Olive oil: liquid gold from the Gods

Information on Olive Oil

Many people know that olive oil provides plenty of healthbenefits, but there are not that many which know that those benefits areactually derived from its fat content. Olive oil is among the healthiest typesof fat known to man. It is unhealthy to ingest large amounts of fat, but thesame can be said for the insufficient amounts of fat. The human body needscertain types of essential fatty acids so that it can be healthy and functionproperly. There are two different types of fat, and those unsaturated andsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are actually the healthy types of fats andthey can be further sorted as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.Saturated fats are the ones which should be avoided because they are oftenassociated with heart diseases and high levels of cholesterol in the blood.Olive oil is a monounsaturated type of fat and it is very efficient in reducingthe levels of bad cholesterol in the blood and increasing the levels of goodcholesterol in the blood. Olive oil may also come in very handy when it comesto preventing the occurrence of strokes and lowering the blood pressure.Besides its healthy properties, olive oil is very delicious and it is oftenused in numerous recipes in Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. It can beincorporated in numerous other types of food items and dishes.

The Differences between the Various Types of Olive Oil

There are four main different types of olive oil. The mostexpensive and the highest quality one is known as the extra virgin olive oil.It has the richest color and taste as it is commonly made using the first pressof the best, handpicked olives. It is usually used as a salad enhancer and itis not used for cooking. The next type of olive oil is the virgin olive oil,which is also made from the first press of the olives, but it is slightlydifferent from its extra virgin counterpart because it has a slightly loweramount of acidity. It has a great taste, it is not that expensive and it canalso be used for cooking. Pure olive oil utilizes the second press of olivesand the process of filtering and refining. It is much cheaper than theaforementioned types of oil and it can be used for cooking. Light olive oil isthe cheapest and the lowest quality oil. It is usually blended with other lightoils.