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When speaking of healthy choices, olive oil immediately comes to mind. Olive oil isn’t something that most of us are unaware of, but is it good for you? It's frequently used in recipes for cooking, or if your taste veers towards continental cuisine, you could like to soak some fresh bread in it.
Olive oil has been cherished by people for thousands of years. Hippocrates, the founder of medicine, referred to it as 'the great healer', while Homer described it as 'liquid gold'. All around the globe, people use olive oil as a treasured component.
Up to 30% of an olive is oil. Crushing the fruit produces olive oil, much like the ancient Greeks did.
What Makes Olive Oil Good for You?
Due to its multiple health advantages of olive oil, it has been a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet for millennia. It's one of the oils that's used the most frequently nowadays, and for good reason.
Healthy fats, antioxidants, and other nutrients found in abundance in olive oil can help safeguard against many health issues. We'll go over all the good reasons to start including olive oil in your diet:
1) Contains healthy monosaturated fats
Saturated fats make up about 14% of the oil, while polyunsaturated fats like omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids comprise 11% of it.
Nevertheless, oleic acid, which accounts for 73% of the total oil content, is the main fatty acid present, which makes olive oil good for you. Oleic acid has anti-inflammatory properties as well and may also help in lowering risk of cancer.
Olive oil is a healthy option for cooking, as monounsaturated fats can withstand high heat pretty well.
2) Reduces risk of stroke
It's understandable that many like to find a natural solution to lower their chances of having a stroke, as there are more than 795,000 stroke victims annually in the United States.
It may be a prudent move to use monounsaturated fat sources like olive oil to lower risk of stroke, making olive oil good for you.
3) Improves cognitive abilities
Polyphenols are another reason why olive oil is good for you. The polyphenols in olive oil protect the brain while battling oxidative stress. That's due to the fact that oxidative stress can harm nerve cells, or neurons, which can lead to cognitive loss and pave the way for diseases like Alzheimer's disease.
Oleuropein, which is largely present in olives (as opposed to other foods) and hence, olive oil, is the most prevalent polyphenol in this oil. That's excellent news, as oleuropein's antioxidant characteristics enable it to have a neuroprotective impact, which means it can shield neurons from harm.
4) Reduces risk of osteoporosis
Olive oil probably isn't one of the first substances that come to mind when you think of improving bone health, but it should. Olive polyphenols can boost osteoblast (bone-building cells) production and suppress osteoclast development (bone-dissolving cells).
By preserving bone mass and bone mineral density, the polyphenols in olives and olive oil help prevent osteoporosis and other bone weakness.
5) Good for weight loss
It's opted for weight loss diets, which is another great reason why olive oil good for you.
Using more olive oil in your diet can be a wise choice if you're trying to lose weight. Olive oil is a good source of fat that can make you feel satisfied and full after eating. You may feel less hungry and eat less as a result. Moreover, studies have shown that those who consume more olive oil typically weigh less and are at lower risk of becoming obese than those who consume less.
The aforementioned reasons are what makes olive oil good for you. However, remember that just incorporating olive oil into your regular diet does not constitute a healthy diet. To reap the full health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, you will need to make extra dietary adjustments.
