Authors: Carol Firenze

The Passionate Olive (10 page)

BOOK: The Passionate Olive

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Now that your home, and everything inside, is sparkling clean and in the best of condition, let’s concentrate on you. Since I was very young, I have always been interested in health—just ask my friends! Staying healthy through natural means is of great importance to me. I love to exercise (sometimes to the annoyance of my friends and family), and I am constantly reading about new ways to stay healthy using natural and easily available ingredients and time-honored folk remedies. In my next chapter, I will share with you information that I have spent nearly a lifetime gathering. Since my school days, I have collected articles and books and magazines on this vitally important topic. As my
nonna
always said, “
Il cibo
costa meno delle
medicine”—“Food’s cheaper than medicine.” I have taken that advice to heart—especially considering that my favorite golden oil figures prominently in much of the present-day research on staying in the best of health.

CHAPTER FOUR
To Your Health!

WHEN MY GRANDFATHER
Nonno
Vincenzo was ninety-four, he gathered his nine grandchildren together and told us that he wanted to travel to Italy one more time. I was thirty-nine at the time. He told us that he would ask one of us to accompany him. My
nonno
selected me, and for three memorable weeks we visited his sister, my great-aunt
zia
Lena, in a small town on the Italian Riviera. Although I had been to Italy many times, this was the first time that I had the opportunity to spend so much time with my great-aunt and the first time that I realized the myriad health benefits of olive oil.

While spending time one evening around the dinner table talking with my grandfather and his sister, I recalled reading that the Greek philosopher Democritus (circa 400 BC; the law of cause and effect is attributed to him) believed that one could live to be one hundred on a diet of honey and olive oil. While I did not hear a great deal about honey from
my grandfather, or from other precentenarian relatives, there were frequent and passionate conversations about olive oil’s many health benefits. My relatives would discuss olive oil as a basis for nutritional meals as well as its many other healthful properties and topical uses.

That trip was almost twenty years ago—a time when I wasn’t too concerned about free radicals, cholesterol, arthritis, or the risk of colon cancer. Today, as an avid antiaging enthusiast, I have conducted my own extensive research on the topic of aging. I believe olive oil is one of the best nutritional gifts we can give ourselves. Throughout the ages, many folk medicine applications of olive oil have been prescribed. Hippocrates prescribed olive oil for curing ailments over twenty-five hundred years ago.

Olive oil is rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K and contains both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Recent medical research indicates that olive oil may lower the level of cholesterol in the body and help to prevent coronary heart disease that other oils and fats may actually cause. It may reduce the likelihood of occurrence of certain cancers and can help to maintain a lower blood pressure. It has been known, in some instances, to alleviate arthritic pain. In addition, olive oil stimulates metabolism, promotes digestion, and lubricates delicate mucous membranes.

Olive oil has been a health potion in the Mediterranean area for about four thousand years. As recently as thirty years ago, olive oil, labeled “oleum,” was often kept behind the counter at pharmacies, along with morphine, syrup of figs, and kaolin. Speaking of figs, in Algeria, they are often crushed in olive oil and then eaten with the intent of totally cleaning the stomach and the colon. This is an amazingly simple home remedy one could easily try.

Because of olive oil’s antioxidant properties, many believe that it can delay the human cell’s natural aging process. Among all other edible fats, olive oil is the most digestible and it permits better absorption of vital liposoluable vitamins. In addition, olive oil aids digestion and helps the body absorb calcium. It also contains the necessary amount of linoleic acid, an essential part of the human diet. Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (of the omega-6 series). It produces a substance (prostaglandin) that is found in every cell and is needed for the body’s overall maintenance of good health. It is a fatty acid that must be replenished constantly. What better way to obtain it than from olive oil!

Many folk remedies, used throughout the centuries and covering a wide variety of ailments, do not involve actually ingesting olive oil. These remedies recommend applying olive oil topically, and the uses range from treating ear complaints to killing head lice to relieving jellyfish stings to soothing a sunburn.

Growing up in California and living near the beach, I was actually never stung by a jellyfish, but I often sunbathed. And, as was the custom when I was a teenager, every summer my girlfriends and I would compete for the best tan. Today, I would never go out in the sun without my U
VA
/U
VB
sunscreen lotion (S
PF
30), but it was much different then! My friends would use baby oil and I would use, what else, olive oil—each of us trying to get the very best and deepest tan possible in the shortest amount of time. Now, we all know it is just not safe to oil up our skin and sunbathe for hours on end.
SO PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS—IT IS NOT ONE OF MY RECOMMENDED USES
! What I do recommend, however, is the topical use of olive oil to soothe the dry skin that all too often results after being in the sun
for long periods of time. Remember, olive oil contains no sunscreen;
do not
use it for sunbathing.

What follows are some additional health uses—some for the inside of the body and some for the outside; they are a combination of folk remedies and recent medical research. If you are interested in obtaining even more research information, the Internet has a great deal of published data available. Do an advanced search on the Internet to find hundreds, if not thousands, of sites, each able to give you some valuable tips. But it’s important to ensure a site is sponsored and maintained by a reliable source. I find that a good starting point for information comes from the California Olive Oil Council (
www.cooc.com
).

On the Inside … Internal

27)
HELP RAISE HDL (GOOD CHOLESTEROL) AND LOWER THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE

Here’s an interesting fact: The rate of heart disease is lower in countries where olive oil is consumed daily. Extra virgin olive oil is recognized as being able to lower cholesterol levels in the body. It contains between 60 and 80 percent monounsaturated fats (oleic acid), which helps to reduce the bad cholesterol (L
DL
) and preserve the good cholesterol (H
DL
). Raising H
DL
(high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is recommended to protect against cardiovascular disease. H
DL
helps remove the cholesterol that clogs arteries by taking it to the liver for elimination.

To lower your cholesterol, at least 15 percent of your
daily calories should come from monounsaturated fatty acids. Whenever possible, use olive oil in place of butter or other vegetable oils in cooking and/or in the preparation of salad dressings and as a dressing for any cooked vegetables.

Dressing a Salad

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Garlic salt or sea salt

Pepper

HOW TO PREPARE

Drizzle your best extra virgin olive oil over salad greens and toss (always drizzle the olive oil first and use only enough olive oil to coat each leaf)
Add a splash of balsamic vinegar
Season lightly with garlic salt or sea salt and pepper to taste
An alternative to garlic salt is to slice a garlic clove and toss in the salad (remove the piece of clove—you want just the taste)

NOTE:
You will notice that I did not state the proportions of olive oil to vinegar; when drizzling your best extra virgin olive oil on a salad, just make sure the oil has lightly coated the leaves and then splash balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste
.

28)
USE AS AN ANTIOXIDANT

Olive oil is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and polyphenols. There are as many as 5 milligrams of antioxidant
polyphenols in every 10 grams of olive oil. Polyphenols have been shown to reduce coronary artery disease and may be the substance involved in actually lowering a person’s blood pressure. Additionally, antioxidants will reduce nitric acid levels, a substance in the body known to raise blood pressure.

Olive oil contains 1.6 milligrams, or 2.3 IU (International Units), of vitamin E (a natural antioxidant) per tablespoon. One tablespoon provides 8 percent of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) for vitamin E, the vitamin that combats the free radicals that damage body cells and tissues and contribute to aging. Olive oil may be one of the finest substances one can use for delaying the aging process. I feel that it is the best nutritional gift we can give ourselves.

29)
CALM THE STOMACH AND HELP THE DIGESTIVE TRACT

Unfortunately, today many people suffer from stomach and digestive problems. The use of olive oil has proven to be a beneficial factor in aiding the functioning of the digestive system, and it is believed to have a soothing effect on the stomach. Its other healthful benefits include the reduction of stomach acid, which can be a cause of stomach ulcers.

Calm the Stomach

Upon rising and before eating anything: Take 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to stimulate digestion

The same remedy can be used to prevent flatulence and heartburn. As you read on, you will see that I refer to this “1 tablespoon upon rising” throughout the book. Just know that taking
only 1 tablespoon
is necessary to enjoy the benefits I outline; no need to take more, unless you want to!

30)
USE AS A NATURAL LAXATIVE

Another positive effect olive oil can have on the digestive system is that it reduces the chance of constipation by aiding in the passage of food through the digestive track and bowel. The mild vegetable mucilage in olive oil protects the body’s digestive tract and acts as a natural laxative. Take extra virgin olive oil alone; if you don’t like the taste (I can’t imagine that!), you may wish to mix it with lemon juice.