As many people plan to make some major changes to their diets this week with the new year dawning, one expert-recommended swap may be a far easier starting block. As part of the Best of Zoe podcast wrap-up, host Jonathan Wolf looked back on his chat with olive oil mogul Elizabeth Berger and Professor Tim Spector.
The nutrition expert highlighted a 2018 study that showed the staggering health benefits of olive oil ranging from reducing heart disease, strokes and breast cancer risks significantly. However, Brits aren’t getting nearly enough of the Mediterranean favourite to benefit from it.
Professor Tim praised the study as a “huge logistical exercise” providing participants with four tablespoons of olive oil every day, but highlighted the disparity as the average Brit barely goes through one bottle a year. Initially, the Spanish study was brought under some scrutiny due to Spain’s stake in the olive oil industry, but when the trial was repeated in the United States it found that regularly consuming olive oil had a symphony of health benefits and lowered risk of stroke by a staggering 41%.
The expert urged people to start adding olive oil to their diets, but ideally not in their cooking, rather drizzled over foods as a dressing on the likes of salad and fish. Professor Tim also revealed a personal swap he uses in his own diet: “I hardly use butter at all, I reach for the olive oil every time."
Olive oil expert Elizabeth also recommended pairing your morning marmalade on toast with a layer of olive oil which she dubbed “extremely good for your health but also for the flavour” or using it as a fat substitute when you’re baking or making granola. The expert pointed out that although olive oil tends to lose some of its nutrients when it gets heated up, it improves the nutritional value of the food it’s cooking.
Not all olive oils are created equal, the Frantoi founder noted the best ones for your health is the extra virgin variety with a light filtration and stored in dark glass. She explained light exposure can cause the olive oil to degrade over time and while unfiltered olive oil may “look very authentic” the sediment in it “will start to oxidise the oil” over time.
Explaining what makes olive oil specifically so special, Elizabeth pointed to the polyphenols, which can improve cardiovascular health, blood sugar, immune system and reduce inflammation and chronic disease risk. She shared: “There are 36 known polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil, if you were to compare that to coconut oil for example there are six.”
