“Mediterranean diet” is an eating approach that people who live in regions around the Mediterranean Sea have naturally adopted in the 1960s, (especially the south of Greece, Crete and Italy) that grew olive trees. The main oil source for this eating approach is with extra virgin olive oil. At that time, "Seven Countries Study" proved that the death rate in the Mediterranean region, due to coronary heart disease, is 2-3 times lower than in North Europe and the United States. This is due to the consumption of olive oil with their snacks and hot meals.
WHAT IS THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET?
The Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, whole grains, potatoes, legumes, nuts and seeds. Dairy products such as cheese and yogurt, fish, shellfish, seafood and poultry are consumed in low or medium quantities, while a small amount of red and processed meat is eaten, and the egg is consumed up to four times a week. It also reduces the need for aromatic salt and oil by the common use of herbs and spices.
IT'S ALSO A LIFESTYLE
Extra virgin olive oil is traditionally produced, marketed locally and often consumed shortly after harvest. The Mediterranean diet also emphasizes other important aspects of a healthy lifestyle including, being social, acting mindfully, and engaging in physical activity. Beyond the many benefits of the Mediterranean diet as a healthier lifestyle choice, the environmental impact is quite low.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL IS A BIOACTIVE FOOD
The most important feature of the Mediterranean diet is the choice of foods that is high in unsaturated fatty acids and low in saturated fatty acids. The main source of oil for this diet is extra virgin olive oil. The health benefits of high quality foods and positive effects on other aspects of health are related to the consumption of extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is considered as bioactive food.Olive oil consumption affects physiological and cellular activity, which positively affects health. Olive oil consumption regulates inflammation, helps with treating cancer, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, neurological disorders, osteoporosis and supports the immune system.
Extra virgin olive oil is featured on the bottom part of the food pyramid. Thus, it is one of the food items that you need to consume in larger amounts. When it comes to consuming fats, it is not so much the amount of fat that you eat that is important, but rather, the type of fat.Bad fats are saturated fats and can be found from animal sources. Good fats are unsaturated fats, and they are known to have several health benefits such as lowering cholesterol levels, decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease, and reducing inflammation in the body. Olive oil is an example of unsaturated fats, and extra virgin olive oil is the best type.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL CAN BE USED FOR ALL KINDS OF MEALS
In the regions of the Mediterranean that traditionally produce extra virgin olive oil, it is used regularly, on a daily basis from fries to salads, oven dishes to desserts. Extra virgin olive oil is the best choice for any cooking style with its high polyphenolic antioxidants and other useful vitamins that dissolves with it. Cooking with extra virgin olive oil, makes the digestion easier for human body and also helps absorbing all the beneficial ingredients. Fish and seafoods are much healthier if they are cooked with olive oil, because the combination of fish and extra virgin olive oil cooked together allows the body to absorb vitamin E and polyphenols at a higher rate. While cooking with extra virgin olive oil, it reacts with food to produce new compounds, enriches it with different constituents, it also protects food components from oxidation and degradation.
https://www.thenewbutler.com/the-importance-of-extra-virgin-olive-oil-in-the-mediterranean-diet/
https://oldwayspt.org/blog/extra-virgin-olive-oil-core-mediterranean-diet
https://nycancer.com/blog/2021/06/03/olive-oil-key-component-mediterranean-diet/#
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31817038/
https://dokam.itu.edu.tr/biyoaktif-bilesenler-ve-saglik-etkileri/
Akdeniz Diyeti, Dr. Simon Poole & Judy Ridgway, Alfa Yayınları, Şubat 2019