OLIVE OIL BENEFITS...olive oil weight loss, cooking with olive oil, and olive oil health products

In many areas of the world it's an essential cooking ingredient and this amazing oil is not only healthy, but also adds a unique flavor when used at its peak of freshness.

OLIVE OIL WEIGHT LOSS

It's no secret that consuming high quality fat is essential to weight loss.

It is fats like virgin olive oil that fuel the fires that consume complex carbohydrates and that is another of the many benefits of regular olive oil use.

There have been countless studies done that have pointed out that replacing saturated fats with a product like olive oil will result in lower "bad" cholesterol.

At the same time it will increase the "good" cholesterol. It is a win win situation. A fat that is good for you and tastes great as well.

Olive oil benefits are more likely to be realized if one maintains a diet rich in quality complex carbohydrates, other quality fats like coconut oil, optimum levels of protein, and at the same time practices a regular fitness regimen to compliment the diet.

Olive oil benefits like weight loss are easy to realize because of it's amazing versatility in the kitchen and how simply it can be incorporated into everyday cooking.

There are many countries where no kitchen is considered complete without olive oil.

OLIVE OIL HEALTH AND THE HEART

The fact that olive oil is extremely beneficial for the heart is widely accepted by health officials and olive oil has long been promoted as a heart healthy food along with the numerous other olive oil benefits.

It's no coincidence that countries such as Greece and Italy have a lower incidence of heart disease than most of the world.

This is mainly due in no small part to the consumption of olive oil. High quality virgin olive oil is comprised of up to 85% mono-unsaturated fats.

Olive oil benefits are also credited with the longevity of the populations of the world where olive oil is widely used. People seem to live longer, healthier lives when as olive oil diet is a way of life.

Olive oil has also been shown to provide protection against several forms of cancer including breast cancer and prostate cancer.

That fact alone should convince many people to replace poorer choice saturated fats with the higher quality virgin olive oils.

ATHLETES AND OLIVE OIL

A study published in the journal "Lipids" discovered the potent benefits that can come with regular olive oil consumption.

Several groups were tested and the study focused on comparing iso-caloric diets that had one slight difference from each other. That difference was the fat source.

The test was conducted over a two month period and it was discovered that the group that consumed olive oil for fat had much higher level of testosterone than the other test groups.

In effect, the olive oil was allowing cells to take in higher levels of cholesterol and in turn, convert that same cholesterol into testosterone. This is good news for athletes as testosterone is essential to muscle re-growth.

Testosterone also plays a large part in boosting energy levels. So if someone is doing some serious triathlon training, then it's really a no-brainer to add a good quality olive oil to the every-day diet.

What could be better? Build muscle, recover from work-outs much quicker, and gain endurance. What triathlete could not benefit from the diet and these olive oil benefits?

I used olive oil for many years during my peak years of triathlon training and will continue to use virgin olive oil whether I am competing or not.

Just the health benefits are enough to convince me to include it in my diet on a daily basis. Why not? As well as being healthy it tastes great and adds flavor to a wide variety of recipes.

OLIVE OIL PRODUCTS

Products that just say olive oil are normally inferior choices and do not provide the same benefits of the virgin olive oils. Care should be taken when reading the labels on olive oil products.

It might be true that most types of olive oil products are great sources of monounsaturated fat, but of all olive oil health products, Extra Virgin Olive Oil contains much higher quanitites of antioxidants. At the top of the list is Vitamin E and Phenols.

This is because Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the least processed of all the olive oil health products and is actually from the very "first press" of the olives.

It may be more expensive, but if you want the very best in taste and health benefits from your olive oil choice than this is the oil for you.

Freshness is of utmost importance and often a bottling date can be found on the product. Even after just a few months the quality and benefits of virgin olive oil may be compromised.

So if you want to get the most out of your endurance training, it's ultimately your diet during training and racing that could provide the biggest positive or negative determining factors in the final outcome of all your hard work.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, "it's sad to see someone train their hearts out all year and then let their poor diet choices undermine all the work they have done.

Choose superior quality complex carbs, protein, and a great fat like Extra Virgin Olive Oil to your diet and realize not only the olive oil benefits, but also the benefits of making the ideal diet choices as an endurance athlete.

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