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Olive Oil: Liquid Gold From the Gods
Why is olive oil so healthy?
It may seem contrary to popular belief, but the health
benefits of olive oil come from its fat. In fact, olive
oil is one of the healthiest fats you can eat. Although
everyone knows too much fat can make you fat, as well as
contribute to heart disease, many people don't realize
that too little fat is not healthy either. Your body
requires enough essential fatty acids to function
properly and stay healthy.
Fats can be broken down into 2 main categories:saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fats are the ones most doctors and
nutritionists will tell you to avoid because they have
been shown to raise cholesterol levels which can
contribute to heart disease. The other category of fats
is unsaturated. These fats come in two forms:
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, and both are
healthy fats in moderation.
What makes olive oil special is that it's amonounsaturated
fat. This
fat has been shown to not only lower your bad
cholesterol levels (LDL)
but can also raise your good cholesterol levels (HDL).
This amazing oil has also been shown to help lower blood
pressure and protect against strokes. This is good news
for everyone; particularly those with heart disease and
anyone who needs to watch their cholesterol.
Olive oil is not only healthy, but it is delicious and
is the popular cooking oil for Italian and
Mediterranean foods.
You can easily incorporate olive oil into your cooking
once you know what to purchase and how to cook with it.
What are the
differences between the various types of olive oil?
When purchasing olive oil you will find there are four
main types:
- Extra
Virgin is made from the first press of the
best olives and is the richest in taste and color.
It is the highest quality and also the most
expensive, therefore the best extra virgin olive
oils are often used to drizzle over salads and
finished dishes or dips for bread rather than
cooking.
-
Virgin
olive oil is
a high quality oil that is also made from the first
press of the olives but contains a little less
acidity than the extra virgin. It can be used for
cooking because it's less expensive yet still has a
great taste.
-
Olive oil
or Pure Olive Oil is
made from the second press of the olives and then is
filtered and refined. It does not have the same rich
flavor of the higher quality varieties but is much
less expensive; therefore, if price is a concern
this is a good choice of oils for cooking.
-
Light
Olive Oil -Don't let the name fool you. The
term "light" only describes its taste and does not
imply it has
less fat or
calories. This is the lowest quality oil and
therefore is also the cheapest. It is made from the
last press of the olives and blended with other
light oils, such as Canola. This oil is great for
those who want to enjoy the health benefits of olive
oil without the heavy taste of the other olive oils.
You do need to be careful when cooking with olive oil
because it has a rather low smoke point and can burn at
high temperatures. It's best to use lower temperatures,
but one way around this is to mix olive oil with
clarified butter (ghee) when using it for higher
temperatures; however, it is not the best oil to choose
for deep frying. This would destroy its delicate taste
and healthy properties.
Mediterraneans have enjoyed the health benefits of olive
oil for centuries and we are lucky this wonderful oil is
now available around the world. Try adding some extra-virgin
olive oil to
your diet.
To learn how to cook with olive oil, visit www.italian-cooking-made-easy.com
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