Health Benefits of Olive Oil and Nutritional Information
Olive oil, a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids, is one of the major components of the much touted Mediterranean diet. It has been found that olive oil can increase life expectancy while lowering risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.
Monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFA, is considered an excellent dietary fat, compared to trans fats and saturated fats.
Olive Oil – What is it?
Olive oil is basically a form of fat, which is obtained from the fruit of olive tree (Olea europaea), one of the traditional Mediterranean crops. Whole olives are extracted and pressed to get rich olive oil.
The oil is then used in medicine, cosmetics, soaps and cooking purpose. It was even used to fuel traditional lamps. While its origin is in the Mediterranean countries, olive oil is now used worldwide, especially for cooking.
Greece ranks the highest olive oil consuming country in the world. On an average, Greeks consume 24 liters olive oil per-person-per-year, as per North American Olive Oil Association reports, whereas Italians and Spaniards consume 13 and 15 liters per-person-per-year, respectively.