The oil in the diet
Recent studies on foods and nutritional processes have clarified the reasons why some foods - traditionally used for decades - are still consumed today. Among these, olive oil certainly occupies a place of absolute pre-eminence: precious , complex and inimitable , thanks to its very high qualities it has earned the rightful reputation from nutritionists as a true " elixir of long life ".
The numerous biological properties of this condiment, a protagonist of the Mediterranean table for millennia, make it an indispensable passe-partout for health and a real "food" suitable for the natural needs of a correct, modern and well-balanced diet.
In the current world of nutrition, it is the only fluid fatty (vegetable) substance that is excellent for "raw" use, in sauces and salads, without any danger; indeed, it is precisely the use of raw olive oil that fully enhances its unmistakable characteristics of aroma and flavor.
It is also indispensable in cooked foods of Italian cuisine, because it helps to blend the flavors of the various ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is also recommended for occasional frying of foods, because, even in this high temperature cooking system, it retains a part of its fatty acids (unlike other oils which lose them completely).
It has a well-balanced content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids which ensure easy digestibility and is therefore particularly suitable for the diet of the elderly and for the growth of children.
Not only that, it performs an important energetic function, because it provides approximately 30% of the energy an organism needs daily and keeps the joints "loose".
The caloric intake of Olive Oil is just over 9 calories per gram (about 115 per tablespoon of oil) like any other vegetable oil.
Oleic acid - a monounsaturated fatty acid - is typical of olive oil: it is responsible for the beneficial action of controlling cholesterol levels in the blood.
Its other fatty acids - such as polyunsaturated fats, also called essential fats - are contained in olive oil in optimal proportions.
To keep the body and mind healthy and in perfect shape, in addition to proteins, vitamins, sugars and mineral elements (iron, calcium, phosphorus, etc.) it is necessary to normally ingest other substances that the human body does not know synthesize: here olive oil also responds optimally to this need because it provides the body with antioxidant substances (polyphenols, phytosterols, chlorophyll and carotenoids, which have an important protective action) and other indispensable elements, as it helps to absorb and fix fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as minute quantities of aromatic compounds that give flavor to foods, including fruit and vegetables.
Nutritional research also indicates that olive oil is highly digestible , activates liver function and promotes bile flow , consequently regulating intestinal functions.
To the natural lightness and authenticity, olive oil also adds its proven therapeutic virtues : the habitual consumption of olive juice, in fact, can help not only to prevent colon and breast cancers, but also to prevent diseases. cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, arteriosclerosis, etc.
Olive oil occupies an increasingly important place in the cuisine of countries that are not regular consumers of it precisely because of its "medicinal" and healthy effects. Olive oil, therefore, to rediscover the ancient pleasure of good food, with the added taste and lightness of a healthy and correct diet.