Using Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil In A Diet Offers Advantages

By Francis Riggs


More and more consumers are discovering benefits from including olive oil in their diets. Yet surprisingly that many people do not fully understand the difference between certified extra virgin olive oil and other oils on the market.

Being the premium quality, this grade of production must be made from fruits picked for the sole aim of olive oil production. Ingredients from other processes are prohibited. The process takes place mechanically, often referred to as cold pressing, which importantly, prohibits any heated extraction or the use of chemicals. Such intervention could adversely change the molecular structure of the product.

Harvesting when the fruit is perfectly ripe is a significant factor in ensuring extra virgin products achieve and maintain high standards. Of course anyone can stick a label on a product and maintain it is this or that and it is for this reason that growers will take the trouble to have their products certified. Certification can only be obtained if the oil meets the standards of a recognized as an authoritative and governing force in the industry. Producers in Europe and elsewhere are overseen by the International Olive Council whilst in the United States the California Olive Oil Council is the recognized body.

Other factors that can influence the freshness and quality are proper filtering and packaging. Unfiltered oils allow juice and flesh to enter the product which in time will affect the taste and shelf life. Good quality producers will bottle their produce with dark glass as excessive light will also shorten the shelf life as will heat. Even oil will eventually go off and like all fresh products should display and end of life date. Avoid any that do not.

Returning to the advantages, although the effect on individuals may differ, the findings that follow have been widely reported. The commonest advantage is the positive effect it has in reducing bad cholesterol or LDL as it is termed. Polyphenol compounds are responsible for this and of all the oils arising from vegetables, are only found in olive oils. Another function they carry out is that of anti-oxidizing.

As an aid to enhance metabolic rates it could be utilized to improve digestion that may also promote more regular stomach movements. It promotes the formation of sound bone structure and brain development. Polyphenols, mentioned previously, are also active in combating inflammation which is an additional plus for the cardiovascular system.

Also of great significance are theories exploring the role of a substance called plasma oleic acid. This is thought to play a role in reducing strokes among the elderly. Whilst research into this aspect is ongoing, it is thought to act by making the arteries more elastic and flexible. This line of thought has expanded in recent times to include Alzheimer disease in so far as that oleic acid may also influence the formation of plaque in the brain.

Recent investigations at the University Medical School in Naples indicated that a diet containing considerable olive oil may influence the levels of sugars in the bloodstream and improve the regulation of insulin. The impact of these studies may well end up being instrumental in the struggle against some of the most pressing health problems facing modern populations today. Olive oils may be a natural cure and treatment that may really end up surprising us all.




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