Olive Oil

hat better food for me to feature for the new year than one you should be eating several times a day? That’s right, I want you to consume olive oil several times a day to reap its vital benefits.

Olive oil is one of the healthiest oils we can eat due to its optimal ratio of fats: it contains mostly monounsaturated fat, with a little saturated fat and only a tiny bit of polyunsaturated fat. The oil has been widely studied since it is a major component of the Mediterranean diet. It was initially believed that all of the oil’s health benefits were due to its fatty acid profile, but now we understand that the antioxidants that occur naturally in the oil are also a major source of protection. Olive oil is rich in phytonutrients, which are believed to protect the heart and brain, lower blood pressure, reduce cancer risk and quell inflammation. Polyphenol phytonutrients in olive oil, such as tyrosol esters and rutin, act as potent antioxidants in our bodies that help protect cells against injury due to oxidation of LDL cholesterol. One specific type of tyrosol ester called oleocanthal acts as an aspirin-like anti-inflammatory to help protect against heart attacks, strokes, certain cancers and alzheimer’s disease. Other polyphenols in olive oil may help prevent free-radical oxidation, as well as lower triglycerides and raise HDL choleserol. Caffeic acid present in olive oil is a potent antioxidant that may inhibit cancer tumor growth and chronic inflammation

Olive oil, like all other oils, has 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. It also offers 8% of the Daily Value for vitamin E, another important antioxidant that appears to help prevent blood clots and protect against heart disease.

All of the aforementioned plant nutrients are found in their highest concentrations in extra virgin first cold-pressed olive oil. Some of the nutrients may be found in smaller quantities, if at all, in more refined olive oils, such as virgin, light, fino, pure and extra virgin oil that is not first cold pressed. (A good way to tell if an oil has retained its protective antioxidants is to taste it and see if it stings the back of your throat a little—that’s the oleocanthal.) The “first press” refers to the first pressing of the olives that results in a low acid oil (less than 1%) that meets the standards for acidity that are required for an oil to be considered extra virgin. “Cold pressing” is important because it refers to a simple chemical-free process of extraction that involves only pressure. Other processes that extract the oil often involve heat and/or chemicals that alter the structure and nutritional profile of the oil. Therefore, it is essential to use only the highest grade of extra virgin first cold-pressed olive oil. I also recommend that you choose organic oils, since organic olive oil is made from olives that are grown without the use of pesticides (pesticide residues often find their way into conventionally grown foods).

Since pesticides are usually fat soluble, meaning they travel in fat, it’s a good idea to make sure all of your fats and oils are organic. Let color and flavor be your guide, too – the deeper colored and more flavorful oils tend to have more antioxidants. Store olive oil in a cool dark place like the pantry for up to six months or in the refrigerator for up to a year (you’ll need to bring it to room temperature before you can use it). Never store it near a stove or oven or in direct sunlight. If your oil smells or tastes like paint thinner, do not use it—rancid oils are carcinogenic.

As I mentioned earlier, olive oil is an essential food in the Mediterranean Diet. It even has its own food group on the heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, which recommends that you eat olive oil daily and liberally. It should be the main source of fat in your diet, replacing butter, margarine, lard, partially hydrogenated oils, fatty meats and deep-fried foods. Use olive oil at home for cooking, as a dip for bread, and as a salad dressing. You should never use high heat when cooking with olive oil, so keep your burner on “medium” heat or lower so that the oil doesn’t smoke and turn rancid. Most restaurants stock olive oil, so you can request it be used to cook your food when you’re eating out. This month, try my recipes for Sautéed Escarole and Long-Life Salmon.

Maximizing Absorption

lot of the healthful nutrients that vegetables and fruit have to offer are fat soluble, meaning they are carried from food to your body and then transported and saved in your body by fat. Since most produce is very low in fat, you could potentially be missing out on the nutritional benefit of eating nutrient-rich foods if you’re not adding fat to them. Fat-soluble nutrients include many phytonutrients, such as the carotenoids beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene, as well as vitamins A, D, E and K.

Researchers have repeatedly found that eating some fat with fat-free produce (as in combining avocado with fresh salsa, olive oil with salads, or nuts with fresh fruit) can increase an otherwise negligible nutrient absorption several fold. Most recently, researchers tested the absorption of nutrients from a salad of romaine, spinach and carrots with fat-free dressing, and the subjects were found to have absorbed virtually none of the fat-soluble nutrients. Next, the researchers added avocado (a source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat) to the salad, and the subjects absorbed seven times more lutein and 18 times more beta carotene than they had from eating the fat-free salad.

I’m an advocate of eating balanced meals, meaning that each meal should include some lean protein, some starchy vegetable or intact whole-grain carbohydrate, and some healthful fat (such as nuts, olive oil, avocado and fish). This practice is a wholesome way to make sure that you meet all of your nutritional needs—after all, you are what you absorb.