Extra virgin olive oil has many uses and is a great alternitive to other cooking oils Energy Protein Fat, total - saturated Carbohydrate - sugars Sodium Average Qty per Serving 370kj 0.0g 10.0g 1.4g 0.0g 0.0g 0mg Average Qty per 100ml 3700kj 0.0g 100.0g 14.1g 0.0g 0.0g 0mg Health Benefits: The health benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil are legend. I personally am not qualified to give an opinion but I have researched the matter and the following information from the internet is reproduced here for the convenience of visitors to this site. Mediterranean Diet: Most people have heard of the Mediterranean Diet and one of its primary components, olive oil. Olive oil is a natural juice of the olive fruit which preserves the taste, aroma, and vitamins of the fruit. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is, freshly pressed from the fruit. No other naturally produced oil has as large an amount, about 80%, of monounsaturated fat, mainly oleic acid, as olive oil. While all olive oils are sources for monounsaturated fat, extra virgin olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives, contains higher levels of antioxidants, particularly vitamin E and phenols, because it is less processed. Olive oil is clearly one of the good oils. It is tolerated very well by the stomach since it does not upset the critical omega 6 to omega 3 ratio and most of the fatty acids in olive oil are classified as omega 9, monounsaturated oil. Cholesterol and Heart Disease: Saturated Fatty Acids or animal fats have been found to contribute to high cholesterol which in turn contributes to heart disease. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, found in Sunflower and Corn oils have long been promoted as a better alternative. In 1986 it was discovered that there are two types of cholesterol, LDL – Low Density Lipoproteins and HDL – High Density Lipoprotiens. LDL is harmful as it increases with a high intake of saturated fatty acids and deposits cholesterol in tissue and arteries. HDL is good as it eliminates the cholesterol from cells, transports it to the liver and then passes it out through the bile ducts. Studies show that polyunsaturated fats reduce both LDL and HDL. Monounsaturated fats reduce LDL and increase HDL which reduces cholesterol deposits and assists its removal from the body. Gallstones: Olive oil has been found to have beneficial effects on stomach ulcers and gastritis. It activates the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones more naturally than prescribed drugs and thereby lowers the incidence of gallstone formation. Colon Cancer: A Spanish study suggests that olive oil in your diet may offer benefits in terms of colon cancer. Rats fed on a diet supplemented with olive oil had a lower risk of colon cancer than those supplemented with safflower oil. The rats fed olive oil had cancer rates almost as low as those fed on fish oil which several studies have already linked to a reduction in colon cancer risk. Oleocanthal(1): The most important polyohenol in EVOO? Dutch research in 2003 tentatively reported on the sensory properties of the many different types of polyphenols found in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). For years it has been known that the high levels of polyphenols (naturally occurring antioxidants) found in EVOO strongly correlated with the level of bitterness and pepperiness. What was not known was what each of the dozens of individual polyphenols in EVOO contributed to the overall taste of EVOO. The Dutch researchers selected a really bitter and peppery EVOO and extracted the total pool of polyphenols from it. Using solvents they isolated each of the phenolic fractions. A trained taste panel tasted and described each individual phenolic; bitter, bitter, very bitter, a little astringent, peppery as hell, bitter, bitter… The peppery as hell one was tentatively identified as deacetoxy- ligstroside aglycone or p-HPEA-EDA later given the more digestible name, ‘oleocanthal’. The latin translation is oleo=olive, canth=sting and al- the aldehyde chemical group. The sting part refers to the throat catching sensation it causes. A survey of over 250 Italian EVOO’s showed that the average amount of oleocanthal was around 100 milligrams per litre. EVOO’s from elsewhere were found to contain up to 300 milligrams per litre. This is huge for a single phenolic in any food. It is the second most abundant phenolic in EVOO and makes up around a third of the total phenolic content. It is also one of the most powerful antioxidants found in EVOO. The scientists noticed olecanthal’s similarity to the anti inflammatory painkiller Ibuprofen, another pretty pungent number. Studies showed that like Ibuprofen, oleocanthal is a powerful anti-inflamatory. So what does this mean? One of the early stages of coronary heart disease is the inflammation of artery walls following blood macrophages attacking oxidised LDL’s. Naturally occurring anti- inflammatories block this all important step to coronary heart disease. More recently. Oleocanthal was reported to be extremely effective in reducing the oxidative stresses on red blood cells and also suppresses the formation of certain proteins which are thought to coat neuronal connections resulting in Alzheimers and other degenerative neural disorders. So watch out for oleocanthal, this story is still unfolding. Where do we get this product? Extra Virgin Olive oil. No other food has it. Note also that refined oils such as ‘pure’, ‘light’ and ‘olive oil’ do not contain oleocanthal. It, and other phenolics are removed by the refining process. (1)  extracts taken from: R.Gawel (2010) Oleocanthal – The most important polyphenol in EVOO? www.aromadictionary.com home  re olive  shopping cart  about us recipes  health benefits  links  contact us find us  old wise tales