Digging For Liquid Gold in Southern Italy: Olive Oil

The next time you visit Southern Italy,don`t forget to purchase some extra-virgin oil as this is the land of extra-virgin oil. Olive Oil Tours in Lecce Puglia Southern Italy are memorable experiences as you get an opportunity to taste the finest extra-virgin olive oil here. Olive oil is obtained from the olive (Olea europaea; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin.

Did you know that olive oil is nick named as “Liquid Gold”? Yes this is true because of its amazing medicinal and cosmetic properties. The olive tree is known for its abundance, glory and peace. Approximately thirty varieties of olive trees are grown in Southern Italy and each tree specializes in producing a particular oil with unique features.The Italian folk tradition believes than ideal habitat for an olive tree is a combination of 5 essential components : Sun, Stone , Silence, Solitude and Drought.

The taste of the olive oil depends on 2 key factors :

The soil on which the olive tree growsThe moment when the olives have been harvested and ground.

In ancient times, people believed that olive oil bestowed strength and youth. The extra-virgin oil found in Southern Italy is a no less than a treasure because of its nutritional and valuable virtues.The extra-virgin olive oil is the most digestible of all edible fats.It is also popular for its culinary virtues and is an essential ingredient in most of the salads that we relish.It is also used with foods to be eaten cold. The extra-virgin oil can be made from blends of different varieties of olives or can be made from a single variety.

A few recommendations for blending olive oil with food and cooking:

Always use quality olive oilExtra virgin or the cold pressed olive oil is the highest quality olive oil available and is popularly used in restaurants.   This variety is used as a dressing for salads.Virgin olive oil contains less flavor and aroma than the extra virgin oil and is used for frying, grilling and roasting.

Olive oil also works as a natural and safe lubricant.So the next time you encounter any problem with your cookware or grinder, use olive oil. Athletes in ancient Greece rubbed olive oil all over their body because of its miraculous healing properties.Women all over the world love olive oil as it has amazing properties to slow down the aging process and give a youthful look. In addition to its amazing moisturizing effects, olive oil can also be used as an effective shaving oil to shave facial and other body hair.In Calabria, the women regularly use olive oil to take care of their hair and hands.

As a side note, to find the best and finest olive oil in Italy,go to Calabria.

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The Anti-Cholesterol Diet: How Olive Oil Is a Saviour

Cholesterol happens to be a simple condition– an all too common one — to occur to many people in the world; yet, its ramifications on the general population are devastating. Moderate amount of cholesterol is necessary for the body to function normally; however, too much of it — the yellow, mucky substance — that forms in your blood arteries successfully and progressively closes the gap between you and heart disease.

Americanheart.org reports that there are an estimated 102 million adults in the U.S alone who have total blood cholesterol in excess of 200 mg/dL and higher. At least 36 million American adults have cholesterol levels of 240 and above – which is said to be “risky” and skirting the danger zone. (Data courtesy: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003–06, National Centre for Health Statistics and the NHLBI)

Cutting off supply of blood to your heart through your blood arteries is not what you want, do you?

Although there are other kinds of diet you could take to go on an all-out “anti-cholesterol diet”, I just can’t stop raving about the therapeutic benefits of Olive oil; no matter how much I do it, I still find it deserves more praise. According to a study done by Dr. Daniel Stienberg, and some other researchers in Israel, Olive oil thwarts toxic oxidation of LDL cholesterol (Low-density lipoprotein) which is believed to cause clogging or arteries.

Apparently, the more HDL (High-density Lipoprotein) and less LDL you have in your blood, the safer your arteries are. Also, Dr. Steinberg and others believe that LDL as such might not be as dangerous as the “toxic form of LDL” which occurs when LDL is oxidized in your body. The safest bet then is to decrease the intake of the “bad” LDL, increase the intake of the good HDL and also to keep whatever LDL that somehow enters your body far from oxidation (which ultimately clogs your arteries).

Olive oil is the best bet for preventing such a thing from happening. Dr. Ancel Keys, a renowned epidemiologist, is believed to have said

“From many surveys on the island of Crete, I have the impression that centenarians are common among farmers, whose breakfast is often a wineglass of olive oil”.

The media is awash with new studies pointing to the benefits of Olive Oil (you now know why I get so excited, don’t you?). Further, most of the fashionably health conscious recipes have Olive oil as a principal ingredient for the obvious good reasons.

Do you have cholesterol free diet?

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