Is olive oil necessary/important to consume?

[tribord]

Reading the olive oil thread below got me thinking... how necessary is it?   I know I shouldn't cook with olive oil, and I just don't have much use for it otherwise, I guess.  We eat very little of it at our house and I'm wondering if I should make an effort to change that.

We get plenty of healthy fats in our meats, from lard and bacon fat, coconut, dairy, and avocado.  Am I missing something by not consuming olive oil?

[Raven Mothering]

Olive oil is the one oil most powerfully associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and to a lesser extent dementia and possibly cancer. High-quality EVOO should, in my view, be one's number one source of fat. As I was saying on the other thread, Tom Mueller, author of "Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil",maintains a database of producers and sources of premium extra-virgin olive oil on his website: http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/great-oils/north-america

[kathymuggle]

dbl post

[kathymuggle]

I did not use EVOO for years - now I love it!  

I don't know if yopu have to eat it to be healthy - but it is a great replacement for others fats.

The 2 ways I most often use it:

1.  Pour some EVOO in a bowl.  Add some balsamic vinegar - stir gently.  Salt and pepper to taste. Dip your bread (focaccia is really nice!)  into it.  Oh so good!  Usually I use butter on bread (and I do not think butter is that bad for you, it beats margarine) but EVOO adds some variety and it is better than butter.

2.  Salad dressing.  My favourite is a balsamic vinagrette,

Here is a basic recipe - dump the contents in a mason jar and shake.  it will keep in the fridge for a few days, easily.

• 3/4 cup (175 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
• 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

I made an almond dressing last week I love, here is a recipe (same deal - shake it up in a jar)

1/2 cup ground almonds 1/4 cup sherry vinegar (I think i may have done half vinegar, half lemon juice) 2 tbsp honey 1 cup olive oil Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

In season, EVOO and balsamic vinegar drizzled over a caprese salad (tomato, mozarella, and basil) is very , very good.  

Edited by kathymuggle - 1/27/13 at 5:28pm

[fruitfulmomma]

Op, your fat consumption sounds great. We don't use olive or coconut oils because my dd can't tolerate them. I don't believe there is any one single food that must be either used or avoided by *everyone*.

En10mum, welcome to mdc and the traditional foods forum. If you would like to learn more about traditional diets and why we liberally embrace saturated fats in our diet, Nina Planck's Real Food book or The Weston A. Price Foundation are good places to start. 

http://www.westonaprice.org/

[lilaclady]

Olive oil is an essential addition to anyone's kitchen.  Olive oil is different from any other oil in that it is essentially the fresh squeezed juice of an olive, with no chemical processing at all.  Nearly all seed oils (canola, soy, vegetable, corn, etc) are heavily refined and offer little health benefits and if you ask me, are doing you more harm than good.  

Olive oil is high in polyphenols (a type of vitamin E), which is a powerful antioxidant that is only found in olive oil as opposed to any other oil, and is high in healthy, natural Omega 3s.  Of course, to gain the most benefits from your olive oil, it is important buy a high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I began learning about olive oil a few years ago during a trip to Italy.  I was astounded at the difference between a good quality oil and the standard popular supermarket oils like Bertoli and Filippo Berio I had been buying for years.  A high-quality EVOO should be complex in flavors (anywhere from grass, almond, artichoke, to apple) and be slightly bitter and pungent.  Essentially, the more bitter and pungent (think of a slight tingling sensation in the back of your throat) an oil, the higher it is in polyphenols and the healthier it is for you.

Also, it is a common myth that you cannot cook with olive oil.  Throughout the Mediterranean they have been cooking with it for centuries, and they're some of the healthiest people on the planet.  I've even fried french fries in EVOO like I ate in Italy and they're delicious!  The key is to heat the oil just below its smoking point (450 degrees F).  Olive oil is the only oil I have in my kitchen and I use it for everything from baking to frying, and of course, on salads, as a finishing oil or just eating it plain with a slice of fresh baked bread.

Some supermarkets are beginning to carry more higher-quality oils.  Look for an oil that clearly states where the oil comes from, or displays a certificate of origin symbol (PDO, PGI, DOP, IGP) to ensure the oil does in fact come from that particular region, however there is no guarantee how fresh the oil is, or how long it has been sitting on the shelf as light is the biggest killer of a good olive oil.  I find the web is the best place to buy quality oils as they seem to be imported from people who know a lot about olive oil.  I've ordered from olio2go.com, deandeluca.com and oliveoillovers.com who has a good collection from people like Castillo de Canena, Frantoio Franci, Terra Creta and Oro Bailen (my favorite!).

I also agree with another user who mentioned the book "Extra Virginity" by Tom Mueller.  I learned a great deal from that book and it was quite the eye opener.

Hope I've convinced you to love oil oil as much as I do!

[PumaBearclan]

We do not use olive oil.

Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat. So is bone marrow, well-made ghee, properly rendered poultry fat, and many other animal fats. Any animal fat that softens or liquifies at room temperature is high in monounsaturated fat.

Due to the reality that processed olive oil is likely oxidized due to its unavailability in my region, we eat avocados and use fresh animal fats high in monounsaturated fat. 

We also eat some nuts and raw avocados; because they are not processed, the fats contained are fresh and unoxidized.

To my opinion, an oxidized fat is extremely bad for health.

I see that the popular concept that saturated fat is unhealthy has been presented again in this thread. Dr Enig's book Know Your Fats is an excellent primer on fat.

[kathymuggle]

Yeah, I think some of us might have wandered on from the main page without realising this is traditional foods…..

[tribord]

I suppose when you consider the original geographic distribution of the olive it wouldn't make sense that it is an essential food for humanity, that definately makes me feel better about our lack of EVOO consumption.   I appreciate the thoughtful replies.  Kathy- your suggestions sound great.  We try to limit our grains (although do indulge in the bread and EVOO/balsalmic vinegar at restaurants a couple times a year...yum!), and I do use EVOO on salads, I just haven't done many salads in a while.  (We do eat lots of veggies, just not usually in salad form).  I think at some point when I have time I may try to find some olive oil that is unlikely to be oxidized.  It is kind of low on my priority list, though, and I think I'm trying to make myself feel OK with leaving "find a good olive oil and start eating more of it" down near the bottom of my list of things I want to do to improve my family's health.  :) 

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by tribord 

 and I think I'm trying to make myself feel OK with leaving "find a good olive oil and start eating more of it" down near the bottom of my list of things I want to do to improve my family's health.  :) 

I think that is fine.  There are healthy foods I know I should eat, but have not gotten around to trying to incorporate into our diets.  I suspect many of us have lists in our head of things we want to do or try…but not everything works its way to the top.  

I am not really sure any one food is magical in terms of nutrition, anyways.  It is the nutrients in the food that is important- and there is usually more than one food that is a good source of whatever you are looking for.

I don't think the Japanese use much olive oil, and as a nation they have excellent health and longevity.  

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle 

Yeah, I think some of us might have wandered on from the main page without realising this is traditional foods…..

   As long as we can redirect the conversation more in line with the Traditional Foods theory (which supports eating animal fats and in fact, often prefers it) then we can keep this conversation going without issue.  :)

OP: our house is similar to yours (although we don't eat pork so having available bacon grease is a rare treat and we are primarily dairy free due to allergy/intolerance).  And we also use very little EVOO.  Mostly for salad dressing and that IS nearly a daily occurrence but it's very little.  We use coconut oil, ghee, avocado and nut butters.  If you're feeling fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

[IsaFrench]

if it's produced where you happen to live, i should think that it's a good idea to consume some .... especially since it has the reputation of helping with bowel movements ...