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.
If you include virgin olive oil in your diet, you can significantly reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. This comes from the ability of virgin olive oil to regulate cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterol: HDL and LDL. It is important to minimize your levels of HDL cholesterol and maintain healthy levels of LDL cholesterol. Unfortunately, when LDL cholesterol oxidizes, there can be negative health consequences but again, consuming virgin olive oil can help prevent that from happening.
If you view different forms of olive oil you may see that there is virgin olive oil and processed olive oil but it is the virgin olive oil that you want to use. Made from the second pressing of the olives it is less heavily processed. The less an olive oil has been processed it will retain more of the beneficial compounds and elements in the oil. If you want to ensure you are consuming the highest levels of beneficial compounds you need to use extra virgin olive oil.
If you want to find ways to include virgin olive oil in your diet, it is not hard to do. You can replace harmful fats and oils such as peanut oil and butter. Because virgin olive oil is so flavorful, it can add flavor to your dishes and may not require additional seasoning with salts and harmful ingredients. Although heating does not damage the beneficial compounds in the oil, it can destroy the flavor so it is recommended to reserve the highly flavorful extra virgin olive oil for unheated uses and those which do not require that the oil be heated for long periods of time.
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.
There are numerous many health benefits of olive oil. You can find more olive oil health benefits on my website.
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