Eating For Health

Everyone is complaining about high grocery prices.   And groceries have gotten more expensive.   What are some superfoods that you might want to add to your grocery list?        1.   Choose Extra Virgin Olive Oil over Coconut oil For years my students would say coconut oil was the healthier oil.   I always taught them that was not the case.   Still many people swear by coconut oil, even putting it in their morning coffee.   And many cook with coconut oil thinking this is a healthy thing to do.   What is so bad about coconut oil?   The high saturated fat content, “a whopping 12 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.”   What’s the problem with saturated fat?   According to Medline Plus , ‘too much saturated fat can cause cholesterol build up in your arteries (blood vessels).   Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol.   High LDL cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.”   ...

Did you know that olive oil is not only delicious but is a powerhouse of health benefits?   Why did ancient Greeks describe olive oil as an “elixir of youth and health”?   What are some of the health benefits of this delicious golden oil?   Last week we discussed buying real vs. fake olive oil .   Here are some reasons you should include some olive oil in your daily diet. Heart Health:   The American Heart Association writes about the benefits of adding a drizzle of olive oil to your day.   A 2020 study found that just a half a tablespoon of olive oil a day can lower your risk of heart disease by 14%.     In the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found people who consumed more than a half a tablespoon of olive oil a day had a 19% lower risk of dying from heart disease.   Alzheimer’s Disease:   The 2020 study mentioned above also found that people who consumed more than half a tablespoon of olive oil a day, had a lower ...

Olive Oil – hopefully you have a bottle in your pantry.   Why?   Because it is a heart healthy oil and an oil with many health benefits.   But to get those health benefits, it needs to be REAL Olive Oil.   You go to the store and find some bargain Olive Oil on sale, good idea or bad idea?   If it is REAL Olive Oil, then you got a bargain.   But if it is FAKE or partially fake, you got cheated.   So how does one know if their Olive Oil is REAL or FAKE?   Is the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) you purchased, really EVOO?   Turns out many people and organizations have studied this.   Food& Wine , the North American Olive Oil Association , and Consumer Reports have provided advice on How to Chooses a Good Olive Oil .       Why is there “FAKE” Olive Oil? PopSugar has a great article, You May Be Buying "Fake" Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.    One country interested in cracking down on “fake” olive oil is Italy...

Recently I was in the grocery store watching a couple trying to choose cooking oil.   They would pick up a bottle of oil, look at it, put it back and then pick up another bottle of oil.   They seemed totally mystified by the vast array of oils to choose from.    And it can be confusing.   But one cooking oil stands out as being the healthiest and that is Olive Oil.   Which Olive Oil to Choose? Choose Extra Virgin Olive Oil – a little pricier but a better choice for your health.   Or, as Rachel Ray calls it, EVOO.   EVOO is the least processed of the olive oils so it is richer in the polyphenols that are good for our health.   It is also higher in Omega-3’s and vitamin E.   Pass up the “light” olive oil.   It is not “light” in calories but is the most refined olive oil so not the one to choose for your health.   Also avoid “pure olive oil”.   Sounds good but it is also refined and not as good as EVOO.   So Rache...