I've already done this, I use extra virgin olive oil to make salad dressings (now that I'm eating more salad ). I've cooked with it for a long time.
There are lots of different tasting olive oils, so if the first one you try, you don't like, there might be a different one that seems better. Here's some about taste from the Food Network:
Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is healthier than plain olive oil or especially "light" olive oil (which has been heated and reprocessed). The levels of the good stuff are much higher.
And the health benefits are apparently huge:
1. Extra virgin olive oil might boost the lycopene in tomato products so that combined they boost antioxidant levels in the blood by 20%. (Antioxidants protect us from both heart problems and cancer)
2. Extra virgin olive oil has a lot of phenolic antioxidants squalene and oleic acid--which have been shown to protect against colon, breast and skin cancer, coronary heart disease and aging by inhibiting oxidative stress.
3. Extra virgin olive oil keeps the bad cholesterol from sticking to artery walls.
4. Extra virgin olive oil has squalene and squalene protects against skin cancer. In fact, rubbing it onto skin after sun exposure might help prevent skin cancer by slowing tumor growth.
5. It was much better than other monounsaturated oils in preventing cancer in mice.
6. Extra virgin olive oil might be as effective as fresh fruit and vegetables in preventing colon cancer. It apparently changes how the gut works, in addition to the antioxidants.
7. Extra virgin olive oil lowers blood pressure. One study, the people in it lowered their blood pressure medicine by 48% when eating e. v. olive oil. Those eating sunflower oil only had a 4% reduction. Olive oil has polyphenols, which cause arteries to relax and so lowers blood pressure.
8. And is it worth getting the extra virgin? A small study in Spain compared olive oil to extra virgin, and the extra virgin was better at stopping LDL from oxidizing (which leads to arterioclerosis).
9. And the kicker for me since my father had rheumatoid arthritis, those in a Greek study who ate the least extra virgin olive oil had 2 1/2 times more chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis than those who ate the most olive oil
Trish
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Another way you can use the Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil is by adding it to food. I'm one who has problem eating enough fats and have started adding a teaspoon to the mixture of Cottage Cheese and Yogourt I like eating for breakfast.
The one I use --- a generic brand --- doesn't have any taste to it and I felt the benefits almost immediately
Dany
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Did you read my mind????
I was at the grocery store yesterday and was wondering what the health benefits/drawbacks were of virgin, extra, and regular.
Thanks!
Traci
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Thanks again Trish,
My DH & I cook a lot with olive oil. When I'm through with the bottle I have of "who knows what" I'll be sure to pick up the "extra virgin olive oil." I'm sure my DH won't even know the difference! Thanks, all these tid bits help contribute to a healthier future.
Sister Katie
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You've done it again!
(((Trish)))
Once again, a tip I can really sink my teeth into!
I never even used olive oil until I married my DH, who is Sicilian.... for those folks, being out of olive oil is like an American household being out of milk!
When he makes his 'gravy' (spaghetti sauce), he starts out with sauteeing pressed garlic in extra virgin olive oil, then adds the tomatoes, etc. Of course, that means heating the oil, which might take away some benefits, huh? Oh well... we use it in many other things, too - but NOW I'll make more of a point to use it!
Thanks Trish! Keep 'em coming!!!
Criss
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Thanks for the tip, Trish! I have been cooking with extra virgin olive oil without knowing the benefits of the extra virgin. I am SO GLAD to hear that I am doing will have to add it to
a salad! You sure are working overtime to try to keep us healthy! That IS a full time job! Thanks!
Locki
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Olive Oil
I have been using Olive oil for years. I had some very close European friends that introduced it into my cooking.
Extra Virgin is great for salads and sauce alternatives, you can drizzle it on about anything for that smooth subtle enhancement. However, cooking with EV Olive Oil is not always the best idea in certian cooking situations. Full body Olive Oil is more stable against high heat. Using Extra Virgin cooking with high heat can break the properties down in the oil and lose its value.
I am not challenging the good using olive oil can do for you. I truly feel it’s the best type of oil to use. I love reading your tips. Just something I have learned reading and watching cooking shows
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