Olive oil contains essential amino acids, squalene, flavonoids, and polyphenols. It also contains a substance known as oleocanthal that has anti-inflammatory properties. Olive oil is also rich in antioxidants. The antioxidants are Omega 9, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. These are all anti-aging agents, which are powerful if consumed regularly. Olive oil can slow the aging process and help maintain a healthy and glowing skin. This article will describe 13 amazing health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Featured picture: Pixabay.
People get olive oil from the fruit Olea europaea (olive). Its tree comes from the Mediterranean Basin. That is a land around the Mediterranean Sea. The land has a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The climate supports Mediterranean forests’ characteristics.
The olive tree is well known for its longevity. It is one of the oldest plants in the world. Sixteen olive trees in Lebanon are known as “The Sisters” or “The Sisters Olive Trees of Noah”. The trees have an estimated age between 5,000 years and 6,000 years old. Those trees still produce olives and are always updating the bark to this day.
Ancient cultures appreciated those olive trees because it’s long-lived. They believe that olive trees contain a certain quality that allows the olive tree to live for thousands of years. They believe that they can send these qualities to people who consume the precious olive oil.
People have been using olive oil for beauty and traditional medicine.Vitamin E in olive oil is very good for skin, eyes, and healthy immune system. Each tablespoon of olive oil provides 1.94 milligrams of vitamin E. That is 13 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). The RDA is 15 milligrams per day for an adult.
The people of Athens asked Democritus, a legendary philosopher in ancient Greek who had lived more than a century, how he maintained his health and longevity. He replied, “Let us bathe our insides in honey and our exteriors in olive oil.”
Since ancient times, doctors have known that olive oil is efficacious in rejuvenating the skin. Hippocrates, Galen, and Diocles praised olive oil. They used it in the medical practices.
• Hippocrates, known as the “father of medicine”. He used olive oil ointment for the skin trauma, skin diseases, and wounds treatments. The Hippocratic Corpus is a collection of medical works associated with Hippocrates. It recorded more than 60 drugs containing olive oil. Most of them are used to cure skin diseases.
• Galen, a Roman physician from the Greek, is the inventor of the cold cream. In the second century AD, he used olive oil, honey and rose water as a moisturizer.
Modern medicines and prescriptions confirm their work. The researchers confirm Democritus, Hippocrates, Diocles, and Galen. They were long-lived and had young and radiant skin as well.
This is the highest grade of olive oil. It has a superior taste and the acidity level is 0.225 percent. This type is very safe to eat. The minerals and vitamins of this type still rely on natural and complete. We can use this extra virgin olive oil in salads, as a dip for bread, or as a condiment.
Picture 2. Vegetables Salad (Pixabay)
2. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO):
It has a fruity taste and may be pale yellow to bright green in color. Acidity level is higher than extra-virgin oil, which is no more than 1.0 percent. The flavor is superior. It is best to use this oil uncooked to appreciate the flavor. We can drink this type of oil or use it as a salad mix.
The third type of olive oil has a good taste. Acidity level is no more than 1.5 percent. The quality is close to extra-virgin oil and the price is less expensive. It is good uncooked.
4. Virgin Olive Oil:
Its acidity must be 2 percent or less. The content of nutrients is likely to be lower compared to three types of olive oil above. It is good for cooking but we can enjoy it uncooked because it has enough flavor.
Picture 4. Virgin Olive Oil (Pixabay)
5. Semifine Virgin Olive Oil:
It has an acidity no higher than 3.3 percent. It is good for cooking but it is not good uncooked because it doesn’t have enough flavor.
Some olive oil is further refined after the first pressing. These types of oils can no longer bear the title “virgin”. We call the current “olive oil” category as “pure olive oil”. This oil is a blend of refined olive oil and a virgin olive oil. It withstands heat well.
7. Refined Olive Oil
When virgin oils are not fit for human consumption, manufacturers send them to a processing plant. There the virgin oils become “refined olive oils”. The virgin oils undergo processing with an agent. It might include heat, chemicals, and or filtration.
Picture 5. Olive Oil Soap (Pixabay)
Out of the seven types of olive oil, extra virgin olive oil is the best for health. The market price is more expensive than other types, but the content is still natural and contains complete multivitamin without chemical mixture.
So, what are the extra virgin olive oil health benefits?
Before reading more, let us watch a video below:
[VIDEO]
Ingredients and extra virgin olive oil health benefits:
We can associate the Mediterranean diet with a variety of health benefits. One of the benefits is a lower incidence of dementia. The consumption of extra-virgin olive oil protects memory and learning ability. It reduces the formation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Those are classic markers of Alzheimer’s disease.
Research has shown that eating monounsaturated fatty acids can help fortify the body from coronary heart disease and stroke due to bad cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes.
They also help increase the production of good cholesterol in the blood. The cholesterol test is one of some important tests that need to be done by women over 40 years old. Read more about medical tests for women over 40 here.
The present systematic review provides evidence of favorable effects of olive oil on type 2 diabetes mellitus risk and parameters of glycemic control. It is especially reported for extra virgin olive oil as an integral part of a Mediterranean diet. This vegetable oil represents a suitable component of a balanced diet.
11. Keep the skin glowing and youthful
Skin aging and the aging of the body relate to the inflammatory process. The best way to keep skin glowing and youthful is to do a healthy diet.
Some studies suggest a protective effect of olive oil consumption for late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the elderly community-dwelling population.
Drinking a tablespoon of olive oil in the morning before eating other foods is not a strange ritual. Many people do that to help lower cholesterol. It also helps to prevent heart disease risk, and maintain healthy skin.
How To Get The Health Benefits of Olive Oil?
There are several things that must be considered in the use of olive oil. Basically, olive oil can be used in accordance with an individual’s needs. Here are the things that must be considered:
Choose the best type of olive oil. EVOO provides the most complete nutrition among other types of olive oil.
For beginners, consume it from a few, eg, 1 teaspoon per day. Then we can add the dose to 1-2 tablespoons. This is to avoid flash effects occurring in the abdomen due to an adjustment phase.
Have you started consuming EVOO every day? What is your experience in consuming EVOO? Please add your comment on the comment column and I will be more than happy reply to your comment.
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45 thoughts on “13 Amazing Extra Virgin Olive Oil Health Benefits”
I grew up eating olives and olive oil, and till this day it’s one of my favorite foods, because they do have many health benefits. When I was young I use to get many ear infections, and my mom use to warm up a little bit of olive oil and she would put it in my infected ear and then place cotton on my ear to prevent the olive oil from running out, and believe or not it was very soothing and it also stopped the ear pain. The thing that intrigued me the most was that there is 16 olive trees today that are over 5,000 years old and still producing. Wow now that’s amazing.
My quest to finding healthy oils in cooking has lead to this article. And it seems like I’ve been using the wrong type of oil all these while. I must say that I don’t use or consume a lot of olive oils, much less know the different grades that are available in the market. So if I understand you correctly, the best oil to use for cooking would be virgin and semi-fine virgin, right? What about deep fry? Thanks for your insights.
EVOO is not suitable for deep frying because of it’s low smoke point. Use unsaturated oils to fry your foods, such as canola, corn, peanut, safflower, soybean or sunflower oil (source:livestrong). Thank you for your question, Cathy.
Really enjoyed this post, it is truly an eye opener for me. I had no idea of all the benefits related to olive oil. I am very keen on natural remedies and the olive really is another gift from mother nature. I’m certainly going to start out by consuming a tablespoon each day and will come back to you and let you know of my experience
I absolutely LOVE dipping bread in olive oil. It’s extra delicious if you mix in some spices like Italian seasoning or, my personal favorite, a mix of spices I get from Carrabba’s italian restaurant. I especially love that it is so good for you as well. I make sure to use extra virgin olive oil that hasn’t been refined, because refined oils can be very bad for you. Not only that, it tastes better, just like you said!
I’ve always be taught to avoid fats of any kind, but it definitely sounds like extra virgin olive oil is a healthy food and is very beneficial in moderate quantities. I have very dry skin and oftentimes I’d feel my skin flaking, perhaps I need to eat more extra virgin olive oil which will help me get healthier glowing skin.
I’ve never actually thought about drinking a spoonful of olive oil and I feel uneasy to try it, does it taste good on it’s own? I always see chefs on TV using extra virgin olive oil and I wondered why they don’t use regular oil, turns out there are so many benefits.
Hi, Kent. It is not easy to drink a spoonful of olive oil, but it is doable, ha ha. I like to feel the sensation on my throat because of the oleocanthal existence. Or we can use it by other ways: dipping bread, on salad, etc.
We use extra virgin olive oil at home and we never which! Though quite expensive than others, it is good for our healthy and we never encountered any issues from it.
I love olive oil and we use it on many things in our household. We love it so much that we buy it in bulk. We love to season it and dip our fresh baked sourdough bread in it. Yum!
I never knew that the olive tree was amongst the oldest trees in the world. That is so interesting to me. 5000 years old. Wow! You are so right. I use olive oil for everything. Beauty, health, cooking. And I find that it works really well with me.
I never knew there are many types of virgin olive oil, and it sure does have lots of health benefits. I would recommend this to my mom to reduce hypertension and as pain reliever. Thanks for sharing!
Haha, you are preaching to the choir here! We cook almost exclusively with olive oil, both for its health benefits and its versatility, and also have several bottles of different types of EVOO around for things like salad dressings and drizzling.
I was looking for something similar to this but not able to find. Lucky me I saw your blog. Good Information about extra virgin olive oil. Looking forward for many more.
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I grew up eating olives and olive oil, and till this day it’s one of my favorite foods, because they do have many health benefits. When I was young I use to get many ear infections, and my mom use to warm up a little bit of olive oil and she would put it in my infected ear and then place cotton on my ear to prevent the olive oil from running out, and believe or not it was very soothing and it also stopped the ear pain. The thing that intrigued me the most was that there is 16 olive trees today that are over 5,000 years old and still producing. Wow now that’s amazing.
Great Article I really enjoyed reading it
-Dora
Hi, Dora. It is amazing, isn’t it? I want to see the trees too when I have the opportunity! Thank you for the encouragement.
My quest to finding healthy oils in cooking has lead to this article. And it seems like I’ve been using the wrong type of oil all these while. I must say that I don’t use or consume a lot of olive oils, much less know the different grades that are available in the market. So if I understand you correctly, the best oil to use for cooking would be virgin and semi-fine virgin, right? What about deep fry? Thanks for your insights.
EVOO is not suitable for deep frying because of it’s low smoke point. Use unsaturated oils to fry your foods, such as canola, corn, peanut, safflower, soybean or sunflower oil (source:livestrong). Thank you for your question, Cathy.
Hello there
Really enjoyed this post, it is truly an eye opener for me. I had no idea of all the benefits related to olive oil. I am very keen on natural remedies and the olive really is another gift from mother nature. I’m certainly going to start out by consuming a tablespoon each day and will come back to you and let you know of my experience
Thanks so much
Hi, Paul. I look forward to your experience sharing. Thank you for the comment.
I absolutely LOVE dipping bread in olive oil. It’s extra delicious if you mix in some spices like Italian seasoning or, my personal favorite, a mix of spices I get from Carrabba’s italian restaurant. I especially love that it is so good for you as well. I make sure to use extra virgin olive oil that hasn’t been refined, because refined oils can be very bad for you. Not only that, it tastes better, just like you said!
Hi, Mariah. That is a great 💡 idea. I will try to mix it with the 🍕 pizza or 🍝 spagheti sauce. Thank you very much.
I’ve always be taught to avoid fats of any kind, but it definitely sounds like extra virgin olive oil is a healthy food and is very beneficial in moderate quantities. I have very dry skin and oftentimes I’d feel my skin flaking, perhaps I need to eat more extra virgin olive oil which will help me get healthier glowing skin.
I’ve never actually thought about drinking a spoonful of olive oil and I feel uneasy to try it, does it taste good on it’s own? I always see chefs on TV using extra virgin olive oil and I wondered why they don’t use regular oil, turns out there are so many benefits.
Hi, Kent. It is not easy to drink a spoonful of olive oil, but it is doable, ha ha. I like to feel the sensation on my throat because of the oleocanthal existence. Or we can use it by other ways: dipping bread, on salad, etc.
I never knew all of the benefits of extra virgin oil, especially the healthy gut! I need to add more into my diet.
Hi, Hollie. Consuming enough extra virgin olive oil is good for our health.
I love olive oil! This is truly a super hero food! I have noticed it has come down in price over the last few years too!
Really? Great info about the price. Thank you for sharing it.
I had no idea of all of the amazing health benefits to using this. I’ll definitely be using it more now though, thanks for sharing!
I used to drink one-two tablespoon EVOO in the morning after I know the health benefits. I noticed that my skin become smoother and I love it.
I love that you broke down the different types of olive oil! That always confused me!
Glad you like it. So we can pick the one suitable for what we need.
We use extra virgin olive oil at home and we never which! Though quite expensive than others, it is good for our healthy and we never encountered any issues from it.
I love olive oil for cooking. Need to try some of these beauty suggestions!
Yes, I recommend you to drink one-two tablespoon every day. It is great for our health and skin.
What an amazing and informative post. We, at our house, love olive oil and use it on just about everything.
Glad you like it. Olive oil is a great healer.
I think I didn’t seal mine right. It had mold under the rim. I have been using OO for years and that’s never happened.
OMG. Better you don’t consume it anymore.
Always been a fan of Olive OIl and my favorite is the virgin oil! Yes to health indeed!
I love olive oil too, Mary. We need the good health to enjoy life to the fullest.
I have tried taking a teaspoon of Virgin Olive Oil. And result was amazing. It regulated my bowel. I just find it hard to swallow, as it is an oil.
Yes, me too. But I remember the health benefits, so …..just do it, ha ha ..
I love olive oil and we use it on many things in our household. We love it so much that we buy it in bulk. We love to season it and dip our fresh baked sourdough bread in it. Yum!
My teenager daughter use it as a face cleanser. I used to drink it two tablespoon in the morning.
Olive is another super hero of food I rely on. But I never knew it give pain relief.
That is why olive called the healer.
I never knew that the olive tree was amongst the oldest trees in the world. That is so interesting to me. 5000 years old. Wow! You are so right. I use olive oil for everything. Beauty, health, cooking. And I find that it works really well with me.
I used to drink it in the morning. I hope I can get the longevity, ha ha
I never knew there are many types of virgin olive oil, and it sure does have lots of health benefits. I would recommend this to my mom to reduce hypertension and as pain reliever. Thanks for sharing!
I have the hypertension gen too. EVOO help me to manage my blood pressure.
So cool, I didn’t know this much about olive oil. I’m going to use it more often now!
Hi, Amber. Be careful not to overuse it. Moderation is the best.
It is amazing how good olive oil is for you. I cook with it and eat lots of olives.
Hi, Tara. I love consuming olives too. Thank you for your comment.
Haha, you are preaching to the choir here! We cook almost exclusively with olive oil, both for its health benefits and its versatility, and also have several bottles of different types of EVOO around for things like salad dressings and drizzling.
Hi, great to meet an EVOO lover. I can see that you have the great health and skin from your picture. Thank you for the confirmation.
I was looking for something similar to this but not able to find. Lucky me I saw your blog. Good Information about extra virgin olive oil. Looking forward for many more.
Hi, Sundeep. Glad you like it. Thank you for your comment.