The Israeli olive oil guru

Israel21c ^

[ddtorque]

Olive oil is in the news, and the news is good. Last week's findings by Northwestern University in Chicago that olive oil can help fight breast cancer, is just the latest of many health benefits that have been shown to be derived from this oldest of medicinal foods.

"Our findings underpin epidemiological studies that show that the Mediterranean diet has significant protective effects against cancer, heart disease and ageing," said the study's lead author, Javier Menendez, of Northwestern University's Feinberg medical school.

One of the few non-drug products that has gained FDA approval, olive oil was attributed by the agency at the end of 2004 with being able decrease the risk of coronary heart disease.

Israelis, who long ago made olive oil a staple in their diet, are no strangers to the benefits of olive oil, and two in particular - Dr. Shaul Eger and Professor Ishak Neeman are leading the way in developing olive oil-derived products aimed at enabling people to live healthier lives.

A visit to Egers Farms in Yokneam near Haifa, run by Eger - coined the "guru" of Israeli olive oil - provides ample evidence at the wide-ranging scope which the ancient oil can be utilized.

"More than 20 diseases are caused by oil malnutrition," Eger told ISRAEL21c, adding that cardiac and digestive problems as well as a host of other ills are on the list that includes post-partum depression, ADHD, dandruff, loss of hair, and skin diseases such as psoriasis.

"It is finally recognized that food kills. A low-fat diet can be harmful because we need essential oils. The human nervous system is oil dependent, and it is one of the first to deteriorate when deprived of essential oil."

[ddtorque]

this (also from the Holy Land) is the olive oil I like.

[cyborg]

ping

[Coleus]

Thanks, I have to start using it again. It's great to purge gall stones, I know people who used it along with lemon juice to do that.

[cyborg]

olive oil and lemon juice in the morning with some water... I'm trying to stop drinking coffee. It makes a difference, the lemon juice and olive oil.

[Welsh Rabbit]

How much olive oil should one consume?

[cyborg]

If you want to do a nice little morning detox teaspoon of olive oil with half a lemon squeezed in a glass of warm water. Very nice. Otherwise, a table or two a day is great. I use a little more but everyone is different.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Welsh Rabbit]

Thanks, and by an odd coincidence lemons and olive oil are about the only thing I happen to have in my kitchen right now (besides some leftover Chinese takeout and expired milk).

[tortoise]

I am very picky about my olive oil, but we certainly do not consume too little in this household. It is our primary oil for everything, and has been for years. You cannot use it for everything (e.g. pan-frying fish), but you can use it for most things and canola oil covers the rest.

And you do not need to convince me for health reasons; high-quality virgin olive oil tastes great. It is amazing how we've come full circle, with all the "bad things" (vegetable fats, wine, chocolate, etc) being not just not harmful but strongly beneficial. All of which suggests that most mainstays of the human diet that survive a few centuries of common consumption are probably pretty okay for the human body. Forget the synthetic highly processed foods, if it is tasty and humans have lived well on it for hundreds of years, it is probably good for you, neutral at worst.

Even the damn nutritionists are trying their hands at social engineering.

[Coleus]

How much olive oil should one consume? >>

for general health practices or to purge gallstones?

[Welsh Rabbit]

General health.

[Coleus]

1-2 tbsp. per day of extra virgin olive oil. I take it straight up but you can mix it with salad or other items.

[Clemenza]

Israeli olive oil is good, although my fave is still Horio from Greece, which is impossible to get on the West Coast.

[Clemenza]

bttt

[Oystir]

How much olive oil should one consume?


Try cod liver oil

[Welsh Rabbit]

Thanks.

[Welsh Rabbit]

I do take cod liver capsules everyday along with an antioxidant cocktail.

[Welsh Rabbit]

What's your opinion on unpasteurized apple cider vinegar? I've been thinking about drinking some as part of my daily routine, however most of the good stuff I've read about it have come from the vinegar producers.

[Coleus]

Personally, I've used Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar with natural "mother" myself. It's unpasteurized which can lead to an e. coli infection if the batch is infected, it's probably a one in a million chance but the threat is still there.

Vinegar contains potassium, is good for the joints and your digestive system.

http://www.bragg.com/products/applecidervinegar.html

[Trajan88]

Olive oil, garlic, & linguine = heaven to this American (of Italian heritage).

Keeps the vampires away too :-)

Trajan88