If You Add Olive Oil To Your Diet, This Is What Happens To Your Body

Surprised? We don’t blame you. After all, fatty oils have developed a bit of a negative reputation down the years. But that isn’t the case with olive oil. Therefore, you might be curious as to how you can incorporate it into your eating regimen at home.

There are actually numerous ways in which you can add olive oil to your diet without too much effort. Picture this: you’ve just made yourself a salad and are looking for a relish to go on top. Instead of opting for a standard sauce, why not try olive oil as an alternative?

According to the Ideal Nutrition website, you can whip up a batch of olive oil and vinegar dressing in next to no time. Just mix a helping of the former with garlic, pepper, lemon and salt, and you’ll be set. The concoction is incredibly tasty and it’ll benefit your body, too.

But olive oil doesn’t just work with salads. It could also be a worthwhile butter replacement if you like baking at home as well. Plus, your roast vegetables will also receive a boost in flavor should you decide to sprinkle the yellow liquid across them.

That’s not all, either. Hey, we said there were numerous ways! You can soak fish and meat with olive oil, too. This simple move will definitely coax some additional taste out. Also, we can’t forget about toasted bread: you can pour it on individual slices for maximum flavor.

It’s fair to say, then, that olive oil is incredibly versatile. Could this explain why it has endured as a kitchen essential throughout history? Maybe – after all, it was a big hit in both ancient Rome and Greece. And the ingredient is just as sought-after across the Mediterranean today.

You see, the North American Olive Oil Association website claims that no other oily ingredient can match its popularity in that part of the world. That’s some crown, wouldn’t you agree? Anyway, that takes us back to one of our earlier points about the high life-expectancy in Mediterranean countries. Is there a connection?

It’s widely believed that the collective eating regimens in the Mediterranean contribute to a lengthier lifespan in those countries. Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2018 found that nations like Spain have a life expectancy of 83.5 years. Meanwhile, it found that another Mediterranean country – Italy – sees its people live to the age of 83 on average. 

Talk about a staggering figure. So, if that’s got you hankering for some olive oil, keep this in mind. There’s more than one type on the market at present – regular olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil. But what’s the difference? Well, it might be an idea to grab a pen for this next part.

Ready? Awesome. Let’s start with the extra-virgin olive oil – otherwise referred to as EVOO. This product is apparently produced from an olive puree. Once the tasty fruit gets crushed into that form, even more pressure is applied to it to bring out the oils. Sounds simple, right?

One issue with EVOO, though, is the incredibly time-consuming production process. No quick turnaround here! Plus, here’s another interesting tidbit to consider. Warmth isn’t utilized to help draw out the oil from the puree, according to the Tasting Table website. That’s why you’ll spot a “cold-pressed” marker on their bottles.

And the certification stage is lengthy as well. The oil must be closely examined before it gets the green-light to be sold as EVOO. So, that’s where regular olive oil comes in. If the liquid fat fails to pass the aforementioned tests, it’s refined of its imperfections – creating the standard product.

Still with us? Great! Anyway, to put the finishing touches on regular olive oil, a dash of EVOO is added to the mixture. By the end, you’re left with a product that’s got a paler complexion when compared to its extra-virgin counterpart. Its taste isn’t as strong, either. But don’t just dismiss those bottles!

You see, Tasting Table states that regular olive oil is the ideal choice for marinating hot meals. As for EVOO, that’s apparently the one you should go with if you’re looking for a tasty dip or relish. Just try not to mix the two products up while working in the kitchen!

On that note, it’s about time that we took a closer look at what olive oil does to your body, wouldn’t you say? What impact will the product have by adding it to your diet? Well, before we dive into that, we should probably break down its nutritional properties first.

According to the BBC Good Food website, a single tablespoon of olive oil has just under 100 calories. Alongside that, it contains 11 grams of fat, 56 milligrams of vitamin E, 6 grams-worth of saturates and nine grams of polyunsaturates, too. Yes, we know that’s a lot to take in!

Yet there’s something else housed within olive oil – especially EVOO – that could benefit your health in a big way. As per the North American Olive Oil Association, those products are packed with polyphenols. It’s a chemical substance that’s rich with antioxidants and is located in nutritious items such as veg and fruit.

How can polyphenols help you, though? Well, it is pretty simple really. The compound is the perfect tool to fight back against oxidative stress, according to the North American Olive Oil Association. If you don’t know what that is, it’s an internal process which can harm parts of your body and DNA. Apparently, too much of it can lead to future ailments like cancer, dementia, diabetes and heart disease.

But compounds containing antioxidants will ease the damage caused by the stress, the organization notes. In the case of polyphenols, there are two types that you’ll find within olive oil called oleocanthal and hydroxytyrosol. They’re both capable of relieving inflammation and protecting your brain. Interesting stuff, right?

Trust us, though – that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the health benefits of olive oil. For instance, Healthline reports that the item can protect people from strokes as well. It adds that this ailment is one of the big killers in “developed” countries – placing it just below heart disease.

Yet for as worrying as that fact is, scientific analyses suggest that olive oil can cut down your chances of suffering strokes. Take this paper from the Lipids in Health and Disease journal as an example. It looked at a huge number of projects covering the topic, which involved more than 840,000 individuals.

By the end, the paper’s authors realized that olive oil stood alone as the one product that could prevent strokes. Why? Well, they discovered that it contains monounsaturated fat, which has been linked to lowering the possibility. That’s quite the finding! Plus, a similar project unearthed some equally intriguing news.

Healthline cited another paper that looked at roughly 140,000 test subjects. To conclude, the authors revealed that those who incorporated olive oil into their diets were less likely to have strokes when compared to the people who didn’t. It was eye-opening stuff indeed.

Anyway, two separate projects in Italy unearthed some more fascinating information about olive oil’s health benefits. Let’s start with the work from the University of Bari. The college joined forces with The Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) to investigate the impact of oleic acid on the body.

In case you didn’t know, olive oil houses a significant percentage of oleic acid. During the project, though, the two institutions made a troubling discovery. Apparently, if you don’t have a regular intake of the chemical compound, you might run the risk of developing bowel cancer in certain conditions.

As for the other study, that one was conducted at the Sapienza University of Rome. Workers from the Italian college found out that your blood glucose measurements would improve after eating EVOO during the day. And not only that: advocates for olive oil would be vindicated yet again in 2018.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shared some significant news that year. The government agency advised citizens to add roughly two tablespoons of EVOO to their daily diets due to the oleic acid. To say that Italy’s olive oil businesses were pleased with the statement would be underselling it!

An agricultural organization named Coldiretti responded to the FDA with a statement. It pointed out that the United States is now the third largest market for olive oil. The group also added that there are nations around the world which aren’t convinced of olive oil’s health benefits. So, the announcement was well-received by the group from Italy.

Coldiretti said, “This news represents a further recognition of the positive health effects associated with the consumption of extra-virgin olive oil. [There are nations that] unfairly label olive oil as a food that’s hazardous to health. Countries from the U.K. to Chile use red lights or black stamps to discourage the consumption of the staple of the Mediterranean diet.”

Knowing that a few drizzles of the stuff could shield you from bowel cancer is sure to make it taste even better! But what other health benefits come from olive oil? Well, this one might surprise you, so get ready. According to the Nutrients journal, bone strength stands to improve thanks to the liquid fat, too.

The publication shared a report in 2018 that recruited more than 520 ladies in Spain. By the end, the authors said that those with the most olive oil in their diets had stronger bones. Why was that the case, though? Cast your minds back a little earlier – remember the polyphenols we spoke about?

As the North American Olive Oil Association points out, polyphenols in the product can fight inflammation within the human body. Yet with nothing to stop it, the issue can prompt your osteoclast cells to activate. In simple terms, they’re capable of wearing your bones away. Yikes! Experts believe that this won’t happen if the chemical compound is in your system, mind you.

And sticking with the polyphenols, they can aid your body in another way, too. A project in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences discovered the compound might promote good bacteria in your stomach. Incredibly, those germs can also affect stuff like your skin and mood.

Apparently, analysts are of the opinion that 1.5 tablespoons of EVOO each day should do the trick. But do you want to know what happens if you double that dietary dosage? Your immune system could benefit as well! Yes, three regular helpings are said to strengthen your body’s T-cells.

If you didn’t know, T-cells are responsible for protecting your body from outside forces like germs or viruses. Once again, it’s been speculated that olive oil’s polyphenols might have a hand in that boost. This compound keeps itself busy, doesn’t it? Talk about multi-tasking! And the health benefits don’t end there.

As per Healthline, EVOO can hit the brakes on heart disease beyond easing your oxidative stress. One way is by aiding the condition of blood vessels. Alongside that, the olive oil could stop unwanted coagulation in your blood as well – reducing the risk of clots. Oh, and blood pressure can also be affected.

Yes, the health website notes that olive oil has the power to cut down blood pressure levels – helping your heart as a result. In fact, a project discovered that the liquid fat could even remove your reliance on medicine to keep it in check. That’d be some prescription, right?! Healthy and delicious!

So, as you can see, there’s an abundance of health benefits tied to adding olive oil to your diet. Though that’s got us wondering – what happens if you consume too much of it? Can the product have any adverse effects on your body? In truth, there’s a couple. Yet they’re not as serious as you might think.

Like we revealed earlier, a tablespoon of olive oil contains close to 100 calories, so a few of them over the day will cause you to gain a few pounds. Plus, Healthline claims that if you drink large amounts of the liquid fat, it could “displace” the goodness from other food sources. All in all, though, the benefits far outweigh the negatives!