" Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food "
Hippokrates 460-360 v. Chr
Nowadays consumers pay much attention to the food they buy because the health effects can vary accordingly. Olive oil contains a number of ingredients that are very beneficial for most functions of the human body.
Specifically:
It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids: 60-80% oleic acid
It is very low in saturated fatty acids ~ 14%
It contains about 10% of the necessary daily amount of vitamin E in each tablespoon.
It is rich in squalene, which actively regulates the metabolism
It contains sterols which block the absorption of cholesterol and lower its level in blood
It is digested by the body by 98% while the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins is significant
It has been demonstrated that only the fat in breast milk is digested at a greater rate than olive oil
It has a high content of natural antioxidants and nutrients (e.g. polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, etc.). The phenols are used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic medicine.
Antioxidants protect from free radical formation.These antioxidants are found only in virgin and extra virgin olive oil.
"Reading" taste and quality on the bottle...
Olive oil,to be designated as extra virgin, it must meet the following four prerequisites:
Organoleptic Sensory evaluation