Olive oil is one of the healthiest foods in the world. If you’re starting a new healthy eating program, you want to make sure this oil is included. It is the foundation of the Mediterranean diet, which has many of the world’s longest-living cultures. Many of the health-promoting effects of the Mediterranean diet have been attributed to olive oil consumption.
What are the health benefits?
The reason olive oil deserves to be on your list of healthy foods is because of its combination of two major health-boosting nutrients. These two nutrients are monounsaturated fats and tyrosol esters.
First, monounsaturated fats help stabilize blood cholesterol levels, which lower your risk of heart disease, and improve blood sugar levels that help treat diabetes. Other nutrients, tyrosol esters, help protect against many health conditions and infections as well as reduce pain, support your vital organs and strengthen your immune system.
Why should you control how much you consume?
Despite the fact that olive oil is one of the healthiest foods, it is a pure fat so you need to be careful how much you consume at any one time. One tablespoon contains about 120 calories so adding just a few tablespoons to your meals can really increase the calorie count of your meals and meals.
How can you eat the right amount of olive oil?
To add the health benefits of olive oil to your eating plan without going overboard, drizzle a tablespoonful amount over a salad. Or you can sprinkle the meat before cooking to add flavor and moisture. Adding a tablespoon to a curry, casserole or any other hot dish will give you the health-boosting nutrients contained within the oil without drastically changing the flavor or texture of your dish.
You only have to look at the data on the Mediterranean diet to see the health benefits of olive oil. If you want to eat healthy foods as part of your new eating plan, make sure this oil is one of your new, improved diet picks. Keep in mind that you can’t make unhealthy foods healthy by simply adding olive oil to them, so you still need to eat a balanced diet. This means eating the right amounts of foods from the main food groups which are considered whole grains, fruits and vegetables, protein, diary, fat and sugar.
