Tuesday, November 24, 2009

How You Can Enjoy the Benefits of Virgin Olive Oil in Your Diet

By Miranda Phillips

A healthy diet should incorporate many foods which support and nurture your body, and virgin olive oil is one of these. Scientific and anecdotal research has proven how incredibly beneficial this oil and its numerous compounds is to the way the body functions as a whole and certain important bodily systems in particular.

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.

You may also find that the use of virgin olive oil can help you improve the health of your heart and circulatory system. Improved cardiovascular and circulatory health means much less of a chance of having a heart attack or a stroke. One of the critical benefits of olive oil is that it can regulate levels of both bad (HDL) cholesterol and good (LDL) cholesterol which can also help reduce the incidence of heart attack and stroke. Keeping both forms of cholesterol within healthy limits and in a good proportion to each other is critical to maintaining good heart health and preventing the build-up of plaque which can clog arteries and blood vessels. Although LDL cholesterol can be oxidized in the body, virgin olive oil can also prevent this from happening due to its antioxidant properties.

It may not seem like it would be important to use virgin olive oil but you need to know that not all olive oils are made alike. You want to make sure it is as unprocessed as possible and virgin olive oil is the second least processed of all of the grades of olive oil. Because it has not been processed as much as later pressings higher levels of beneficial compounds will still remain in the oil itself. The only oil with higher levels of antioxidants and beneficial elements is the first pressing, or extra virgin, 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.

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.

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