3 Reasons to Ditch Your Cooking Oil for an EVOO

When heart disease is the leading causes of death in the United States, we are all looking for smart ways to improve our health, without breaking the bank. Switching your cooking oil to EVOO is an easy way to combat heart disease and improve your health.

Giant pile of ripe green olives, including dark green leaves, covers entire photo.

From Veronica Foods Facebook Page

So what is EVOO anyway?

When olives are collected, there are a few ways they can be processed to create oil. Oils can be pressed or extracted with chemicals, they can be pressed multiple times in order to refine them or they can be blended with other oils to “lighten” them. An oil is considered “extra virgin” when it is the first extraction of the olives, and only force has been used.

That’s right, no second/third/fourth pressings, no chemicals, and no refinement. For an oil to be classified as extra virgin the color, taste, nutrients, and vitamins can not have been altered in any way. It is important to always select an EVOO vs other Olive Oils because this method of processing is where your body can get the most of the nutrients olive oil offers (also referred to as bioavailability of nutritive compounds)! To learn more about the processing of EVOO or other oils, stay tuned for our next blog post, covering the process from olive farm to your bottle! In the meantime, let’s get back to our health…

Here are three reasons to make the switch to EVOO:

1. The phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil can reduce your blood pressure.

Olive oil contains natural plant polyphenols that can have many beneficial effects on the body. One of those is reducing your LDL, or the “bad cholesterol”. The Oxford Journal of Nutrition published a study that found “The consumption of olive oil polyphenols decreased plasma LDL concentrations and LDL atherogenicity [plaque buildup in the arteries] in healthy young men”. By switching from oils high in trans fats with little or no polyphenol content to EVOO, you can improve your cholesterol, and therefore your blood pressure!

2.  Polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil can also prevent or slow down neurodegenerative diseases (like Alzheimer’s) due to their antioxidant properties.

The International Journal of Molecular Sciences published an article describing the numerous benefits of polyphenols from extra virgin olive oil on the human body. Polyphenols are believed to “reduce morbidity and/or slow down the development of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer”. The reason for the reduction in these diseases is related to their antioxidant properties, which can “neutralize potentially carcinogenic metabolites”. Switching to an EVOO, loaded with polyphenols, can increase your antioxidant absorption.

3. Polyphenols, fatty acid composition, and vitamins in extra virgin olive oil may be able to fight against inflammation from diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, and diabetes.

The August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona published an article in 2018 describing the expansive benefits of polyphenols, specifically focusing on those related to extra virgin olive oil. The article covers numerous studies regarding fatty acid content, polyphenols, and other nutrients for why extra virgin olive oil can have clinical applications in the treatment of autoimmune disease. The APiSBR states, “The increasing body of studies carried out provides compelling evidence that olive polyphenols are potential candidates to combat chronic inflammatory states.”

The sun shines through a dark green bottle as an reddish amber oil is poured out, there are trees in the background.

Photographed by Dottie Worster

The fact of the matter is, we all want to be happy and healthy, but it can be daunting to make all of the changes necessary to do so. The media is saturated with everyone telling you some different, quick-fix, expensive cure-all to feel your best. But at Green Olive Company, we believe healthy change starts with small, manageable steps and using verified research. Start by switching to proven EVOO when cooking, and see the difference in your own life.

 

Interested in switching? Click here to get some EVOO's of your own!

 

Resources:

What is EVOO?

https://www.fustinis.com/fustinis-blog-1/what-makes-evoo-evoo-what-you-should-know-about-an-oil-unlike-any-other#

https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/olive-oil-extraction

Reason 1: Polyphenols and blood pressure

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/145/8/1692/4585806

Reason 2: Polyphenols and antioxidants

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877547/

Reason 3: Polyphenols, fatty acids, and inflammation

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29141575

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