The man crushed spinach which is highly beneficial for you and saved Olive Oyl. Olive Oyl's sister Olive Oil is what I am going to spend a few minutes on and hopefully by the end of this invigorating read, you are chugging it by the gallon. One of if not the best things you can consume to help with your health is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I know what you are thinking why the "Extra Virgin" in front? There are different levels of Olive Oil, basically the difference is in the extraction-
Top- Extra Virgin- Highest quality/Most expensive as I am sure you have noticed. The extraction is done in the very simple and old fashion way, cold pressed, grinding, and pressing of olives.
Virgin- Almost impossible to find in the grocery store, but it is made just like Extra Virgin, except the rules for production are not as rigid.
Regular- Blend of Virgin and refined Olive Oil ( refined- heat/chemicals used in the process).
Light- Refined (heat and chemicals used in extraction) Olive Oil with a higher smoke point for cooking.
So why is Extra Virgin Olive Oil so good for us?
Helps the brain clear amyloid plaque (very important in Alzheimer's) and strengthens the blood brain barrier
Blocks enzyme in fatty tissue that converts fat from carbs (helps keep you skinny)
Chock full of Phenols- Anti-Inflam, Anti-Ox, Anti-Cancer, Anti-Thrombic (reduce blood clotting)
Improves blood vessel health by improving the function of the endothelium (lining of blood vessels)
Monosaturated Fat- Oleic Acid- Anti-Inflam, Anti-Cancer, Heart-Healthy, Lowers LDL (Bad Cholesterol) and Triglycerides, Helps balance blood sugar and insulin resistance
Vitamin E- protects against aging, Anti-Ox and Heart-Healthy
Next thing your thinking- Yooooo why is this so expensive? I have a remedy for you, Thrive Market. It is an organic online grocery store. I have a membership there specifically for its Olive Oil. $15 dollars gets you 25.4oz of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, POW. Also at whatever grocery store I am at I just look for the one that is on the biggest sale that is in a glass container and not plastic.
Now that you know it is unreal, start putting it on EVERYTHING. Salad- YEP, Pasta- YEP, Dipping Sauce- YEP, A nice shot of it- YEP, Ice Cream- J/K. The only issue is, there is some literature out there on not cooking with it because of the smoke point being so low which breaks down the oil. Like everything, you will find articles on both sides of the argument. We will cook with it here and there but use ghee way more when cooking. I primarily drown my salads and basically anything else I eat in it. Go get some and start chugging.