Aashu’s Curiosity
Ashu has always accompanied his mother whenever they are out for grocery purchases. This time also he is with her picking up daily required products such as pulses, rice, Indian spices & others. Suddenly, when they are in the oils section to get edible oil. Ashu comes across a jar of Olive oil.
Ashu’s mother has always preferred sunflower & soybean oils for preparing meals. Ashu has always fascinated by olives but he wants to know more about Olive oil, what is it, how it is produced, its Origin, what are the benefits of Olive oil & its nutritional content.
So, he just sat in front of his computer and Google about it searching for “Is olive oil good for health?” & let’s see what the results he got on it.
What is Olive Oil?
Olive oil is extracted from olives & it can be used in cooking. Many different cuisines are dependent on olive oils for their flavour & taste. Traditionally, people in Mediterranean countries have their daily meals prepared in olive oils.
But thanks to the low content of saturated fats & high dose of monosaturated fats, olive oil is counted among healthy oils & today olive oil is consumed worldwide.
How Olive Oil is Produced?
Olive is a fruit that we get from the olive trees, the farmed product is then used for the production of olive oil & other olive-based products.
With time, we have found different processes of getting olive oil from raw olives. The traditional method is just about pressing olives to get their oil extract but the modern method includes mechanisation to crush olives, mixing them up & then centrifuges are used to separate oil from the olive pulp.
Due to the process of extraction, there are 3 types of olive oils available in the market for consumption.
Origin of Olive Oil
This is still a topic of discussion when Olive oil came in origin but certain mentions in religious texts show that Olive oils were cultivated during the early Roman Empire & remained an essential part of Middle Eastern cuisines.
As imperial powers started capturing more and more territories they took Olives to their colonies in the Americas. This migration has played a crucial role in making olive oil an integral part of Latin American culture & economies.
Benefits of Olive Oil
Here, we are listing all the health benefits that you will get by replacing vegetable oils from your meals with Extra virgin olive oil.
1. Has Antioxidant Properties
While most vegetable oils are responsible for increasing the growth of free radicals in the body, Olive oil works in the other direction. Olive oil has antioxidant properties that can protect you from free radicals.
Ignoring the free radicals would be pretty dangerous as they are associated with chronic diseases, cell damage & fastening ageing process. In a study, it has been found that Extra virgin olive oil carries 30 different compounds that are essential to eliminate free radicals from the human body.
2. Rich with Healthy Fats
When we hear about fats, a very negative thought emerges in the mind but logically, fats play a very crucial role in keeping us healthy & fit. Here, we are talking about healthy fats & olive oil carries them in ample quantities.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil which is naturally extracted, 70% of its nutritional content is made up of monounsaturated fats & 11% is of polyunsaturated fats. Only 11% of it is saturated fats.
Monounsaturated fats are considered heart-friendly & reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in your body. Some studies have also found that monounsaturated fats also called oleic acids are effective against cancers as well.
3. Carries Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Most of us face normal inflammations in our daily life but, when these inflammations turn into chronic ones then they may lead to deadly diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart diseases or even cancers.
Olive oil has anti-inflammatory properties that could significantly reduce the risk of chronic inflammation. One special compound that makes olive oil, anti-inflammatory is oleocanthal. It works similarly to any inflammatory drug & reduces the effects of inflammation.
Some studies have even shown that antioxidants in olive oil are effective in cutting down the growth of those proteins responsible for inflammation.
4. Effective Against Strokes
After heart diseases, strokes take the most innocent lives & by making simple changes in diet you can get rid of them.
Strokes can occur due to sudden disturbances in the flow of blood in the brain due to either blood clout or internal bleeding.
Olive oil can greatly lower the risk of having strokes. It has monounsaturated fats associated with cleaning up the blockage in the blood vessels.
A study based on 100 people who regularly consume extra virgin olive oil found that they have reduced the risk of strokes by 50% compared to those who consume vegetable oils.
5. Reduces Cholesterol & Obesity
The major risk that you are taking by consuming vegetable oil is related to high cholesterol & obesity. They primarily have saturated fats that are responsible for chronic diseases.
On the other hand, Olive oil has unsaturated fats that are healthy & their consumption is linked to weight loss. These fats are occasionally deposited in the tissues which means you don’t need to worry about obesity.
A recent study has shown that antioxidants in olive oil can boost the metabolism in your body & fastens the fat-burning process.
6. Olive Oil for Skin
As we have discussed earlier, Olive oil has anti-oxidation properties, it is a good option for premature ageing. Olive oil is laden with vitamins A, D, E & K, all of them are great for skin care. It can also be used as a natural moisturizer to soften the texture of your skin.
The antibacterial effects of Olive oil are well-known and can be used on skin to treat or control skin disease. It also has great healing properties that make it usable on cuts & scars as well. These benefits of olive oil for skin make it a good substitute for expensive & unaffordable cosmetics.
7. Olive oil for Hair & Scalp
Since medieval times, olive oil uses for hair has been quite popular among the population. Whether you want to control your hair fall problem or need to have shiny hair, in both cases, you can go for Olive oil as a good option. One of the benefits of
Olive Oil for hair is that it promotes hair growth as it contains fatty acids & antioxidants. It nourishes the follicles of your hair & regulates the blood flow in the scalp.
Olive oil is also a pacifier of the DHT hormone, which is the main contributor to hair fall. DHT hormone kills the follicles of hairs, especially in the forehead & crown area. Olive oil has the ability to minimise the synthesis of DHT compounds to get rid of hair loss.
8. Good for Bone Health
Extra virgin olive oil is especially good for bone health. Compounds in olive oil slow down the ageing of the bones & their subsequent weakening.
Studies on humans have proved that olive oil can help in bone reabsorption & bone formation by the easy breakdown of calcium.
Strengthening of bones is also associated with the compound called osteocalcin which is highly present in olive oil & can prevent you from any serious fractures.
With olive oil, you can also pacify the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis such as joint pain, handgrip strength & morning stiffness in the bones.
Types of Olive Oil
Olive oils are graded based on the process used for extraction & refining. On the basis of how much the extracted olive has been processed or refined, we have 4 types of olive oils that are- Refined, Pomace, Virgin & Extra Virgin.
Refined Olive Oil
This type of olive oil is widely available in the market as most producers prefer it as it is more commercially profitable. The nutritional value is the lowest among all. But the prices are quite affordable.
Pomace Olive Oil
It is extracted from the leftover of olive oil pulp after the process of centrifugation. This olive oil is the remaining of the pulp & has a very low nutrient content. But it is comparatively cheaper than all other types of olive oils.
Virgin Olive Oil
Virgin olive oil has been produced mostly by traditional means to preserve the nutritional contents that are spoiled during heavy crushing, blending & centrifugation process. The rates are quite high as it is a lengthy & laborious task to produce it.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
It is one step further from virgin olive oil & you can get the maximum nutritional value from it. It has been produced by the cold-pressing process. Due to the non-involvement of heat in the extraction of oil, there is the complete preservation of nutrients. It carries the anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory properties to the fuller levels.
Nutritional content of Olive Oil
According to one of the prominent International Agency, the United States Department of Agriculture, 1 teaspoon carries the following nutritional contents: Nutritional Value in 1 Teaspoon (14g)
| S.No. | Nutrients | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calories | 124 kcal |
| 2 | Fats | 14 g |
| 3 | Vitamin E | 1.9mg |
| 4 | Vitamin k | 8.1mcg |
| 5 | Protein | 0 g |
| 6 | Fiber | 0 g |
| 7 | Carbohydrates | 0 g |
| 8 | Sodium | 0.3mg |
| 9 | Sugar | 0 g |
Conclusion
Ashu has now decided that he will convince his mother to buy Olive oil rather than other refined edible oils. He needs to explain his mother about how Olive oil benefits are superior to that of others. There are good reasons to add olive oil to the meal as it has positive effects against cholesterol, heart diseases, inflammations & strokes.
Now Ashu is curious to know about the uses of Olive oil in cooking. So that he can add it in his daily meal. to let’s see what he found.
