First, a simple request: go to your kitchen now, throw all the butter, margarine and corn and safflower oils in a large bag, and lift it up in the yard of your annoying neighbor. We will wait here until you return.
Olive oil is even better in your body than it is smeared all over it
The. You are already in better health and you have put an enemy in danger.
Well. Now give up those rejected fats and devote yourself to olive oil, just like Popeye. Olive oil tastes better than the glop you just dumped, and it can lower bad cholesterol, clean your arteries and cut your waist. And "extra virgin" sounds much sexier than "oleomargarine".
Know your virgins
You are probably thinking about virgins: you are or you are not. This is true with high school girls but not with olive oils, which must be extra virgin to be reliable and virtuous. By some industry standards, the extras must have less than 1% acidity; virgins, less than 3 or 4 percent. And the extras and virgins will only be treated mechanically or physically, or "cold pressed", in order to maintain their olive integrity. "Blank" on the label also means that the manufacturers did not cut the product with chemically treated oils - or 10W-40.
Put him to bed properly
Store unopened bottles like wine: at a cool temperature in a dark cupboard or closet; who should keep these buff antioxidants for at least a year. (But just in case, also check the expiration date.) Once opened, the olive oil will last up to 3 months if you give it the Martha Stewart treatment: cool, dry and dark.
Jiffy lubricates your blood vessels
According to researchers at the University of Barcelona, adults who consumed 5 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil daily for a week not only reduced their (bad) LDL cholesterol (but also showed less oxidation LDL (which makes it really tough to cook, hardens the arteries, heart cholesterol), thanks to higher blood levels of antioxidants in olive oil.
The virgin diet
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital rounded up 101 fat people, but not to make fun of them. Half of them follow a low-fat diet (20% of calories from fat). The other half happier: moderate fats (35 percent of calories from fat), including daily servings of nuts and olive oil. As a result, both groups lost about the same amount of weight, but people who ate more good fats kept it longer than low-fat fats.
Marshall Goldberg, M.D., endocrinologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, tells his patients to take 2 teaspoons of extra virgin 20 minutes before a meal to make them feel full and eat less. Dip a good crispbread in a dish of O.O. A few dips should give you the 2 teaspoons you need.
Some squirt on a squeaky joint
A diet rich in olive oil reduces your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, says a team of researchers from Harvard University and the University of Athens. People who consumed the least olive oil had a 2 1/2 times higher risk of developing the disease than those who consumed the most.
We'll get to the bottom of it
Olive oil seems to have a protective effect against cancers of the colon and rectum, according to a British study. A diet rich in meat was associated with an increased incidence of these cancers, while a diet rich in olive oil was associated with a reduced incidence.
Other fun things you can do with olive oil
- Wipe gardening tools with a light coat of olive oil before storing them. Prevents rust.
- Olive oil soothes squeaky hinges and lubricates the hamster exercise wheel.
- Olive oil is a perfect massage oil. Call it your lover appassionata, then water it.