Food is a pleasure, a comfort, a celebration and the fuel that gets us through the day. Food delights all our senses. We are born to eat! So why the love-hate relationship and the losing battle? Mostly because we are not eating the foods our body needs. Calories count, but it is nutrients that crush hunger.
Food is a pleasure, a comfort, a celebration and the fuel that gets us through the day. Food delights all our senses. We are born to eat! So why the love-hate relationship and the losing battle? Mostly because we are not eating the foods our body needs. Calories count, but it is nutrients that crush hunger.
Olive Oil - may be better for you, but that does not mean it is good for you.
Olive Oil
​
-
Is not a healthy food
-
Is not good for your heart
-
Is extremely calorie dense and nutrient poor
One of the nice things about eating healthy foods is the virtuous feeling that you are doing something good for your body. Olive oil has achieved the status of a health food, and unfortunately it is undeserved. Olive oil is not good for you. No oils are good for you. And now you know.
​
So how did this happen? Why are we so misinformed about olive oil?
​
Research on olive oil has been undertaken in the context of the Mediterranean diet and in studies looking the body's response to olive oil in isolation. Needless to say, the Mediterranean diet has received the most publicity and promotion insofar as it reduces the risk of strokes, heart attacks and deaths. And that much is true, the traditional Mediterranean diet - high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and fish - does result in less chronic disease. Unfortunately this healthier outcome has been unfairly attributed to the consumption of olive oil.
​
Because when we look at olive oil in isolation, the health outcomes are not nearly as positive. While olive oil may improve your good cholesterol and reduce your bad cholesterol relative to saturated fats, it is still damaging your arteries. In fact, there is evidence that it does the same amount of damage as bad saturated fat. Consuming olive oil impairs artery dilation which reduces the ability to transport blood around the body. Over time this contributes to clogging in the arteries and that is definitely not good for your heart. Add to this that all oils increase inflammation and inflammatory substances in the blood promote plaque growth in your arteries. Your heart suffers.
​
Oils are the most calorie dense foods on the planet with over 4,000 calories per pound (vs vegetables at 100 calories per pound). A tablespoon of olive oil means adding 120 calories to your meal. That is an additional 120 calories with only 30mg of polyphenols, the antioxidant plant compounds that are associated with better heart health. Just 11 calories of leafy greens delivers the same amount without the unwanted calories. Unwanted calories that lead to weight gain which is again not good for your heart. Fact, there are no nutrients in olive oil that cannot be better sourced in whole foods.
​
So hold the olive oil to protect your heart and your waistline.
​
​