. You can cook with it, drizzle it on bread, pasta, or salads, or use it as an ingredient in baked goods. Best of all, it comes with a whole host of health benefits.
There are 3 grades of olive oil: Extra virgin, virgin and refined. They’re labeled based on how much processing they go through before they’re bottled and sold. Refined olive oil is the most processed of the three. The healthiest of the three is the extra vvirgin olive oil since it countains the highest nutritional value, and it’s also high in phytochemicals that may help fight cancer and heart disease.
Benifits of olive oil:
- Boosts Heart Health: Large studies have shown that when you get more extra virgin olive oil in your diet, you lower your risk of getting heart disease. Active compounds in olive oil help lower blood pressure and keep your arteries from hardening.
- Lowers Stroke Risk: Replacing less healthy fats with olive oil in your recipes may lower your chance of getting a stroke by more than 40%.
- Fights Inflammation: Inflammation in your body leads to chronic disease. Certain antioxidants in olive oil can reduce inflammation in your body in the same way that medicines do. The oleic acid in olive oil is an anti-inflammatory, too.
- High in Antioxidants: Antioxidants are compounds that can help prevent or slow down that damage. Olive oil is full of antioxidants that can lower your risk of disease.
- Zaps Bacteria: Some of the nutrients in olive oil can fight harmful bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori which is a stomach bacteria that can cause ulcers and even cancer. Compounds in olive oil help destroy it.
- Prevents Cancer: A Mediterranean diet favors plants over meat and is rich in olive oil. Researchers have found that people who eat this way have a much lower risk of certain cancers, such as colorectal, endometrial, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.
- Boosts Your Brain: A diet that’s high in olive oil can give your brain a boost. Studies show a menu that’s high in olive oil can help you think, understand, and remember better, and may even help ward off Alzheimer’s disease.
