I was surfing on the web looking for information on the processing of Olive Oil and found this which I found quite interesting about olive oil from http://www.napoleon-co.com
Chuck
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Some of the benefits of using Olive Oil
Olive oil is enriched with vitamins, A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E and K, and is strong in iron. Olive oil, which offers benefits to the digestive system, does not necessarily keep you thin - it contains just as many calories as other oils...namely, 115 - 125 per tablespoon.
Olive oil acts as a light laxative, and is a friend to the intestine - and an enemy of ulcers, and gastritis. Olive oil is a good tonic, with specific influence for people suffering from heart disease.
Olive oil has been regarded as the "beauty oil" - more than skin deep - the body's sells incorporate the valuable fatty acids from the oil, making arteries more supple, and skin more lustrous.
The amount of oleic acid in olive oil is about the same as that found in mother's milk. Drunk before a meal, olive oil protects the stomach from ulcers. If a spoon or two is taken with lemon or coffee, it prevents constipation without irritating the intestinal tract. It is also effective in treating urinary tract infections and gall bladder problems. It is a perfect remedy for gastritis in children, hastens brain development and strengthens the bones. Olive oil dissolves clots in capillaries, has been found to lower the degree of absorption of edible fats, and consequently slows down the aging process.
Olive oil enjoys anti-anemic, diuretic, emollient, and hypoglycemizing properties. Only animal-derived foods contain cholesterol. Plant foods are cholesterol-free. Olive oil, then, is cholesterol-free.
Cholesterol is not all bad - it is an essential building block for cell-membranes, nerve fiber coverings, vitamin D, and sex hormones. The trouble is, the body manufactures all the cholesterol it needs, so any cholesterol in foods we eat, results in an excess. Excess cholesterol causes a gradual accumulation of fatty deposits and connective tissue, known as plaque, along the walls of blood vessels. Eventually, plaque builds up, narrows the arteries, and reduces blood flow - increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver. In order to circulate through the bloodstream, it is "packaged" in fatty-protein wrappings called "lipoproteins". The low density lipoproteins (LDL) distribute cholesterol throughout the body, dropping it off, where needed. The liver also packages another type of cholesterol called high density lipoproteins (HDL), which picks-up circulating cholesterol and returns it to the liver for reprocessing, or excretion.
The LDL's are the ones that build up the walls of the arteries, and so are tagged "bad" cholesterol.Polyunsaturated oils lower LDL ("bad") and HDL ("good") levels. Cholesterol is not the issue here - the problem is polyunsaturated oil itself, the use of which has tripled in the American diet since 1900.
Monounsaturated oils (such as olive oil), lower only LDL cholesterol, leaving HDL to help clean out arteries. Olive oil, then, has become the "guilt-free" fat. All fats provide 9 calories per gram, which make them the highest energy producing nutrient in our food supply. We see in a 250 ml (1 tablespoon) serving size of olive oil: 14 grams of fat - which can be broken down into...2 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 10 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 2 grams of saturated fat, with 0 grams cholesterol.
Olive oil has 120 calories per tablespoon (9 calories per gram of oil), which is the same as all cooking/salad oils. But, because of its greater aroma/flavor, you may use less olive oil when cooking, thus cutting fat calories even further.
The FDA recommends you limit all kinds of fat to 6 teaspoons a day for women, 9 for men. The FDA encourages consumers to use natural liquid oils like olive which contains no trans fatty acids, and cook in oils high in healthy monounsaturated fatty acid.
http://www.napoleon-co.com/consumers/oo_health.htm
The North American Olive Oil Association offers a handy conversion guide to use. To use olive oil in baking, substitute a mild or light flavor. For all vegetable oils, follow this conversion chart:
1 teaspoon butter
¾ teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 ¼ teaspoons oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons oil
¼ cup butter
3 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup butter
¼ cup oil
½ cup butter
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons oil
2/3 cup butter
½ cup oil
¾ cup butter
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
1 cup butter
¾ cup oil
Chuck
************************************************************
Some of the benefits of using Olive Oil
Olive oil is enriched with vitamins, A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E and K, and is strong in iron. Olive oil, which offers benefits to the digestive system, does not necessarily keep you thin - it contains just as many calories as other oils...namely, 115 - 125 per tablespoon.
Olive oil acts as a light laxative, and is a friend to the intestine - and an enemy of ulcers, and gastritis. Olive oil is a good tonic, with specific influence for people suffering from heart disease.
Olive oil has been regarded as the "beauty oil" - more than skin deep - the body's sells incorporate the valuable fatty acids from the oil, making arteries more supple, and skin more lustrous.
The amount of oleic acid in olive oil is about the same as that found in mother's milk. Drunk before a meal, olive oil protects the stomach from ulcers. If a spoon or two is taken with lemon or coffee, it prevents constipation without irritating the intestinal tract. It is also effective in treating urinary tract infections and gall bladder problems. It is a perfect remedy for gastritis in children, hastens brain development and strengthens the bones. Olive oil dissolves clots in capillaries, has been found to lower the degree of absorption of edible fats, and consequently slows down the aging process.
Olive oil enjoys anti-anemic, diuretic, emollient, and hypoglycemizing properties. Only animal-derived foods contain cholesterol. Plant foods are cholesterol-free. Olive oil, then, is cholesterol-free.
Cholesterol is not all bad - it is an essential building block for cell-membranes, nerve fiber coverings, vitamin D, and sex hormones. The trouble is, the body manufactures all the cholesterol it needs, so any cholesterol in foods we eat, results in an excess. Excess cholesterol causes a gradual accumulation of fatty deposits and connective tissue, known as plaque, along the walls of blood vessels. Eventually, plaque builds up, narrows the arteries, and reduces blood flow - increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver. In order to circulate through the bloodstream, it is "packaged" in fatty-protein wrappings called "lipoproteins". The low density lipoproteins (LDL) distribute cholesterol throughout the body, dropping it off, where needed. The liver also packages another type of cholesterol called high density lipoproteins (HDL), which picks-up circulating cholesterol and returns it to the liver for reprocessing, or excretion.
The LDL's are the ones that build up the walls of the arteries, and so are tagged "bad" cholesterol.Polyunsaturated oils lower LDL ("bad") and HDL ("good") levels. Cholesterol is not the issue here - the problem is polyunsaturated oil itself, the use of which has tripled in the American diet since 1900.
Monounsaturated oils (such as olive oil), lower only LDL cholesterol, leaving HDL to help clean out arteries. Olive oil, then, has become the "guilt-free" fat. All fats provide 9 calories per gram, which make them the highest energy producing nutrient in our food supply. We see in a 250 ml (1 tablespoon) serving size of olive oil: 14 grams of fat - which can be broken down into...2 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 10 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 2 grams of saturated fat, with 0 grams cholesterol.
Olive oil has 120 calories per tablespoon (9 calories per gram of oil), which is the same as all cooking/salad oils. But, because of its greater aroma/flavor, you may use less olive oil when cooking, thus cutting fat calories even further.
The FDA recommends you limit all kinds of fat to 6 teaspoons a day for women, 9 for men. The FDA encourages consumers to use natural liquid oils like olive which contains no trans fatty acids, and cook in oils high in healthy monounsaturated fatty acid.
http://www.napoleon-co.com/consumers/oo_health.htm
The North American Olive Oil Association offers a handy conversion guide to use. To use olive oil in baking, substitute a mild or light flavor. For all vegetable oils, follow this conversion chart:
1 teaspoon butter
¾ teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 ¼ teaspoons oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons oil
¼ cup butter
3 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup butter
¼ cup oil
½ cup butter
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons oil
2/3 cup butter
½ cup oil
¾ cup butter
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon oil
1 cup butter
¾ cup oil