Four ways to eat yourself to good health.
You are what you eat
Countless people stand by this proverb throughout their lives, knowing that they can harm themselves with tasty but non-nutritious snacks and meanwhile do themselves benefit with better choices in food. Good food is of course essential to our overall health, providing energy, regulating the entire bodily system, and often preventing illness. It’s a universal lesson that transcends cultures.
What deters many people from healthy food is that they think of it as bland and expensive, and they regard the shift to healthy eating as drastic, perhaps wise but also, perhaps, unnecessary. Thus, they disregard the wisdom of “you are what you eat”, keep it at arm’s length, and keep snacking. It doesn’t have to be this way.
How to make healthy eating easy
The shift to healthier eating can more easily be imagined and accepted as a series of small steps, but the improvement in physical wellbeing can be dramatic. At Deoleo, for example, we make some of the best-regarded olive oils in the world. Simply consider changing the oil you cook food with. There are multiple choices among cooking oils, but olive oil, naturally extracted from olives grown in prime and environmentally responsible conditions, is scientifically considered one of the healthiest options. Its unparalleled health benefits – compared to even other vegetable oils – should encourage you to continue enjoying your favourite menu items without radical deviations to lifestyle or preferred taste. Let’s consider those benefits.
1. Olive oil can help lower cholesterol
The National Centre of Biotechnology Information in the USA published in 2019 the several benefits that the phenolic components of the olive oil have in lowering cholesterol. the Olive oil is naturally cholesterol-free and contains no salt. It is also rich (77%) in monounsaturated fatty acids, in particular oleic acid, which health studies indicate can help maintain normal cholesterol levels when consumed in moderation. You are thus protected from the risk of developing diseases stemming from high cholesterol.
2. An excellent source of antioxidants
Olive oil is a superb source of several antioxidants, which slow and even prevent the harmful activity of “free radicals” in our bodies. One tablespoon of olive oil provides 8% of the internationally recommended dietary allowance for Vitamin E, which plays a part in lessening the cells’ ageing process. Olive oil even contains polyphenol, a natural antioxidant not found in any other oil, and this can guard against cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
3. A shield against cardiovascular disease
Olive oil has a higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) than other vegetable oils. MUFAs are a healthy, plant-based fat also found in nuts, avocados and dark chocolate that help maintain normal cholesterol levels as they replace saturated fats in the diet. They can also help strengthen blood vessels, protect against Alzheimer’s, lower the risk of heart disease and provide nutrients to help bolster bodily cells.
As latest research performed by The Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research (IMIBIC), University of Cordoba and the Reina Sofia University Hospital sustained in a comparative study of the effect on the endothelium – the walls lining the arteries – of two different healthy dietary patterns in 1002 patients who had previously suffered an acute myocardial infarction. The study of these patients’ progress was carried out over a one-year period.
4. Fending off diabetes
According to the International Diabetes Federation, in 2019 approximately 463 million adults (20-79 years) were living with diabetes; by 2045 this will rise to 700 million. Therefore, it is crucial to highlight the how olive oil’s abundance of antioxidants helps reduce oxidative-stress effects that diabetics suffer due to high levels of blood sugar. It therefore reduces the risk of diabetes complications, as well as nerve damage caused by diabetes (diabetic neuropathy) and retinal neuropathy. And Oleocanthal, a natural phenolic compound found in extra virgin olive oil, acts as anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation is another precursor to many diseases, including the chronic form brought on by diabetes, as the official journal of the Spanish Society of Arteriosclerosis analysed in 2019 the adhesion to the Mediterranean diet and use of olive oil in diabetic patients with poor control.
With the health benefits of replacing your usual cooking oil with olive oil clear, you should keep in mind, too, that olive oil is also extremely versatile in the kitchen. It’s ready for temperatures as high as 468°F / 242°C, which takes it well beyond casual cooking to deep-frying. Right out of the bottle at room temperature, it makes any salad delectable. Whichever way you use it, this is the best way – certainly, the best for your health and that of your family – to ensure that meals are nourishing as well as tasty. Forget about significant lifestyle changes: It’s an easy and worthwhile switch to olive oil.