Origins of Crete and Syria: Olive Oil

I switched to Oil Olive recently and wanted to share the health benefits of olive oil.

Rich Components

1. Olive oil is rich in monosaturated fat and antioxidants like Chlorophyll, carotenoid and vitamin E

Heart Diseases

2. Olive oil contains oleurophin which prevents oxidized cholesterol from sticking to walls of arteries and forming plaques. Hence it has the potential to reduce risk of heart attacks cause by clogged arteries.
3. Polyphenols in olive help protect cells that line our blood vessel from being damaged from overly reactive oxygen molecules.

Cancer

4. Oleic acid found in olive oil has the ability to reduce affect of oncogene (a gene that will turn a host cell into a cancer cell particularly for breast cancer tumors)- January 2005 Issue of Annals of Oncology
5. Antioxidants found in olive oil reduce amount of carcinogens formed in cooked meat – Food Chemistry Toxicology November 2003
6. Improves cell membrane function in a way that lowers risk of cancer development and the altering gene expression in cells in a way that enhances their antioxidant defence system.

Anti-Inflammatory         

    7.Healthy fats in olive oil are a natural anti inflammatory agent.   Uninflamed
        cell membranes are more fluid and better able to move nutrients into cells
         and waste products out. 

    8. Polyphenols also slows the growth of unwanted bacteria responsible for
        digestive tract infection.

Cognitive Benefits

    9 .There are claims of improved visual memory and fluency (French Study). 

        Consumption of olive oil can also offset brain related problems such 

        as unbalanced water content and nervous system activity.

The list of health benefits is not exhaustive.

Confused about different grades of olive oil?


1. Extra Virgin : Produced from first pressing of the olives. It has the lightest flavour and richest in antioxidants.

2. Refined : Chemicals were used to extract olive oil
3. Pure : Blend of refined and virgin olive oil. Do not be misled by the word “Pure” as it usually means a blend.
4. Cold Pressed : Good as heat not used to extract the oil.

Where to buy?

Good selection from Jaya Grocer, Bangsar Village and Hypermarkets. In SS 13/1 Subang Jaya, there is a meat wholesaler that sells 5 litre oil olive for under RM70. Not many people know about it. You may want to check it out. Will post contact details soon.

Storage

Remember exposure to light and heat can turn olive oil rancid. Advisable to store olive oil in dark cool places and away from flourescent lights. I usually buy a 5 litre container and take out about ½ a litre for cooking and store the rest in a cupboard away from sunlight.

What do I do?

I usually buy a 5 litre bottle and this last for about 5 months. I cook daily so my consumption is high. I try not to overheat the oil as I substitute water for early cooking and only later on add the oil. For salad dressing I use extra virgin oil as it has a high concentration of anti-oxidants. I also use olive oil on my bread in the morning instead of butter. It’s not as tasty as butter so it’s a bit of an adjustment for me.


I believe some things are worth the extra money. Olive oil is one of them.