Olive oil is oil that is pressed from olives, the fruits of the olive tree. The process is incredibly simple.. you just press the olives and the oil comes out.
But there is still one major problem with olive oil… it isn’t always what you think it is. Some lower quality versions can be extracted using chemicals, or even diluted with other cheaper oils. Therefore, buying the right type of olive oil is incredibly important.
The best type is extra virgin olive oil. It is extracted using natural methods and standardized for purity and certain sensory qualities like taste and smell. Olive oil that is truly extra virgin has a distinctive taste and is high in phenolic antioxidants, the main reason why (real) olive oil is so beneficial.
Then we have regular, refined or “light” olive oils, which have often been extracted with solvents, treated with heat or even diluted with cheaper oils like soybean and canola oils.
You are always told to cut back on fats and oils. But this is not the case with the oil obtained from olive trees. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFAs) which is supposed to be a healthy dietary fat. Most importantly, studies have suggested that nature provided dietary fats to the olive in the exact ratio that human beings need them.
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So this may be the prime factor why olive oil got well-deserved attention throughout the world, though it was primarily used in the Mediterranean diet for thousands of years.
Whether you add it to your salad or roasted vegetables, besides adding wonderful flavor to them, this liquid gold can be used as one of nature’s best healing wonders.
Here’s a quick preview of some important health benefits associated with the use of olive oil: