“The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil are extraordinary and life changing – you should be consuming it daily!”

You can simply Google the “Health benefits of Olive Oil,” and you’ll see there are endless amounts of information about how great olive oil is for you…and it is. The reason olive oil is so good for you is because it contains high amounts of polyphenols, which are antioxidants, and antioxidants are one of the only natural substances (molecule) that can make your body last longer, period.  Antioxidants protect cells in your body from oxidation, creating free radicals, which can be cancer causing.  Here is some of the proof: UC Davis recently published a report showing the effects (health benefits) of a diet that includes foods high in natural polyphenols and monounsaturated fat, specifically extra virgin olive oil, known to reduce LDL cholesterol in the body and increase HDL cholesterol. Which means free radicals in the body were reduced, known to increase the chances of cancer and other chronic diseases (click here to read the report). Specifically, they discussed how the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil is strongly correlated to its high polyphenol content. So taking it one step further, the higher the polyphenol count your extra virgin olive oil is, the better for you, therefore, look for extra virgin olive oils high in polyphenols.  In addition to UC Davis’s report, there is the Mediterranean Diet, where consuming extra virgin olive oil is at the core of the diet, consumed daily in higher than average amounts (also discussed in the UC Davis report). It’s the reason those who follow it are healthier and live longer. The conclusion is that you should be consuming high quality, high polyphenol count extra virgin olive oil daily to fight oxidative stress to the body, to live longer and to live healthier.  A thought: nearly everyone cooks, and that means nearly everyone uses a “fat” to cook with, or some type of “aid” in their pan, so there is no reason this shouldn’t be extra virgin olive oil in all cases.  Essentially you are killing two birds with one stone, you consume more extra virgin olive oil with healthy polyphenols, and your eggs don’t stick to the pan after cooking them.

Extra virgin olive oil contains zero cholesterol, and can decrease your LDL levels (the bad cholesterol), and cancer-causing, while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Therefore, at it’s simplest, olive oil can be said to prevent cancer. If you read all the articles out there about what it can prevent and help, cancer is always at the top.

Extra virgin olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat (the good fat), in 15ML there are 10 grams! This is huge, and why you should consume this “fat” regularly as one of your primary “fats.”

Extra virgin olive oil has no trans fats!  Trans fats are found in industrially produced vegetable oils that have had hydrogen added to them, to make them more solid.  They are used in deep fryers because it can withstand high heat, and be used over and over again.  Trans fats essentially reverse what extra virgin olive oil can do for your body, increasing LDL cholesterol, at the same time, decreasing HDL cholesterol.

Any food with natural antioxidants should be considered a “power food.” Meaning it can improve your health, and, therefore, your life, having profound effects on your long-term health. Antioxidants stop cell break-down (free radicals), caused by oxidation. So if you wanted, you can imagine all these antioxidant soldiers running around in your body helping your body’s cells fight of attacks from oxygen, keeping them from being damaged. This results in your body’s cells lasting longer, being more healthy, and functioning correctly. So the more antioxidants you consume the better, right!  There are many foods that have natural antioxidants, like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and vegetable oils like extra virgin olive oil. Here is something to think about… Blueberries have made a huge name for themselves because of their high antioxidant punch.  The word got out there through a lot marketing, which took some big bucks.  However, I’m willing to wager, and want to someday sponsor a report to be produced that would concentrate specifically on the amount of antioxidants actually absorbed by the body and used beneficially, therefore becoming useful in preventing cell breakdown, when compared to one another.  My wager is this: I believe that the body actually absorbs more antioxidants through extra virgin olive oil, as it does when consuming blueberries, therefore making extra virgin olive oil the ultimate antioxidant benefiting food on the face of the earth!  I just blew your mind didn’t I!  Due to no marketing dollars in olive oil, very few people know that olive oil has amazing antioxidant properties, which might rival blueberries, but because of some well-used marketing bucks (a lot of them), blueberries trump extra virgin olive oil.

Are you seeing a reoccurring theme here…. “Your body lasting longer.”

Think of it as an oil change. You probably change the oil in your car every so many miles, you do this because it makes your engine last longer, prolonging its life?  Well, eating extra virgin olive oil daily does the same thing.  It prolongs the health of your body, and therefore your life. Now this prolonging may be different from person to person, but the effect is the same.

There are hundreds of other benefits to extra virgin olive oil that you need to know, here are a few:

• It can prevent aging and wrinkles on your skin if used like lotion regularly
• It can prevent baby stretch marks, ask my wife! She rubbed it over her entire belly every night she was pregnant with our two boys, and she has no stretch marks.
• If used in your hair, it can leave it silky smooth
• It can help with coughs
• It can be used as a lubricant (I’m not going into detail on this one, use your imagination!)
• It can be fed to your hairy animals to give them healthier fur
• It can cure squeaky doors
• It can prolong the life of your cutting board
• It can be used in place of WD40 in many cases

Considering all of this…There is no reason that anyone who would want these results in life shouldn’t be using extra virgin olive oil every day in their life, as we know it.  This is why I want to change how people view extra virgin olive oil, and why I want everyone to consume more of it.

That said, you want to be sure you are using authentic 100% extra virgin olive oil to take advantage of these benefits, otherwise you will not have the same results.  I’ll write more on this in the future, but the best thing you can do is buy as local as you can get in the USA, know who makes your oil, and look for oils certified by the California Olive Oil Council (COOC).  The COOC verifies that oils submitted for certification meet certain lab tests and organoleptic tasting to be authentic 100% extra virgin olive oil.

Read here how important it is to verify that the extra virgin olive oil you are buying, is in fact, 100% extra virgin olive oil, certified and tested by a lab to be the real deal, and not fake, not old, and not adulterated with other crummy oils.  In 2010, UC Davis published a report which showed that 69% of imported bottles labeled extra virgin olive oil, in major retail chains, were actually not.  Yikes!

My hope is that the consumption of extra virgin olive oil rises significantly over the coming years in the United States, as the consumer is educated and learns to understand that it is a healthy, a natural power food, that will enhance their life, and make them a healthier person, resulting in a longer life. It’s simple.  I also hope the consumer realizes that California (and many other parts of the US) produce some of the best and highest quality extra virgin olive oil in world, with the strictest of standards.

Right now the USA consumes roughly 90,000 gallons of extra virgin olive oil per year, less than 4% of that comes from California! Holy cow! So my second message here is that you know where your oil comes from, buy certified evoo, and buy from a source you can verify and trust. The best scenario would be to walk down to your local olive mill, watch the oil be produced, and buy a bottle on the spot. Fresh is best when it comes to olive oil, don’t store it, and stop using it sparingly, remove the pour spout and pour it on!

Here are a few things you should write down or print:

Nutritional data of Extra Virgin Olive Oil per 15ML (one tablespoon):
Calories 120 Calories from fat 120
Fat 14g
Saturated Fat 2g
Polyunsaturated 1.5g
Monounsaturated 10g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 0mg
Total Carbohydrates 0g
Protein 0g

• Cooking equivalents to butter (dang, I know butter tastes pretty awesome, but it can be replaced in all cases by extra virgin olive oil!) – just try it, trust me!
  • 1 tsp of butter = 3/4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1Tbsp of butter = 2 1/4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of butter = 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup of butter = 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup of butter = 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Grades of olive oil:
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the best, and highest quality olive oil one can produce
  • Virgin Olive Oil – this oil did not make “Extra Virgin Grade,” by not meeting standards, most likely having defects
  • Pure Olive Oil – is either refined olive oil, or is a blend of refined and extra virgin olive oil
  • Pomace Olive Oil – usually made from bad rotten fruit, and bad milling practices, but still edible
  • Refined Olive Oil – olive oil that was not fit for human consumption, stripped of flavor, odor and color, to be made edible again…wow, sounds yummy right?  Sometimes blended with extra virgin olive oil to add flavor and color
• Olive Oil Tips:
  • Consume extra virgin olive oil within 12 months of the milling date or sooner
  • For best flavor and health benefits, consume extra virgin olive oil as close to the date it was milled as possible
  • If you can, know who makes your oil
  • Buy local
  • Taste before you buy (if you can)
  • Keep oil out of light for storage
  • Keep oil away from heat
  • Keep the cap on to protect it from oxygen after use
• California Olive Oil Council (COOC) – www.cooc.com
• More information on Antioxidants: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) – US Department of Health & Human Services
• UC Davis Olive Center
  • UC Davis Report: Olive Oil as Medicine
• More information on Trans Fats
  • American Heart Association
  • Wikipedia
• Mor information on the Mediterranean Diet
  • Mayo Clinic

I would love to hear your comments in the comment fields below, and also please feel free to email me at dewey@olivefantastic.com.

– Dewey –