Thursday, August 5, 2010

EVOO

For those of you who have never seen Rachel Ray, evoo is what she calls Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I don't know about you but I love evoo on everything! I rarely cook anything without it.

As I am typing this, I am eating a salad doused in evoo with a dash of salt. Perfection.

So, we know evoo tastes good and makes everything a bit more decedent but how far do it's benefits stretch? (drum roll .... )

Very far! Evoo is indeed one of the healthiest oils available. It is high in mono-saturated fat (don't worry that's the good kind!) which promotes many health benefits.

When you think of consuming a high fat diet, what do you associate it with?
Heart disease, obesity, diabetes?

The reason for this is because in the United States, the most consumed fats are the bad ones (animal fat, vegetable oil, hydrogenated fats) but in the Mediterranean (where evoo originated and is consumed the most) having a high fat diet is actually helping them live longer. People who replace these bad fats with olive oil actually have much less of a chance of developing these conditions.

In studies with Mediterranean people who's diets consisted of mostly olive oil, raw vegetables, soups, and poultry, they found the people to have significantly lower mortality rates and after 6 1/2 years of the study, some of them had a 50% reduced overall risk of mortality.

When compared to a traditional Italian diet, consisting of pasta, tomato sauce, red meat, animal fat, and white bread, the mortality rate increased. (sorry to all the Italians out there).

Evoo is also great for the heart, may cut risk for breast cancer, and has anti-inflammatory benefits.

Overall, this amazing oil not only tastes great but is great for your health too! I think I want to eat more like the Greeks and I really want to go there too!

What do you like to cook/ eat with olive oil?

xoxo Jessenia

(Most of the information in this blog came from here: whfoods)

9 comments:

  1. Great post! I'm a die-hard health and fitness fanatic and glad there are blogs full of useful information like yours; they keep me going. I'm excited to read more of your posts! <a href="http://acceleratenaturalenergy.com>Natural Energy Supplements</a>

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  2. Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

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  3. I haven't tried it but I am always a believer of virgin coconut oil as a healthy alternative to other forms of oil.

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  4. Thanks for the info! I love Mediterranean cuisine and was aware of its health benefits. Yet, I had never heard of Evoo. I will spread the word.

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  5. Your Welcome :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Cie - I've always wanted to try coconut oil

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  7. I don't know, I just don't know. I love conola oil sooooo much. I don't think I could give it up. I was at the store today getting peanut oil to make fondue with, but it was too expensive, so I went with the conola. Maybe I'll have to try some of your healthier oils. You should come look at my site, thanks!

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  8. It's always hard switching from something you really enjoy but I guarantee it's worth it :) I really like your post about red tea :)

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  9. I just came across your health and fitness blog. Your article about EVOO was especially interesting. I especially liked your comments about the many health benefits that come from olive oil. I am adding you to my favorites. We're in the same industry, the business of encouraging health and fitness. We market a product called The AbStand: http://www.theabstand.net. We would love for you and your readers to check out our ab workout product. Any feedback would be appreciated as well. Thanks!

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