We tell clients Olive Oil is the magic sauce
It is literally a gift from the universe in the sense that it actually upgrades the bioavailability of the other good foods you eat. In other words you could steam broccoli or you could sauté broccoli in EVOO. The sautéed broccoli will render more of its polyphenols than the steamed. The fats in EVOO act as a transport system for the polyphenols in the other foods you eat. Whereas the polyphenols in vegetables are water soluble consequently you end up pouring most of the nutrients down the drain when you steam or boil. Why are polyphenols important well they act like antioxidants reducing oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals.
“Oleocanthal”
In addition to hundreds of polyphenols that are in EVOO the phenolic compound known as “oleocanthal” that derives its name from the Latin oleo=olive and canth”=sting and “al” from the fact that the phenolic is in the aldehyde chemical group. Basically describing the bitter spicy flavor of better Olive Oils. There is a lot of oleocanthal in EVOO in fact it makes up about a third of the polyphenol component of EVOO. It has very strong anti-inflammatory properties and inflammation is the major cause off most chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other neural disorders to name a few. It is a good idea to consume 3 Tbs. a day either on its own or in the food you eat.
It’a just like salt and pepper
Just so you know the bitterness may not appeal to you when you taste Olive Oil on its own because the better oils usually have a strong bitter and pepper component (that is the oleocanthal). However when you put it on food it’s like salt and pepper or any other condiment you might use and it improves the flavor of whatever you are eating. It is even good drizzled on vanilla ice cream with a crunchy sea salt and toasted almonds.
Americans don’t consume enoug EVOO
Europeans consume about 16 Liters of EVOO a year where as in the US individuals consume on average about 1 liter per year. On top of that most of the EVOO that Americans consume, about 70%, isn’t even olive oil according to European standards. So we have a long way to go in order to catch up. Pour it on everything and learn to cook with it. A lot of folks are confused about it’s smoke point. If you are using fresh EVOO like you’ll find on this site with a decent polyphenol count the smoke point is actually 425º. That’s way more than a good sizzle!
New science on how to reduce Oxidative Stress
Believe it or not these are a concepts that are so new hardly anyone knows about it. Leading researchers in health science are just now coming to grips with its overall importance to good health! It is a scientific fact that you can’t eat enough phenolic compound rich foods to deal with oxidative stress. Vitamins, antioxidant supplements and recovery drinks are largely useless and in many cases actually detrimental to your health. A better plan it to eat higher quality foods and be sure to include Nrf2 activators in your diet.
