Health Benefits of Olive Oil

The benefits of olive oil have been much talked about in recent years and many studies have been done leading experts to believe that it has a vital role in reducing the risk of heart disease and breast cancer. Everyone can benefit from using olive oil as part of a healthy eating regime and replacing other oils and even butter with this wonderful Mediterranean oil.

Benefits of Olive Oil

Olive oil is pressed from olives and has healthy monounsaturated fatty acids as well as vitamin e and antioxidant properties. It helps to fight heart disease by raising the "good" cholesterol (HDL) while controlling the "bad" cholesterol (LDL). Other health benefits of olive oil include lessening the risk of colon cancer, protecting against gallstones and being beneficial for ulcers. Recent researchers believe the high concentration of vitamin E in extra virgin olive oil can help protect against breast cancer as well.

How To Get The Most Out Of Olive Oil

To get the most benefits of olive oil, you should stick to extra virgin olive oil. The extra virgin comes from the first pressing of the olives and has more vitamin E and phenols. Studies showed that only 2 tablespoons a day helped lower cholesterol but the more the merrier! You can incorporate olive oil into your daily eating habits with a few simple changes.

The Mediterranean Diet

Recent studies show that eating as the Mediterranean's do is one of the most healthy eating styles you can adopt. Their diet is high in olive oil as well as fresh fruits, vegetables and. Try to incorporate a Mediterranean meal or two into your weekly regime and build up to more and more Mediterranean eating. It's a tasty way to enjoy the health benefits of olive oil!

Other ways to add more olive oil to your diet include substituting it for butter in cooking (not baking, though). You can also use it to flavor your bread instead of butter like they do in the up scale Italian restaurants. Just pour some olive oil and spices on a dish and dip your bread in. You can also use it on spaghetti instead of sauce. Other benefits of olive oil include glowing skin and healthy hair – you can see the benefits by eating the oil but you can also use it as a conditioner in your hair and apply it directly to your skin before you bathe or shower. Your skin will feel silky smooth all day, but be careful in the shower as it can make the bottom very slippery!