Olive oil has always been an integral part of this beneficial diet. Although red wine, lots of fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables also play a huge part in the diet’s success, scientists agree that it wouldn’t be nearly as beneficial without olive oil.
Health benefits
Olive oil is proven to protect your health. Daily consumption of only 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, as a replacement for conventional fats, can be helpful against many diseases. Scientists continue to discover more and more substances in the oil of the Mediterranean fruit with impressive effects on human health, such as preventing breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and, as was more recently discovered, even psychological ilnesses such as depression and the so-called Metabolic Syndrome.
For those of us looking for a slimming diet, olive oil is the best means towards weight loss, since it makes you feel satiated and therefore you want to eat less and have fewer sugar cravings. It has even been associated in recent studies with reduced danger of developing rheumatoid arthritis. And, last but not least, people whose diet is rich in olive oil, which contains plasma oleic acid, have fewer chances of strokes or heart attacks.
In your kitchen
Olive oil is the only oil you need to cook healthy and nutritious meals. It is an excellent addition to almost any dish: raw on salads and vegetables, as a dressing on fish and meat, giving great flavour to pasta, rice and potatoes. Of course, it can also be used for cooking, frying, grilling and stewing. However, in order to maintain the valuable components of extra virgin olive oil unspoiled, it is recommended that it should not be heated above 190°C or 374 F. The monounsaturated fatty acids in a high quality olive oil remain stable in heat longer than conventional oils.
It can also replace butter or any other unhealthy oil. In nutritional science, we know that fresh olive oil combines with the flavours of your food and forms a dietary “bridge” of sorts to bring out the taste in as smooth a way as possible. Its remarkable properties make olive oil a miracle ingredient or, more accurately, a superfood. Which is why it is the best friend of most famous chefs around the world.
Putting it to the test
“Threpsi” is the Greek word for nutrition/nourishment. A Greek company by that name declares that this “is exactly our goal, a healthy diet” and goes on further to explain that “there are many ways to maintain good health, but olive oil is definitely the easiest and most delicious!”
“Mediterranean Threpsi” traces back its origin in the region of Messenia in Peloponnese of southern Greece. It was there that the great grandparents of the current owners of this family business cultivated the land over a century ago. The present generation, inspired by the family tradition, select only the best fruits from their olive trees for their products. The company was officially established in Athens in 2012, packaging and selling premium quality goods, such as EVOO, olives and salt, which have already found their way towards the US and German markets.
