Advertise
International olive oil expert and judge, and member of the Scientific Society – Alexandria University.
As the olive season approaches, it is accompanied by joy and joy. Grandfather calls on his children and grandchildren to gather and go to the farm to harvest olives, waiting for the result of a whole year's fatigue with the olive trees in the farm. With the harvest, the mother pickles part of the olives. The grandfather goes to Uncle Mohammed Abu Ali, the owner of the press, to book a place to squeeze olives from the family tree. How happy it was to see our oil come out of the press, and the fatigue of the year is summarized at this moment. This is the case for all our neighbors.
With scientific progress, development and recent discoveries, the importance of olive oil on human health in general has become clear. Here we highlight just a few of these important discoveries.
By virtue of habit, we know that saturated fat is the main culprit in higher rates of heart disease. This has prompted scientists to conduct several studies on the causes of cardiovascular disease, which have resulted in a link between heart disease and excessive intake of processed sugar.
We note that there have been cases in which research has been conducted to identify the real causes of heart disease. These cases were also excessive consumption of refined sugar in addition to saturated fat.
Studies have shown that a diet rich in processed and refined sugars causes a rise in cholesterol in addition to triglycerides and bad low-density cholesterol (LDL). In contrast, the level of good high-density cholesterol (HDL) decreases. This was the real cause of cardiovascular disease, as well as the high level of insulin in the blood due to repeated increases in the level of sugar, which leads to what is called “insulin resistance.”
Insulin resistance, in which cells are less sensitive to insulin, which controls blood sugar levels, causes a continuous rise in blood sugar levels. Insulin stores it in the form of fat in the body, especially in the abdominal area. This increases the risk of chronic diseases such as:
Saturated fats, which are found in meat, dairy products and some vegetable oils such as palm oil and coconut oil, have been found to increase the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) and also increase the level of good cholesterol (HDL), reducing their negative impact on the heart and arteries compared to sugar.
The real danger lies in trans fats, resulting from the industrial hydrogenation process to become in a solid state instead of its natural liquid state, such as artificial ghee, thus similar to sugar in its harmful effect on human health.
In order to maintain heart health, the American Heart Association recommends reducing saturated fat and urges eating olive oil Because of its many benefits, and because it is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid), which ranges from 55% to 83%.
It also encourages eating healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are available in:
Based on all of the above, health organizations recommend a healthy balanced diet that contains healthy fats at 30% of total calories, with saturated fat not exceeding 10% for healthy people and 7% or less for people with chronic diseases.
It also recommends eating healthy natural sugars found in fruits and milk, avoiding added sugar or reducing it to no more than 10% of total calories, as well as avoiding the “hidden” sugar found in white flour, sweets, ice cream and supermarket products.
The more we eat from the earth and nature, the more we stay away from all processed foods and moderate the amounts of food, we live healthy.
Increased dependence on processed and thermally processed foods increases “Omega 6”, which damages the body, reduces immunity and increases inflammation and diseases. In contrast, “Omega 3", which is found in fish, olive oil and nuts, contributes to increased immunity and reduced inflammation. Therefore, you should get sugar from natural sources and stay away from refined sugar as much as possible.
