Can You Drink Olive Oil?
Many people have probably heard that consuming olive oil can be beneficial for our health, but is it possible to drink olive oil?
In this post, we’ll explore this question as well as covering the health benefits of doing so and ideas to help you consume more olive oil. Keep reading to find out more.
The Health Benefits Of Drinking Olive Oil
Including more olive oil in your diet can be a great way to help boost your overall health and wellbeing. There are many benefits to your health that olive oil can provide, and some of the healthiest countries in the world, such as Italy, consume high levels of it.
Olive oil contains anti-inflammatory properties, which can help with reducing swelling and pain of injuries naturally. Boosting your intake of olive oil if you suffer from an injury, a condition such as arthritis, or if you’re recovering from surgery can help with reducing swelling and boosting healing.
The Mediterranean diet, which includes high levels of olive oil, is also believed to be linked to lower rates of heart disease and strokes. This is due to it helping to improve the lining of the blood vessels and preventing blood clots.
It also helps to reduce blood pressure, a leading factor in the development of heart disease. Olive oil is also believed to help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as it helps to control blood sugar levels and the body’s ability to regulate insulin.
It’s even believed to hold cancer-fighting properties due to its high level of antioxidants, which help combat cancer-causing cells.
The Recommended Amount Of Olive Oil To Drink Per Day
It is recommended that you 35 grams of olive oil a day in order to get the most benefits, and this is based on a 2000 calorie per day diet.
However, some might wish to consume slightly more than this if they are consuming more calories or want to boost their olive oil intake.
An easy way to measure your intake of olive oil is to use tablespoons. For most people, 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a day is sufficient for you to gain the health benefits it has to offer.
Ways To Consume More Olive Oil
Of course, most people might find the idea of consuming neat olive oil straight off the spoon a little off-putting. Thankfully, it’s easy to add olive oil into a variety of food, so you can still get all the health benefits from it but in a more palatable manner.
For example, if you want to make your olive oil intake even healthier, you can add it as part of a dressing for a salad or drizzle over tomatoes with some balsamic vinegar for bruschetta.
You can even incorporate olive oil into baking a sweet treat when making cakes. However, perhaps one of the most common uses for olive oil is as a way of frying in a pan or cooking in the oven.
Only a small amount is needed (2-3 teaspoons), and it helps to stop food from sticking to the pan when cooking as well as adding subtle flavour. It’s a healthier alternative to cooking with other things such as butter or lard and provides more health benefits.
Olive oil is the perfect choice for frying onions in a pan or baking potatoes in the oven. There is also the option to consume live oil in the form of supplements pills if you are struggling to add it to your food for the day. It is often advertised under its powerful antioxidant property, omega-3 fatty acid.
Different Types And Qualities Of Olive Oil
There are different forms of olive oil, and they can also differ in their level of quality. The most expensive olive oils tend to be extra virgin olive oil, as it’s the rawest form of olive oil and holds the best health and flavour benefits.
The process involves simply pressing the olives to release the oil and does not involve heating or exposure to chemicals. Different oils may vary slightly in flavour, depending on the time of year the olives are harvested.
Extra virgin olive oil tends to be golden coloured or have a slight green tinge to it. This type of oil is best used as a dipping oil for bread with some balsamic vinegar or as a dressing, as it allows you to appreciate the purity and quality of the flavour the best.
The next type of oil is virgin olive oil. This varies from an extra virgin as it is not of quite as high a quality, and the flavour tends not to be quite as pure. Then you have regular olive oil, which is more refined than virgin or extra virgin olive oils.
The flavour and quality are of the lowest quality, but it is still very useful as an oil for cooking with or where its flavour is not quite as important or needed, such as with frying or searing.
Light olive oils are not lower in calories but rather in flavour. They tend to be half refined oil and half virgin oil. This makes the flavour less intense and again is used where its flavour is of less value.
You can also choose to add extra flavours to olive oil by infusing it with different ingredients such as garlic, rosemary, and citrus fruit such as orange, to help give your dressings more dimension.
The process for obtaining the oil from olives has changed little over thousands of years, especially when it comes to extra virgin olive oil.
Mills are used to crush the olives and release the oil, which is then passed through a kind of sieve to help remove any solid parts of the olive and provide a smooth, clean oil.
It’s important that olive oils are packed and stored in an airtight bottle where the oxygen has been removed, as if too much oxygen can enter the bottle, it can turn the oil rancid.
Summary
To sum up, you absolutely can drink olive oil, and there are many health benefits to doing so. Olive oil has anti inflammatory properties, lowers blood pressure and is believed to reduce your risk of heart disease.
For a 2000 calorie diet, is recommended you consume around 35 grams of olive oil per day. Olive oil can be consumed as a dressing, or can be used for frying or baking.
Extra virgin olive oil is the purest and most flavoursome form of olive oil, and works particularly well as a salad dressing.
For a high quality olive oil you can drink or cook with, check out our award-winning Greek olive oil selection HERE
