Olive Oil Divine Podcast

Liquid Gold: The Health Benefits of Olive Oil

• Greg & Shirley Mueller • Episode 3

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What Are The Health Benefits Of Using Olive Oil? Are Some Healthier Than Others?

Dive into the golden world of olive oil with Greg Mueller from Olive Oil Divine as he reveals the extraordinary health benefits hiding in this kitchen staple. Far beyond its delicious flavor, olive oil stands as nature's gift to our well-being—packed with heart-protecting compounds that lower bad cholesterol while boosting the good kind.

Not all olive oils deliver these benefits, however. Learn the crucial difference between true extra virgin olive oil—the first cold press containing the highest concentration of beneficial polyphenols—and lesser grades. Greg warns about the alarming lack of labeling regulations in the United States, where many supposedly "premium" oils are secretly adulterated with cheaper alternatives. This eye-opening conversation debunks persistent myths, confirming that quality olive oil is perfect for cooking and absolutely supports cardiovascular health. Ready to transform your kitchen and your health? Visit OliveOilDivine.com to discover authentic oils that make every meal both delicious and nourishing, or stop by their store to experience the difference firsthand.

To learn more about Olive Oil Divine visit:
https://oliveoildivine.com/
Olive Oil Divine
2517 N. Roan Street
Johnson City, TN 37601
423-707-7087

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Olive Oil Divine podcast, your go-to source for culinary inspiration. Join Greg and Shirley Muller, owners of Olive Oil Divine, as they share tips, stories and insights to make you a kitchen hero. From authentic extra virgin olive oils to rich-aged Italian balsamic vinegars, We've got everything you need to elevate your cooking. Live divine.

Speaker 2:

Olive oil isn't just delicious, it's packed with health benefits too. But not all olive oils are created equal. Greg and Shirley Muller of Olive Oil Divine break down the nutritional perks and help us understand what to look for in the healthiest options. Welcome back everyone. Skip Monty, co-host slash producer, back here in the studio with Greg Muller of Olive Oil Divine. Greg, how's it going?

Speaker 3:

Hey, skip doing great. Buddy, I appreciate being here and Shirley sends her regards. She's off to on an event for us, but she's here in spirit.

Speaker 2:

Oh, very good. Well, we'll miss her, but hopefully we'll have her back in the next episode. So, in her absence, this is something I wanted to address with her, but I'm sure you can answer the question as well. In our past episodes we've talked about the health benefits of using olive oil. What exactly are the benefits of using olive oil in your cooking?

Speaker 3:

Oh gosh, skip. There's a whole bunch of them, but I'll hit on some of the highlights. You know olive oil is a great cardiovascular health booster. It's rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which can lower the bad LDL cholesterol and raise the good HDL cholesterol. We have a lot of people using it for that, including myself. I use it for blood pressure regulation. It does help regulate blood pressure a little bit. A good, true. Afterwards, olive oil has oleocanthal, which is an anti-inflammatory property that can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It's really a heart-healthy oil. Of course, it's good for bone health. Studies suggest that it may help improve the density and reduce the risk of bone fractures. It's good for the brain. It may enhance cognitive function and protect against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. And of course you can't forget, it's a good gut-healthy oil. The polyphenols in olive oil promote healthy gut microbiome, which can help improve the digestion and reduce certain gastrointestinal issues. So it's just got a lot of good benefits that people are starting to learn about.

Speaker 2:

So I was going to ask what nutrients in olive oil contribute to health benefits. You've mentioned a couple of things Polyphenol does that help not just with gut health, but also you mentioned blood pressure, bone density. Is that the same nutrient drop?

Speaker 3:

Well, the FDA did a study and they determined that seven olives a day will constitute the daily required recommended amount of the nutrients that our bodies need. Just seven olives a day. So God knew what he was doing when he created the olive tree back in the garden. This is centuries ago. He gave us all we need just in one little beautiful round. Green ball of beauty.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. So there's a lot of healthy benefits to olive oil, but does you know I like to drown my bread in olive oil and vinegar balsamic. Does that still count as a healthy choice?

Speaker 3:

Well, absolutely. You know olive oil is probably the healthiest oil out there. Of course, you know it's a good source of vitamin E and antioxidants that support immune function. So eat away all you want, but just remember it's always a good idea and also to keep account of your calories. You know, calories in, calories out. While it's a good oil, you don't want to overdo it on the calories and we list all the calories on the back of our bottle and each one's a little different. But I would say, just do like the people on the back of our bottle, and each one's a little different. But but I would say, just do you like the people on the mediterranean? Do you know you've heard of the mediterranean diet? In europe they go through olive oil 10 to 15 times more than us americans do they?

Speaker 2:

they eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and look how healthy they are, so this has something to say about it, for sure absolutely, absolutely well, you know, something that you hear a lot, just in general, is it's got to be extra virgin olive oil. How does extra virgin compare to other types that aren't extra virgin, and what does that mean?

Speaker 3:

Well, your extra virgin olive oil is going to be the first cold press.

Speaker 3:

That means they've taken that oil that's the closest to the outside of the skin, which is the highest concentrated area of the olive that has the polyphenol that we want. So extra virgin is that first pressing just to get that little bit of oil around the outside, and that's going to be the healthiest and that's called extra virgin. The second pressing is the oil that's a little deeper into the olive and that's usually called virgin olive oil and the polyphenols are going to be much less in that oil. So, yes, you do want the true extra virgin, but you got to be careful buying that in the store. A lot of your major brands and what everybody thinks is a great brand is unfortunately adulterated with other oils but yet labeled extra virgin. There's no laws yet in the United States about truth and labeling with extra virgin olive oil. So the consumer has to be really careful and make sure that they're buying from a trusted source and can get that information easily if they ask for it, which we do provide.

Speaker 2:

Well, what's the biggest olive oil myth? Is there a myth that makes you want to shake a bottle of somebody?

Speaker 3:

There's a couple of them actually. One, of course, is you can't cook with it, which you can, and we've addressed that in another episode. But by all means, cook with it, use it everywhere you want to use it in the kitchen breakfast, lunch and dinner I do. The second one is that the olive oil is not heart healthy, and that's totally untrue. It's probably the healthiest oil out there for your heart. I reference back to the folks in the Mediterranean and over in Newark who eat so much of it and drink so much of it in their daily lives. Look at how healthy they are compared to us over here in the United States.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Well, greg. I know you're an extremely busy guy, so I appreciate your time today to talk about this, and something I'd love to get into in the future is a question that popped up when you were talking about olive oil is how does it compare to seed oils like grape seed oil and avocado was not a seed but avocado oil and that sort of thing. So maybe we can cover that in the next episode.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely Sounds good, All right.

Speaker 2:

Greg, thanks so much and hope you have a blessed rest of the day.

Speaker 3:

Thanks, skip you too. Blessings brother.

Speaker 2:

We will talk soon.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in to the Olive Oil Divine podcast. Thanks for tuning in to the Olive Oil Divine podcast. Don't forget to visit us online at oliveoildivinecom for our exceptional olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars and more. If you're local, stop by our store and discover how we can make you a kitchen hero. Until next time, live divine.