Olive Our Love
From the flavor to the health benefits - of which there are plenty - a healthy fat takes center stage
Olive oil has become the new gold rush of the healthy set, with a boom in California olive farms and imported olive oil specialty shops charging more than $30 a bottle.
What's the reason for this new oil boom?
While olive oil has long been known for its ability to lower bad LDL cholesterol that can lead to heart attack or stroke, recent medical studies have pointed attention to olive oil's other medicinal values.
A study by U.S. scientists published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology indicates that Oleocanthal, a natural component of extra virgin olive oil that can prevent damage to brain cells, could help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Also in October, the Archives of General Psychiatry published a Spanish study reporting that people who regularly followed a Mediterranean diet, which includes olive oil, fruits, nuts and whole grains, were less likely to develop depression.
Olive oil, again as part of the Mediterranean diet, may also help people with Type 2 diabetes stay off of medications to lower blood sugar, according to Italian research published in the September issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"In general, olive oil is an extremely healthy fat," says Patricia Darragh, executive director of the California Olive Oil Council, Berkeley, Calif. "There have been very highly regarded scientific reports that consumption of extra virgin olive oil has been linked to cardiovascular health and lower risk of breast and colon cancer."
Elisa Zied, a New York City-based registered dietitian and author of the book, "Nutrition at Your Fingertips" (November 2009, Alpha Books/Penguin), says a recent review of several studies also showed that a diet rich in monounsaturated fats (like those found in olive oil) lowered total cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels more than a low fat high carbohydrate diet.
"Olive oil also a good source of vitamin E, a fat soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant and fights damage caused by harmful free radicals in the body and in the environment that can contribute to the development of disease," Zied says.
Most Americans are familiar with cooking with olive oil, but it can also be a tasty dip for breads, a dressing for salads, a marinade for meats and glaze for vegetables. Even if you want to take a teaspoon a day, there's no shortage of tastes for your palette. Darragh says California's 250 olive farmers, the nation's largest producer of extra virgin olive oils, grow more than 125 different varietals.
"We can do a single varietals or make unique blends of different varietals that have unique origins," Darragh says. "We can blend an ascolano - a very fruity table olive originating from Italy - with frantoio, a Tuscan varietal that has a little more bitterness and pungency. Or we can blend it with a Spanish arbequina, which has a fruity yet grassy taste."
"I believe that people have really started to appreciate the flavors in olive oil," says Tim Leinhart, store manager for Oliviers & Company, a gourmet olive oil shop in Los Angeles that imports its oils from abroad. "Now people are craving that taste in their cooking, their food."
In addition to traditional extra virgin oils, Oliviers sells flavored oils with basil such as lemon, chile pepper, mint, green lemon, mandarin and bergamot, all of which sell for $33 for a half a liter. There's even an olive oil infused with white truffle at a cost that's nothing to trifle with: $27 for 3.3 ounces.
While some olive oil may cost as much as a bottle of wine, you won't want to keep it around as long. The health benefits of olive oil expire the longer it sits on the shelf.
"We want people to consume olive oil as soon as possible, because within two years, things like polythenols and antioxidants start diminishing very, very rapidly," Darragh says.
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