History, Types and Health Benefits of Olive Oil

1. A To Z All About Olive Oil

2. WHAT IS OLIVE OIL? “Olive oil” is how we refer to the oil obtained from the fruit of olive trees. People have been eating olive oil for thousands of years and it is now more popular than ever, thanks to its many proven health benefits and its culinary usefulness. Olives can only grow in certain regions, yet millions of people are involved in olive oil production throughout the world and the culture of olive oil is rich and vital. Of course, from that simple beginning it gets a bit more complicated. Here are the basics you should know. http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil

3. History OLIVE OIL The olive was native to Asia Minor and spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean basin 6,000 years ago. It is among the oldest known cultivated trees in the world - being grown before the written language was invented. It was being grown on Crete by 3,000 BC and may have been the source of the wealth of the Minoan kingdom. The Phoenicians spread the olive to the Mediterranean shores of Africa and Southern Europe. Olives have been found in Egyptian tombs from 2,000 years BC. The olive culture was spread to the early Greeks then Romans. As the Romans extended their domain they brought the olive with them. http://www.oliveoilsource.com/page/history-olive

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5. How To Make OLIVE OIL Collecting and grading the olives After the ripe olives have been combed from the trees, they are picked over by hand to weed out unsound olives. The olives are divided into categories according to their plumpness, state of ripeness, and quality. Then the olives are taken to the press and stored for a short period of time, from a few hours to several days. The period is short enough to prevent fermentation but long enough to allow the olives to get warm so that they release their oil easily. Washing and milling the olives The olives are rinsed in cold water and then passed along a conveyer belt between rollers or continuous hammers. This machinery, often called the olive crusher, breaks down the cells and de-stones the olives. Depending on the resiliency of the olives' skin and the stage of maturation, it may be necessary to pass the fruit through the mill a second time.

6. How To Make OLIVE OIL Creating an olive paste through malaxation In ancient times, the olives were mashed into a paste with a simple mortar and pestle. This principle was expanded upon until the stone mortars were large enough to require slaves or pack animals to operate them. In the modern process, the milled olives travel from the mill into vats in which slowly turning blades mash the olives into a homogenized paste.

7. How To Make OLIVE OIL Cold-pressing the olive paste to extract the oil The oil is extracted by loading the paste into a hydraulic press. The olive paste is evenly spread over hemp pressing bags or disks covered with synthetic fibers. Each bag or disk is covered with approximately 9-13 lb (4-6 kg) of paste. Between 25 and 50 bags or disks are stacked onto a press plate. Plate guides are inserted at intervals of five to six bags. The plates serve to maintain the balance of the stack and to distribute the pressure evenly. A piston pushes up against the stack, and the oil seeps slowly through the pressing bags to attached tubes. The solid material remains inside the pressing bags. The term cold-pressing refers to the fact that the oil is extracted without heating the paste, furthering insuring the purity of the oil. The oil that is expressed is a reddish mixture of the oil and the inherent vegetable water. This is the oil that receives the appellation of "extra-virgin" olive oil. The paste is removed from the bags and run through several more presses to obtain the lesser grades of oil that remain.

8. How To Make OLIVE OIL Separating the oil from the vegetable water Originally, the oil and water mixture was stored in vats until the oil rose to the top and was skimmed off. Some fermentation was inevitable, affecting the taste and smell of the olive oil. Today, the separation is accomplished swiftly by pumping the mixture into a centrifuge. The centrifuge is comprised of a rotating drum and an auger that are spun on the same axis at great speed. Because the oil and the vegetable water are of differing densities, the centrifuge forces them apart and into separate receptacles.

9. How To Make OLIVE OIL Storing and packaging the oil The oil is stored in underground vats until it is ready to be shipped. Then the oil is canned or bottled on an assembly line. Cans or dark-tinted bottles will keep the deep-green color of the olive oil intact. Oil placed in clear-glass bottles will fade to a yellowish-green. However, the flavor is not affected. In many cases, olive oil distributors purchase the olive from the producers and rebottle it. Packaging has become more ornate as the popularity of olive oil has grown. It is not unusual to purchase olive oil in unusually shaped bottles topped with netting or rope. Some packagers also hire professional artists to design their labels.http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Olive-Oil.html#ixzz3lFFRDGkj

10. Type OfOLIVE OIL REFINED OLIVE OILS Only about 30 percent of all olive oil production ends at extracting the oil from the olives. Refining involved using solvents and high heat to neutralize the tastes of the oil. This allows producers to use olives that are not in the best condition, and blend from oils from a wide variety of sources (even countries) because the bad tastes resulting from oxidized olives and the mass production process are chemically removed. When you see “Pure Olive Oil” at the store, or a bottle that says simply “Olive Oil,” these are refined.

11. Type OfOLIVE OIL UNREFINED OLIVE OILS Unrefined olive oils do not undergo chemical refining. In unrefined olive oils, such as “extra virgin” and “virgin” olive oils, the process goes no further than extraction and bottling. Producers of unrefined olive oils need to use fruit that is in good condition and carefully manage various factors, because the oil will not be treated to chemically hide bad tastes that would result from oxidized olives or some other contamination.

12. Type OfOLIVE OIL WHY SHOULD I USE OLIVE OIL? Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat and the cornerstone of the famous Mediterranean diet. Most people choose olive oil because of its many proven benefits to human health. Extra virgin olive oils offer even more: a world of fruity-bitter tastes that chefs are capturing to elevates dishes to a level they never thought possible.

13. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Lowers Cholesterol Olive oil is rich in oleic acid, a common monounsaturated fatty acid. Numerous studies indicate that monounsaturated fat is about as effective as polyunsaturated fat in lowering total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, when used to substitute saturated fat in the diet. Plus, monounsaturated fat does not lower the beneficial HDL cholesterol or raise triglycerides, unlike polyunsaturated fat, which, at high intakes, may lower HDL cholesterol, ie the good cholesterol.

14. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Fills You Up Extra virgin olive oil is calorie—dense and falls into the fat food group. One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil contains 119 calories and 13.5 grams of fat, exactly the same as all other types of oils-fat, which is 21 percent of the recommended daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet, but around 75 percent of the fat from extra virgin olive oil is monounsaturated, a type of oleic acid that has been shown to decrease total blood cholesterol. In addition, olive oil creates a feeling of satiety and induces the consumption of salads and cooked vegetables by making them tastier and flavorful, leading to an overall balanced and healthy diet.

15. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Can Help Your Bones Menopausal osteoporosis is caused by a combination of hormonal imbalances and inflammation of the joints. While olive oil may not be able to restore your estrogen levels to premenopausal times, it directly nourishes your skeletal system in several ways. Moreover, olive oil is known as a "good fat" and is commonly preferred over animal fat when preparing and cooking food. This oil has several benefits, the most important being its ability to help the body breakdown calcium so that it can be stored in your bones. The monounsaturated fat also makes sure that your bone marrow itself doesn't develop too much fat - a condition that can prevent calcium deposits into bones. Last but not least, high quality extra virgin olive oil, and especially Greek olive oil, is rich in Oleocanthal, a substance that has strong anti-inflammatory action thus combating the inflammation of the joints.

16. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Can Help Digestion When olive oil reaches the stomach it does not reduce the tonus of the muscular ring or sphincter at the base of the esophagus. Because of this, it reduces the risk of the flow or reflux of food and gastric juice up from the stomach to the esophagus. Olive oil also partially inhibits gastric mobility. As a result, the gastric content of the stomach is released more slowly and gradually into the duodenum, giving a greater sensation of "fullness", and favoring the digestion and absorption of nutrients in the intestine. Owing to the sitosterol it contains, olive oil partially prevents cholesterol absorption by the small intestine. It also stimulates the absorption of various nutrients (calcium, iron, magnesium, etc.).

17. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Can Improve Your Skin Use olive oil as a gentle moisturizer for dry skin. Olive oil has the same healthy fats as avocado, and plumps and moisturizes the skin with a combination of vitamin E and vitamin A. Furthermore, dry, itchy and inflamed skin is usually the sign of skin irritations, such as eczema and psoriasis. Instead of turning to prescription creams and home remedies, reach for some olive oil to relieve discomfort and irritation. Moreover, sun and pollution can damage your skin. In recent studies, it was found that vitamin E contained in olive oil was successful in fighting free radicals, photo aging and damage to maintain younger looking skin. In Greece irritated baby skin is always treated with olive oil.

18. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Can Help Your Hair The fatty acids that olive oil is made up of will coat the shaft of your hair, helping to keep it healthy and protected. Using hair dye, flat irons and even using hair dryers can damage the outer layer of your hair. Olive oil will coat the damaged outer layers of your hair, giving them a sleeker, smoother, and healthier appearance. Hair care products are full of chemicals, which actually can damage your hair in the long run. Using a high quality olive oil as a hair treatment will give your hair back its health appearance, naturally. Using a high quality olive oil is the best natural treatment that your hair deserves.

19. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Can Lower Blood Pressure Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched. The cholesterol-lowering effects of olive oil are even greater if you choose extra-virgin olive oil, meaning the oil is totally unprocessed and contains more heart-healthy antioxidants.

20. Type OfOLIVE OIL OLIVE OIL HEALTH BENEFITS ►It Can Lower Blood Pressure Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched. The cholesterol-lowering effects of olive oil are even greater if you choose extra-virgin olive oil, meaning the oil is totally unprocessed and contains more heart-healthy antioxidants.

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