Therapeutic Benefits of Olive Oil

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Therapeutic Benefits of Olive Oil

JoAnn Guest

 

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The health and therapeutic benefits of olive oil were first

mentioned by Hippocrates, the father of medicine. For centuries, the

nutritional, cosmetic and medicinal benefits of olive oil have been

recognized by the people of the Mediterranean.

 

Olive oil was used to maintain skin and muscle suppleness, heal

abrasions, and soothe the burning and drying effects of sun and

water. Olive oil was administered both internally, and externally -

for health and beauty.

 

Recent research has now provided firm proof that a Mediterranean

diet, which includes olive oil, is not only generally healthy, but

that

consuming olive oil can actually help lower harmful LDL cholesterol.

 

Olive oil contains antioxidants that discourage artery clogging and

chronic diseases, including cancer.

 

There are three kinds of dietary fats: saturated (animal),

polyunsaturated (plants, seeds, nuts, vegetable oils), and

monounsaturated (olive oil).

From a nutritional standpoint, all types of olive oil are

approximately the same, with 80% monounsaturated, 14%

saturated, 9% polyunsaturated fats on average.

 

Olive oil is rich in vitamins A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E and K and in

iron.

 

Olive oil, which is beneficial to the digestive system acts as a

mild laxative, is a friend to the intestine and an enemy of ulcers

and gastritis. Olive oil is a good tonic, with specific benefits for

people suffering from heart disease.

 

Olive oil has been regarded as the " beauty oil " . The body's cells

incorporate the valuable *fatty acids* from the oil, making arteries

more supple and skin more lustrous. The amount of oleic acid in

olive oil is about the same as that found in a mother's milk and is

thus the best growth supplement for infants.

Taken before a meal, olive oil protects the stomach from ulcers. If

a spoon or two is taken with lemon prevents constipation

without irritating the intestinal tract.

 

It is also effective in

treating urinary tract infections and gall bladder problems.

It is a perfect remedy for gastritis in children, it accelerates

brain development and strengthens the bones.

 

Olive oil dissolves clots in capillaries, has been found to lower

the degree of absorption of edible fats, and consequently slows down

the aging process.

 

Olive oil is cholesterol-free.

Cholesterol is not entirely harmful; it is an essential building

block for cell membranes, nerve fiber coverings,

vitamin D and sex hormones. The body manufactures all the

cholesterol it needs.Excess cholesterol causes a gradual

accumulation of fatty deposits and connective tissue, known as

plaque, along the walls of blood vessels.

 

Eventually, plaque builds up, narrows the arteries and reduces blood

flow, in this way increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

cholesterol is manufactured in the liver and is vital for the

structure of cell walls.

 

The liver also packages another type of cholesterol called high-

density lipoproteins (HDL), which *picks-up* circulating cholesterol

and " returns " it to the liver for reprocessing, or excretion.

 

So the more HDLs there are, the easier it is to unblock paths and

rid the body of unwanted cholesterol. Monounsaturated oils (such as

olive oil), lower only LDL

cholesterol, leaving HDLs to help clean out arteries.

 

Animal fats, which contain saturated fatty acids, exponentially

increase blood cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated fatty acids lower

both LDL and HDL levels in the blood, but they do not affect their

ratio.

 

Monounsaturated fatty acids on the other hand control LDL levels

while raising HDL levels.

 

No other naturally produced oil has as large an amount of

monounsaturated fatty acids as olive oil, which mainly

contains *oleic acid*. The modest amount of well-balanced

polyunsaturated fatty acids in olive oil is well protected by

*antioxidant* substances.

 

It is widely believed that antioxidant substances such as vitamins

E, K and polyphenols found in olive oil provide a " defense

mechanism " that

delays aging and prevents carcinogenesis, therosclerosis, liver

disorders and inflammations.

Since olive oil is not 'tortured' during extraction, these

substances are left unspoiled, making the olive oil very stable even

when frying.

So contrary to common belief, olive oil undergoes a smaller degree

of deterioration during frying than other oils.

 

Due to its chemical structure, olive oil is of unrivaled

organoleptic value and thus the oil best suited for human

consumption. It is very

well tolerated by the stomach. In fact, its protective function has

a beneficial effect on gastritis and ulcers.

 

It is a " cholagogue " , activating the 'secretion' of *pancreatic

hormones* and bile much more " naturally " than prescribed drugs.

 

Consequently, it lowers the incidence of cholelithiasis (gallstone

formation). Its excellent digestibility promotes the overall

absorption

of nutrients, especially vitamins and mineral salts.

 

 

Bones need a large amount of oleates and what source could be better

than olive oil?

Promoting bone mineralisation, it is excellent for infants and the

elderly who have bone calcification problems. It also has beneficial

effects on brain and nervous system development as well as on

overall growth. It shields the body against infection and helps in

the healing of tissues, internal and external.

 

Olive oil is a panacea, the perfect oil for all ages.

 

And every time scientists look into the reasons behind an olive oil

advantage empirically known and employed by the

peoples of the Mediterranean, it is certain that they will come

across evidence of yet another unique biological attribute.

http://mediterraneandiet.gr/health.html

--------------------------------

Olive Oil and Health

 

As doctors said, prevention is number one factor for good health.

Speaking as simple as we can and without the use of special medical

terms we must point out the following:

 

1.Many diseases are caused by the incontrollable receipt of food,

especially food containing in excess saturated fatty acids (animal

fats), leading to arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.

 

Medical studies indicate that Mediterranean countries and

specifically Greece, where olive oil consumption is high, suffer

less cardiovascular

problems from any other country in the world where the ratio of the

consumption of animal fat is high or simply the nutrition parameters

are poor.

 

 

By reducing the animal fats and increasing olive oil in our diet we

obtain a perfect combination for the prevention of such fatal

diseases, like arteriosclerosis and heart attacks.

 

2.The problems in bile area torture millions of people on our

planet. The bad function of the bile and the formation of gallstone

are problems difficult to cure and most of the times medical surgery

is the only solution available.

 

Recent medical studies proved that olive oil, perfectly compatible

with human body needs, creates a natural tie to those liquids that

result in the formation of the gallstone mitigating pain and

annoyance in bile's area.

 

3.Millions of people around the world suffer by stomach problems and

related diseases. Very serious is the gastric ulcer disease. As it

is known the use of olive oil in nutrition is a beneficial factor

for the function of the digestive system due to its property of

keeping low the " percentage of HCl " in our stomach.

 

Thus, the olive oil helps the normal function of the digestive

system reducing to minimum the chances of

ulcer creation and the other relative diseases, not to mention that

is the best natural medicament for the fight against constipation.

 

It has been also proved that the use of olive oil in nutrition helps

to sustain:

 

1.Human metabolism at a good balance, body's growth and bone growth

at a good level. It is obvious that olive oil means good health and

development for our children.

 

2.Good level of Vitamin E in our body. This vitamin has the property

to delay the change of the cellular structure which leads to natural

decadence, the people's aging, so one of the best medicaments for

delaying aging is the olive oil. On the other hand, as we all know,

Vitamin E improves our sexual life. So one can say that olive oil is

by itself an aphrodisiac!

ast but not least, is the unique property of olive oil to dissolve

useful substances coming from food that cannot be absorbed by the

human body.

 

Olive oil is used in everyday cooking. It can be used in salads or

added in the cooking process of almost any recipe. Olive Oil is the

healthiest type of oil with 0% cholesterol, rich in Vitamins against

aging and perfect even for frying dishes. Olive oil is the best

nutritional gift we can offer to ourselves.

Olive oil helps us keep

good in health making our life pleasant.

 

http://mediterraneandiet.gr/oliveoilhealth.html

--

Aromatic Olive Oil

 

Aromatic olive oil has been produced in Greece since time

immemorial. It is mainly used for its medicinal, astringent and

antioxidant

properties, provided by the herbs and spices added to it.

 

Scientific research has proven that many herbs contain antioxidant

substances that prevent olive oil from being oxidised and improve

its flavour. In contrast, substances negatively affecting olive oil

include garlic, onion, peppers and the peels of acidic citrus fruit.

 

Aromatic olive oil is produced from high quality oil with subtle

aromatic tones and a non-distinctive flavour, with the addition of

spices, aromatic herbs or even fruit and vegetables pices:

 

cardamom, coriander, cedar fruit, nutmeg, cumin seed, aniseed,

cinnamon, ginger, pepper, guinea grains, fennel seed.

 

Herbs and aromatic plants: basil, bay, oregano, marjoram, mint,

sage, spearmint, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, savory, fresh fennel,

coriander, parsley, dill.

 

Vegetables: red hot peppers, red sweet peppers, sun-dried tomatoes,

garlic, capers, Chinese mushrooms, truffles.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Very interesting article Jo anne and thanks

Couldnt find any where where is said how much oil we should have a day.

Could you help me out here please

thanks Pauline

[Guest guest]

, " mollywoppell "

<fig-jam wrote:

>

> Very interesting article Jo anne and thanks

> Couldnt find any where where is said how much oil we should have a

day.

> Could you help me out here please

> thanks Pauline

 

 

Hi Pauline,

there probably weren't any actual recommendations included in the

article. As you may guess it is most widely used in food

preparation. Because I try to avoid high heat cooking methods, I am

able to use it in just about everything I prepare, even my homemade

salad dressings and tofu mayonnaise. The baked goods tend to be very

moist as well and I would highly recommend that you use it in your

baking. Dr. Weil is one who advocates the use of extra virgin olive

oil in food preparation and so he has a number of suggestions on his

site for ways of incorporating it into your daily diet. I did a

search and found approximately 184 recipes to choose from. That

should be sufficient for this week anyway. <LOL The chefs on the

food channel have some good choices also. If you have a printer in

use, there is a wide variety of recipes there. I think you will find

many of the popular chefs make very good use of extra virgin olive

oil.

 

http://search.drweil.com/search?

site=my_collection & client=my_collection & proxystylesheet=my_collection

& output=xml_no_dtd & q=olive+oil+recipes & x=14 & y=9

God Bless,

JoAnn