Olive Oils are one of the healthiest cooking oils you can find. They are rich in flavour, versatile, and carry tons of benefits. They help reduce inflammation, improve heart health and brain functions, protect against chronic diseases, respiratory diseases, and much more.
Incorporating olive oil into your daily diet and routine is recommended by many dieticians, so much so that one of the common health practices that you can find people doing regularly is having a tablespoon of olive oil a day.
Here are six reasons you should also start taking a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil a day.
- Stabilizes Blood Sugar Levels and Supports Health Heart
Compared to the other oil, extra virgin olive oils contain a high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids known to help lower blood sugar levels and help increase the level of good cholesterol in your body. They help produce insulin, therefore, are great for those who have type 2 diabetes.
Additionally, studies have found that people who regularly incorporate extra virgin olive oils into their diet have fewer heart diseases and problems. Substituting saturated fats such as butter and vegetable oils with unsaturated fats such as olive oils is highly recommended, with numerous health benefits backed up by many studies, doctors and dieticians.
- Helps with Mental Health
Many recent studies suggest that olive oil consumption is linked to lifting mood and improving mental health. Countries such as Greece, with a Mediterranean diet containing olive oils, are known to have low cases of mental health diseases such as depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Olive Oils contain two key ingredients, Omega-3 fatty acids and fibre. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects, whereas fibre helps increase good gut microbiota, which is known to lift moods and reduce depression.
- Anti-Inflammatory
Olive oils have inflammatory properties that can help prevent chronic inflammations linked to diseases such as arthritis, obesity, metabolic syndrome, heart illnesses and even cancer. These anti-inflammatory effects are known to work similarly to many pharmaceutical options such as ibuprofen.
- Helps aid Digestion
A tablespoon of extra virgin olive oils a day on an empty stomach can help relieve bowel discomfort such as constipation. It causes stools to become softer, making it easier to pass and causing less stress in the colon.
- Helps maintain Weight
Unsaturated fats like olive oils are beneficial if you want to lose or maintain a healthy weight. However, ensure that you take only one or half a spoon of the high-quality olive oils, as exceeding your daily calorie intake can have the opposite effect.
- Supports Immune System
The high concentration of antioxidants and monounsaturated fats in extra virgin olive oils can support and boost your immune system, protecting you from viral and bacterial infections. They also contain vitamins E and K, which are equally important in producing red blood cells, avoiding blood clotting, and building a natural defence against illnesses and infections.
Choosing the right Olive Oils
It is essential to understand that the quality of the olive oils you choose matters.
Many oils sold in supermarkets can be of poor quality as they can be made from poorly grown, harvested, and milled olives. In other cases, the oils can be mixed, which means they no longer have the nutrients that high-quality olive oils are known to contain.
Instead, invest in high-quality extra virgin and organic olive oils. Olive oils made from olives grown sustainably and without pesticides should be of the finest quality.
At Avlaki, we understand that the way we grow, harvest, mill, and bottle our olives and olive oils is what differentiates our olive oils. Grown without artificial pesticides, our olives are harvested at their peak season and carefully handpicked to be milled. Our olive oils are then bottled freshly after milled, preserving their tastes, aroma, and quality.
Browse our Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil range here!