Most men and women know that extra virgin olive oil is good for you but do you know why? In ancient times olive oil was considered as valuable as gold and even though people may not value it this way today, it still is one of the most valuable foods.
One of the reasons the Mediterranean diet is so popular is due to the benefits of olive oil. The increasing trend towards Ketogenic diets shows that people are searching for ways to get top quality, healthy fats in their diets and olive oil proves to be one of the best choices. So, why is extra virgin olive oil so good for you
Olive oil reduces inflammation.
This is arguably the most important benefit of olive oil. Inflammation is a primary driver and often an underlying cause for most disease pathologies. And it is especially critical for those dealing with auto-immune diseases.
Olive oil's high lactic acid content helps reduce inflammation which is often witnessed in blood markers as reduced levels of C-Reactive Proteins.
Olive oil protects the heart and cardiovascular system.
As we age, our risk of cardiovascular disease increases. However, those of us who have olive oil on a regular basis, can lower our risk. Olive oil's abundance of phenolic compounds, exceptional fatty acids and high levels of oleic acid make it cardio-protective.
It can also improve lipid profiles by increasing HDL's and lowering LDL's. Additionally, olive oil's ability to decrease inflammation has been proven to reduce biomarkers associated with and the growth of atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and thrombosis.
Olive oil helps to regulate appropriate body weight.
Olive oil has been shown to decrease triglycerides in the liver and diminish lipotoxicity, which often contributes to weight gain. Good fats also help control insulin resistance which triggers weight retention.
One of the reasons the Ketogenic diet has become so popular is because when folks consume additional fats and fewer carbohydrates, they are better able to both lose and maintain healthy weight levels. Excellent fats like extra virgin olive oil also have a tendency to be more satiating, mitigating the need to consume additional food.
Olive oil can help prevent and manage Type 2 Diabetes.
Extra virgin olive oil has a tremendous number of bioactive compounds: monosaturated fatty acids, lignans and other polyphenols that aid in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes. These protective elements do not cause blood sugar to increase but instead help reduce inflammation that is associated with insulin resistance and diabetes.
Olive oil helps stop Cancer.
The top polyphenol content from extra virgin olive oil helps modulate the immune system and therefore reduces the risk of cancer. In essence it helps lower oxidative stress that is a primary driver of cancer. 1 Italian study also found olive oil especially helpful in reducing the risk of breast cancer.
Olive Oil support Brain Health
Our brains are largely composed of fatty acids. Extra virgin olive oil is high in fatty acids, acids, and combined with its anti-inflammatory properties is neuro-protective, thereby lowering the risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia while improving memory and focus.
Olive oil helps shield against Osteoporosis.
The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil's phenolic compounds apply a protective mechanism against osteoporosis by favoring bone regeneration. After the body has excess amounts of inflammation it'll cause the bones to start excreting minerals to compensate, thus reducing bone density.
But, regular consumption of olive oil reduces the overall inflammatory response and helps protect the bones from breakdown, keeping them powerful. This is especially important for the older. Fats also aid in mineral absorption which is essential for bone building.
Olive Oil can help slow the Aging of the Skin
As we age our skin naturally starts to break down. Chronic long-term stress creates oxidative stress which starts to break down collagen and the dermis amount of the skin.
One of the special properties of high-quality extra virgin olive oil is that it can decrease epinephrine levels caused by stress thereby acting as a protective mechanism for the skin. This then helps slow down the aging process of the skin. In fact, one of woman's best-kept secrets is to apply olive oil into her skin to maintain its healthy glow.
Olive oil can act as a protective mechanism for liver damage.
Surprisingly, due to its high levels of oleic acid and other phenolic compounds, extra virgin olive oil participates in many different signaling pathways that stop inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance. This can help prevent and resolve liver damage such as fatty liver or liver cirrhosis. Some people today drink a few ounces of olive oil on a daily basis as a preventative measure to support healthy liver function.
Listed above are some of the very important scientifically examined benefits of olive oil. But many folks do not need science to know that olive oil is great for them, it is something they can feel. There are also many other benefits not listed above. For example, some people use high quality olive oil to reduce gallstones as part of a liver-gallbladder flush.
Others take it to reduce constipation and, in fact, increased healthy oil consumption was one of the ancient remedies used in Chinese Medicine for constipation. So that you see, extra virgin olive oil is one of the perfect anti-aging foods. It doesn't get any more amazing than that!
If the only time you think of pulling that jar of balsamic out of the cupboard is when it's time to make a salad, you are missing out. This sweet and tangy vinegar is one of my favorite secret ingredients, and I have found all sorts of ways that its presence will liven up my everyday cooking.
To Finish Soups and Sauces: Balsamic and ripe summer tomatoes have a well-known affinity for one another. From that easy summer salad, it is not overly hard to make the leap to tomato-based soups and sauces. I add a splash of balsamic to these dishes at the very end of cooking to make the flavors together.
In Braised Dishes: While balsamic added at the end of cooking adds a splash of brightness, using even a little balsamic as part of the liquid in a braise gives the whole dish a deep, rich, slightly sweet flavor, like this dish for braised French Onion Chicken or this particular one for braised spring radishes. Think of it like wine and add it along with the broth or other liquid utilized f
Reduced into a Syrup: I adore reduced balsamic syrup drizzled over a spoonful of vanilla ice cream. Especially if strawberries are included. If you have a very good old balsamic, then reducing it is often not necessary. But if you are working with a basic balsamic, throw a cup or so in a small saucepan with some sugar. A stick of cinnamon can also be fine. Let it reduce until syrupy, then chill before using.
For Marinating Meat and Tofu: With some sliced shallots and a dollop of mustard, balsamic is just one of my favorite vinegars to utilize for marinating. It's great with steak and other read meats, but I also use it for tofu and large portabella mushrooms.
In Soda and Cocktails: Vinegar-based shrubs are having their day, for certain. Given its candy character, balsamic has a very similar flavor profile and I've used it in substantially the same way. You can dilute balsamic in soda water for a very grown-up fizzy drink -- try this recipe for a Strawberry Balsamic Soda! Additionally cocktails, I enjoy balsamic blended with liquors like bourbon and rye, as in this Fig Old-Fashioned.
There is a good deal of confusion about balsamic vinegar. On the grocery store shelves you will find $3.00 bottles next to $25.00 bottles (often the $3.00 bottles have fancier labels). But, buyer beware! Not all balsamic vinegars are what they appear to be.
Standards adopted and administered by consortia in Modena and Reggio Emilia govern every aspect of how balsamic vinegar is produced and aged. This includes the jar shape and also the foil that covers the cap.
Tasted straight from the jar, there was no competition between supermarket and traditional balsamic vinegars.
Even the finest of the commercial bunch -- although similarly sweet, brown, and viscous -- couldn't compete with the complicated, rich flavor of authentic balsamic vinegar. With notes of honey, fig, raisin, caramel, and wood; a smooth, lingering taste; and an aroma like fine interface, traditional balsamic is good enough to sip like liqueur.
What is balsamic vinegar? Balsamic vinegar is a reduction made from grapes, but it is not considered a wine vinegar because the grape juice used is unfermented. The unfermented white sweet grape juice that is utilized is called has to and stems from the Trebbiano grapes.
You will find a great deal of balsamic vinegars in your local shops. Some are worth their high price and others are not. Often, the less expensive ones may fit your needs just fine. Even though there is really only one"True" balsamic vinegar, there are actually 3 types of balsamic vinegars that you will encounter on your next shopping experience. Determine which type of balsamic vinegar is for you to use in your cooking and different recipes:
Authentic aceto balsamic vinegar comes in 3.4 ounce bottles and sells from $50.00 to $500.00 per bottle. It must be aged a minimum of 10 year. The superior balsamic vinegars are aged 25 to 50 years (these are not to be poured, but used by the drop). Dark in color and syrup in consistency, they have a flavor that is a balance of sweet and sour. Tradizionale has a mellow acidity and a sharp aroma.
Have a look at the seal, list of components, and the cap for clues. Read the label for cooked grape must, the term"tradizionale," and the length of time vinegar has aged.
Follow these helpful clues offered by The Vinegar Institute:
Make sure the consortium seal is over the cap, as well as about the label.
Traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena is only bottled at the distinct bulb-shaped, 100-milliliter jar.
Modena brands use red and silver labels to indicate aging of 12 and 18 years respectively.
A gold cap indicates a minimal age of 20 years.
Look for a bottle that comes in a box with a book containing recipes and a description of the process of manufacture and recipes.
Locate traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena in fine gourmet shops.
Find a Good-Quality, Medium-Priced, Balsamic Vinegar to use in your cooking:
Use a good-quality balsamic vinegar that is usually aged around ten years. Use in recipes calling for larger quantities of balsamic vinegar. This grade of balsamic vinegar is also referred to as salad balsamic (balsamic insalata), which gives you a clue as to how it's used. This is the grade of balsamic vinegar used on your own cooking, such as for a flavorful salad dressing, to flavor enhance soups and stews, and also used as a marinade.
Good-quality balsamic vinegars have brown sugar or caramel added to mimic the sweetness of the besy-quality ones.
If a company creates a"traditional" balsamic vinegar, they will also produce a less expensive, but high quality vinegar as well. This is the same vinegar with the same heritage although not aged as long. You can have confidence in purchasing these balsamic vinegars. CHECK YOUR LABELS!
Until approximately 25 years ago in the late 1970s, true balsamic vinegar Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, as it is called in Italian, was an Italian artisan merchandise relatively unknown outside of Italy.
The same state that brought you such notable artists as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, as part of the Renaissance, also provides a culinary artistry that offers incomparable quality and taste -- the wonderfully adaptable aged balsamic vinegar, aceto balsamico di Modena. Balsamic vinegar can only be created from the regions of Modena and Reggio in Italy.
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale has actually been being made for nearly a thousand years, but never for commercial use. It was a well kept guard family key to the rest of the world and relatively unknown even to other Italians. Instead families could pass it on as an heirloom, give it away in rather small vials to friends, or bequeath it to a daughter as part of her dowry.
The first historical reference to balsamic vinegar dates back to 1046, when a bottle of balsamic vinegar was reportedly given to Emperor Enrico III of Franconia as a gift. From the Middle Ages, it was used as a disinfectant. It also had a reputation as a miracle remedy -- great for everything from sore throats to labor pains.
The production of balsamic vinegar resembles that of wine making. Balsamic vinegar is an aged loss of white candy grapes (Trebbiano for red and Spergola for white sauvignon) that are boiled to a syrup.
The grapes are cooked very slowly in copper cauldrons over an open flame until the water content is reduced by over 50%. The resulting"must" is placed into wooden barrels and an older balsamic vinegar is added to assist in the acetification.
Each year the vinegar is transferred to different wood barrels so that the vinegar can obtain some of the flavors of the different woods. The single approved woods are oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry, a cacia, juniper, and ash. The age of the vinegar is broken up into youthful -- from 3 to 5 years maturation; middle aged 6 to 12 years and the highly prized very old that is at least 12 years and around 150 years old.
