Health care use of olive oil
Drink 8 ml-16 ml on an empty stomach every morning, or take it together with milk, yogurt, honey and juice. Note: Olive cooking oil, pomace, low purity and low quality olive oil are not suitable for oral administration.
Do you know that during the 10 days when the Spanish Real Madrid football team, which has the most luxurious lineup in the world, visited China, almost all their dishes were made of olive oil? Cooking oil or blended oil, which is often used by domestic chefs, was rejected by Real Madrid on the grounds that "long-term use will easily lead to weight gain of players and be harmful to health". (See the article "Life with Real Madrid" in the 74th issue of Football Weekly in August 2003)
Most people in China are still unfamiliar with olive oil. Most people only know to eat olive fruit as a snack, or know that bodybuilders will put olive oil on their bodies during competitions, and may even know olive vegetables. Since the Athens Olympic Games, people in China have improved their knowledge of olive trees and olive oil, but they still don't know much about what olive oil is, what it is used for, how to eat it and how to identify good olive oil. This website will give you a detailed introduction.
What is olive oil?
Olive oil has a history of thousands of years in Mediterranean countries. It is known as "liquid gold", "queen of vegetable oil" and "Mediterranean nectar" in the west because of its excellent natural health care effect, beauty effect and ideal cooking use. Edible high-grade olive oil is a natural fruit oil juice extracted from fresh or mature olives by physical cold pressing process. It is the only woody plant oil in the world that is eaten by people in a natural state. It originated in the coastal countries of China. Humans have been cultivated for thousands of years. According to statistics, in the Bible, "olives"-that is, "olives"-appeared more than 200 times.
Olive is a famous tree species with a long history in the world. In plant taxonomy, olive belongs to Oleaceae, Oleaceae and small evergreen trees. The Mediterranean coast has the most suitable climatic conditions such as soil and temperature, sunshine, air humidity and precipitation. Except the Mediterranean coast, other areas can only be planted sporadically in suitable areas. Olive is a long-lived tree, which begins to bear fruit after 4-5 years of planting, and the full fruit period can be as long as 50 years to 100 years. The fruit is drupe and looks like jujube. Every year from March to June, it is the time for olive trees to blossom and set fruit, and 7- 10 fruits begin to mature and turn green. The physical characteristics of olive fruit and the chemical composition of its pulp vary with varieties, maturity, geographical environment, soil texture and planting methods. For example, olive oil produced in Crete, Greece, has the best quality because of its unique geographical environment and climatic conditions.
The countries with the highest output of olive oil in the world are Spain and Italy, and the countries with the best quality of olive oil are Greece, especially the olive oil in Crete, Greece. At present, the annual output of olive oil in the world is only about 2.3 million tons, while the annual output of herbal oils such as peanut oil and soybean oil in China has exceeded170,000 tons. Olive oil has become a scarce resource in the world because of its large output and excellent nutrients.
Nutritional components of olive oil
1 olive oil contains 65.8-84.9% monounsaturated fatty acids. In addition to providing a lot of heat energy for human body, it can also adjust the ratio of high density lipoprotein cholesterol to low density lipoprotein cholesterol in human plasma. After eating olive oil, it can increase the equilibrium concentration of high density lipoprotein HDL (good cholesterol) in human body and ensure the demand for cholesterol in human body. It can also reduce the concentration of low density lipoprotein LDL (bad cholesterol) in plasma and prevent excessive cholesterol in the human body.
Olive oil contains about 3.5-22% polyunsaturated fatty acids, which can be divided into ω-3 fatty acids (mainly linolenic acid) and ω-6 fatty acids (mainly linoleic acid). These are essential fatty acids that the human body cannot synthesize by itself. So it is also called essential fatty acid. According to decades of research on essential fatty acids in the world medical field, when the ratio of ω-3 fatty acids to ω-6 fatty acids is 1: 4, it is difficult for various diseases to invade the human body. The proportion of essential fatty acids contained in olive oil is exactly 1: 4, which is similar to human milk.
Olive oil is rich in trace elements such as squalene, flavonoids and polyphenols, which can enhance human immunity and delay aging.
0.03 to 0.36 mg per100g? -Carotene 65438+ vitamin E 0.2-43 mg, vitamins A, D, F, K and other fat-soluble vitamins are essential nutrients for human organs. Therefore, today's medical community recognizes olive oil as one of the healthiest edible oils. The United States, Germany and other western countries have already included olive oil in the Pharmacopoeia.
Olive oil and health care
Usage of olive oil for health care: drink 8ml- 16ml on an empty stomach every morning. Or add milk, yogurt, honey and fruit juice to take together.
The results of scientific investigation show that many health indexes of residents along the Mediterranean coast are among the highest in the world because of long-term consumption of olive oil. Using olive oil as edible oil can form a truly healthy and reasonable dietary structure. The Mediterranean has become the region with the lowest incidence of three major diseases (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cancer and Alzheimer's disease) in the world; The incidence of Crete, Greece, which is rich in primary olive oil, is almost zero; These are all due to the magical health effects of olive oil.
According to the data of international olive oil council (Note 4) and the European Union (Note 5), the health benefits of olive oil are as follows:
1 Promote blood circulation: Olive oil can prevent arteriosclerosis and its complications, hypertension, heart disease, heart failure, renal failure and cerebral hemorrhage. In the book Omega Health and Simple Longevity Plan written by Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, it is mentioned that omega -6 fatty acids in edible oil will make arteries contract, forcing the heart to work overtime, leading to high blood pressure. Omega-3 fatty acids in olive oil can increase the content of nitric oxide (an important chemical) and relax your arteries, thus preventing arterial injury caused by high blood pressure. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids can also prevent thrombosis from two aspects. First of all, it can reduce the viscosity of platelets, so that platelets and fibrinogen are not easily entangled; Secondly, omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the amount of fibrinogen and greatly reduce the probability of thrombosis.
2 Improve the function of digestive system: Olive oil contains unsaturated fatty acids higher than any vegetable oil, rich in fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, F and K, carotene, antioxidants and other components, and contains no cholesterol, so the human body's digestion and absorption rate is extremely high. Has the effects of reducing gastric acid and preventing gastritis and duodenal ulcer. It can also stimulate bile secretion, increase pancreatic enzyme activity, degrade oil, and be absorbed by intestinal mucosa, thus reducing the occurrence of cholecystitis and gallstones.
3 Protect the skin: Olive oil is rich in squalene and essential fatty acids, which has excellent affinity for the skin, can be absorbed quickly, and effectively keep the skin elastic and moist; Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamins E, K, A, D and phenolic antioxidants, which can eliminate facial wrinkles, prevent skin aging, protect hair and prevent chapped hands and feet. It is an edible beauty and skin care product. In addition, applying olive oil to the skin can resist ultraviolet rays and prevent skin cancer.
4 improve the function of endocrine system: olive oil can improve the metabolic function of the body. This is because olive oil contains more than 80% monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids, and DHA in omega-3 fatty acids can increase insulin sensitivity. The higher the content of unsaturated fatty acids in cell membrane, the more double bonds and the stronger the activity. DHA with six double bonds is the most unsaturated fatty acid, which makes the cell membrane the most active. The more insulin receptors on the cell membrane with strong activity, the more sensitive it is to insulin. When the human body ingests a proper proportion of fatty acids, the metabolism will be more normal, and the probability of obesity and diabetes will be reduced. The latest research results show that the glucose content of healthy people can be reduced by 12% after eating olive oil. Therefore, olive oil has become the best edible oil to prevent and treat diabetes.
5 Benefits to the skeletal system: Natural antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in olive oil help the human body absorb minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and zinc, and promote bone growth. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids help to maintain bone density and reduce osteoporosis caused by free radicals (highly active molecules).
6 Anti-cancer effect: Because olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids in polyunsaturated fatty acids can reduce the amount of linoleic acid extracted from blood by cancer and make cancer quit a very needed nutrient. ω-3 fatty acids can also compete with ω-6 fatty acids for enzymes needed for cancer metabolism, which makes the cell membrane of cancer cells more unsaturated and easy to be destroyed, thus inhibiting the growth of tumor cells and reducing the incidence of cancer. Therefore, some cancers (breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and uterine cancer) can be prevented. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids (polyunsaturated fatty acids) can also increase the curative effect of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and kill cells by the explosion of free radicals (highly active molecules). When the cell membrane is damaged enough, cancer cells will destroy themselves. Omega-3 fatty acids make the cell membrane more vulnerable to free radicals, thus increasing the efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Radiation protection: Because olive oil contains polyphenols and lipopolysaccharide, it also has radiation protection function, so olive oil is often used to make astronaut food. People who often use computers think it is a good product for health care and skin care.
Making baby food: In terms of composition and digestibility, olive oil is the most suitable oil for babies. Half of the baby's calories come from the fat in the mother's milk. After weaning, the required calories will be obtained through the fat in the diet. The ratio of linolenic acid to linoleic acid in virgin olive oil is similar to that in breast milk, which is easy to absorb and can promote the growth and development of baby's nerves and bones. It is an excellent nutritional product and fetal growth agent for pregnant women, and also a good tonic for postpartum and lactation.
Anti-aging: among the many components of olive oil, carotene and chlorophyll give olive oil yellow-green, while chlorophyll plays a metabolic role, promoting cell growth and accelerating wound healing. It also helps to beautify people's appearance and reduce wrinkles. Experiments show that antioxidants contained in olive oil can eliminate free radicals in the body, restore the health of human organs, prevent brain aging and prolong life.
10 prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: olive oil can protect the cardiovascular system in many ways. ① By reducing homocysteine (an amino acid that can damage the coronary artery wall), inflammation can be prevented and the damage to the arterial wall can be reduced. ② Relaxing arteries and lowering blood pressure by increasing the content of nitric oxide in the body. ③ Monounsaturated fatty acids in virgin olive oil can reduce the oxidation of LDA cholesterol. ④ Olive oil contains a substance called squalene, which can increase the content of HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease the content of LDL (bad cholesterol). The more HDL cholesterol in the body, the less oxidized LDL cholesterol in the arteries. The latest research proves that. After middle-aged men took virgin olive oil, the average cholesterol decreased by 13%, and the dangerous "bad" cholesterol decreased by 2 1%. ⑤ Olive oil can reduce the speed of thrombosis by increasing the content of omega-3 fatty acids in the body.
The World Health Organization's investigation and statistics on the mortality rate of coronary heart disease per 65,438+10,000 people in 7 countries and regions.
Greek traditional medicine believes that olive oil has aphrodisiac effect. Many olive oil producing areas in Greece are popular with the saying that "eat olive oil at night, eat butter and sleep well". In Crete, olive oil, especially olive oil from wild olive trees, is considered to be more aphrodisiac. Therefore, in Greek folk weddings, newlyweds should eat bread dipped in the new olive oil produced this year. Translated from: Greek "The Secret of Health: Olive Oil"
Therefore, olive oil is suitable for people of all ages:
For infants and young children: olive oil helps to balance metabolism and promote the development of children's nervous system, bones and brain.
For adults: it helps to prevent diseases such as arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and digestive system disorders.
For the elderly: olive oil has a good preventive effect on osteoporosis. It can slow down the decline of cell membrane, thus delaying aging.
For women, olive oil contains a variety of nutrients and is very powerful for the skin. It is a safe and reliable beauty product, known as the "beauty oil" in the west.
Wine and olive oil are a perfect match. Please check: /Article_Page.aspx? articleid=4406
Note 4: Please refer to official website, international olive oil council: m/agriculture/prom/olive/medinfo/index.htm.