Extra virgin olive oil

Olive oil dispenser containing extra virgin olive oil

The history of the olive oil is linked to the olive tree culturing. The origin of this tree (Olea europaea), according to a theory, is situated in the coasts of Syria, Lebanon and Israel . Other researchers think that it could be original of Asia Minor. Probably it was brought to Europe by the Phoenicians, coming through Cyprus, Crete, and the Aegean Sea Islands, Greece and later to Italy. The first evidence of the presence of the olive tree on the Mediterranean Spanish coasts coincide with the Roman domain. Anyway, it were the Arabs who promoted its culture in Andalusia, turning Spain into the first olive oil producing country of in the World.

About 1560, the Spanish conquerors introduced olive tree in Peru and Mexico. In 1769 it passed to California. Nowadays the culture of the tree spreads over all the countries which have adequate climate .

The Spanish name (aceite) and Portuguese one (azeite) comes from the Arabic word “az-zait”, which means the juice of the olive. It has served for centuries as food, fuel for system of illumination, medicine and liquid to reinvigorate the human organism. In Portuguese, “azeite” only means olive oil, as the Spanish aceite describes any type of liquid fat. To specify the type, you have to say “aceite de oliva” (olive oil), as in English language.

TYPES OF COMMERCIAL OLIVE OIL

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is just olive juice got by pressing at low temperature (less that 27º C) with a free acidity, (oleic acid), not superior than 0.8 grams per 100 grams (0.8%). It is better less 0,3-0,5%.

Some of the extra virgin oils are labeled as “organic”. It is a marketing term that means nothing. A “gourmet olive oil” is also a not defined expression. It is supposed to be a very high quality product, but it is not sure.

Virgin olive oil is the same than the Extra Virgin but with a limit of free acidity of not more than 2%.

When the virgin olive oil has an acidity higher oh 2% or/and inadequate odor is called “lampante” and cannot be commercialized . It is not edible and should be refined.

Olive Oil

It is a mixture of refined and virgin olive oil (10-15% of the second) with acidity not superior to 1.5%. It has not the healthy properties of the virgin one and its relation value for money is not worth it. Avoid it.

“Pure olive oil” is an old expression to describe olive oil, today prohibited in Spain. It causes confusion. Reject products with this label.

Orujo (pomace) olive oil

Oil made with the refuse of the olives (pomace) after pressing. It is a refined product and may contain a small proportion of other oils. It is also not recommended as a source of health.

WHY OLIVE OIL IS SO HEALTHY?

Olive oil and Mediterranean Diet are associates terms. There are many evidences that the Mediterranean Diet prevents from many types of cancer such as breast cancer and colon cancer. At the beginning, the supposed benefits of the Diet were only prevention of heart diseases and stroke. Later this benefits extends to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, asthma and metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors of coronary heart diseases. The researches have included other diseases in connexion to artery obstruction such as belly fat, high level of cholesterol, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and pro inflammatory hazard. It also keeps people away from mild cognitive impairment, diabetes, depression, rheumatoid arthritis and some other chronic diseases.

The most plausible answer for the benefits of the olive oil can be its specific composition. The balance among its different fatty acids:

• 55-85% of Oleic acid (monounsaturated)
• 9%-9.5 % of Linoleic (polyunsaturated)
• 0.5-1.5% of Linolenic, (polyunsaturated)

TIPS ABOUT OLIVE OIL

Olive oil dipping has been for centuries the “snack” of the Mediterranean people.

Olive oil is a natural product and adding to it any  flavor is something very personal.  You can put garlic or herbs and leave it for weeks (no more of 6 months as the oil may become rancid). Anyway this oil should be virgin and raw (never heated).   Olive oil for dressings should be raw. You can do lemon olive oil putting in a bottle the zest of a big lemon (properly washed) with a liter of virgin olive oil. Remove the zest after two weeks.

Olive oil calories: 9 Kcal/gram. There is not “light olive oil”. It should be another product. Not olive oil.

The temperature of the olive oil shouldn’t go higher than 190º C.

Do not use olive oil sprayer. It is not “Mediterranean” and can ruin your dresses. Children also like to play wars with them. Use cruets.

Spain is the World bigger  producer, with more than one billion tons. Italy is the second with more than 600.000 Tm and Greece the third, with more than 300.000.

Olive oil must be bottled. In Spain it is not allowed to sell it bulk, loose or unpacked to final consumers.

Beauty

There are olive oil soaps and lotions. Thir properties depend more on the final product that on the oil.

There is no relation between olive oil and hair loss. Of course you can put olive oil in your hair, to make it more manageable and make it look healthier. But don’t forget it will be “oily” until you wash it.

Anyway, it has been revealed that many unbalanced diets may provoke hair loss. Being balance and natural, Mediterranean Diet is a good option for alopecia.

If you are a very busy person and have no much time to prepare your food, you can plan your own Mediterranean Diet, combining food intakes at homes with meals outside.

You know that the Mediterranean Diet includes almost any natural food. The only thing that counts are the portions and the proportions.



Eating natural food means avoid unnatural ones. These are hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats (margarines, and margarine compounds, etc), as well as food that have been fried in unknown oils or fats (both with possibilities of plenty trans fats). Sometimes you think it is better a portion of fried chicken in a fast food restaurant than a hamburger, and it may be potentially more dangerous. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee declared in 2004 that trans fats are even more harmful than saturated fat. As the same time, Harvard School of Public Health estimates that trans fat has been causing about 50,000 premature heart attack deaths annually only in USA, making partially hydrogenated oil one of the most dangerous products in the food intake.

Moreover, to follow the Mediterranean Diet you have to take into account the food additives. Some of the are good and others are very unsafe, especially at the long term. You have to control them and the only way to do that is getting information. In this blog’s links you will find a excellent site to learn more (Cspinet). You have to learn how to avoid harmful ones and to learn how to interpreter food labels. This is one of the points of the Mediterranean Diet. In origin, this Diet had no artificial additives at all. And we have to fight to maintain the Mediterranean Diet like it was.
If you want to follow the Mediterranean Diet Plan (not for getting slimmer but for living more and better), you have to perform the following actions:

First of all, you have to prepare your pantry and fridge, buying many types of fruits as pineapple, melon, pears, apples, oranges, etc. Buy vegetables as tomatoes, cucumber , celery, garlic, onions (be careful avoiding the last two before dates), frozen fish as unsalted cod, tuna or any other dark meat fish (all of them are very rich in omega-3 fatty acids) or if you prefer, hake and other type of whitefish (less rich in omega or any other fatty acid). Buy cereals and muesli without sugar, canned sardines and tuna in olive or at least in sunflower oil, pasta, olives, normal bread (Why not?). Beware sliced soft bread. Read the label before buying it. Don’t forget chickpeas, eggs, milk (if you are a grown up try to get used to the skimmed one). Get nuts. They are very good for your heart. You may have butter if you cannot get used to the olive oil at breakfast. And of course, take home a couple of Extra Virgin olive oil, the king of the Mediterranean Diet. I have read in many places that the olive oil should be of a certain color (sometimes people say yellow; others, green). Olive oil can be from light yellow to dark green. In both cases, if it extra virgin, it is equally healthy. The type of olive oil is a very personal choice and normally is associated with habits.

With all this products, you can prepare easy dishes of the Mediterranean Diet. Salads, grilled fish with garlic, parsley and olive oil, pasta with canned tuna and a good napolitana sauce. See it is made with olive oil and has no “bad” additives… Or the same combination with boiled rice. Also rice, fried eggs and fried bananas is a delicious meal. Sometimes you can open a can of sardines, an omelet with four or five whites of eggs and a couple of yolks (You can give the others to your dog or throw them away, as the whites are always much cheaper than any other protein food and of better and healthier quality). You can have in your fridge some chicken breast and prepare it grilled with olive oil.

If you have to pack something light to eat at work, take two or three pieces of easy-eating pieces of fruits . Pears and apples can be eaten unpeeled if they are properly washed. From time to time you can have a roll with cured ham or “lomo ibérico” (See picture). This is Mediterranean Diet as well.

When you have your meals in good restaurants, if it is not very often, you can allow order anything you fancy. This will give you a deserved prize and will extinguish you psychological need of eating freely. Choose establishments fond of Mediterranean Diet because they will use proper ingredients.

To complete the Mediterranean Diet, or the Mediterranean Way of Life, do not forget your moderate daily exercise.

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