Olive oil is one of the healing fats, clearly one of the good oils. It is a natural juice which preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and properties of the olive fruit.

Health benefits include cancer-fighting properties, protection for your heart, blood sugar control and many others. One or two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil should be added to most of your meals, for a healthy diet.

From a natural health perspective, olive oil is the magic bullet of nutrition and a healthy diet. Spanish researchers suggest that including olive oil in your diet may also offer benefits in terms of colon cancer prevention. For more than 5000 years olive oil has been part of the human diet. We have to return to eating a more traditional diet to reverse our pandemic of chronic disease, and high quality olive oil can safely be included in that diet.

Because it contains polyphenols that work as antioxidants to keep your heart healthy, virgin olive oil is better than more refined oil. Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste. Virgin oils are categorized and graded in two ways, one organoleptic (taste) and the other is chemical. Extra virgin olive oil is judged to have no defects. But while all types of olive oil are sources of monounsaturated fat, extra virgin olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives, contains higher levels of antioxidants, particularly vitamin E and phenols, because it is less processed .

The best-quality oils are called cold-pressed, a chemical-free process that involves only pressure and which produces oils that are low in acidity. You will want to get a high quality extra virgin oil, when buying olive oil. Top-quality extra-virgin oils from Italy, Spain Albania and Greece are sold at high prices, often in “prestige” packaging but in North America, Italian and Spanish olive oils are the best-known.

Olive oil is best suited for using uncooked in dishes where you can appreciate its exquisite aroma and flavor. It can enhance the flavor of a salad or be used to marinate meat or fish. Add flavor to olive oil by infusing the oil with a sprig of rosemary or other dried herbs. The result is a full-bodied, deeply-colored olive oil that can be appreciated for its own distinctive bouquet and rich and complex flavor.

Olive oil is a panacea, the perfect oil for all ages.