The Basics of Nutrition and The Role of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Nutrition is a very big field of study. It looks at nutrients in food, how our bodies use them, and the links between diet, good health, and disease.

Because our family is a food producer, it’s not surprising that we also have a great interest in nutrition. Knowing the enormous goodness, the surprising health benefits and protective attributes of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), we like to understand how its fits into the overall picture of what good nutrition looks like.

Everybody is aware of how important fruit and vegetable are for healthy living and the positive effects of a plant based diet. Here we look at some important aspects.

Macronutrients – we need lots of these

Let’s take a look at quantities because we only need tiny amounts of some substances, while we need a lot more of things like carbohydrates – fibre, starch and sugars. Water, fats and proteins are other macronutrients.

Did you know that about 60% of our bodies is water?

Micronutrients – tiny amounts of many beneficial substances

Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals and are essential too but in much smaller quantities.

Minerals like potassium, iron and sodium are vital but only in small or even minute (trace) quantities. Too much salt causes high blood pressure, for example, but we need sodium.

Micronutrients in EVOO

EVOO has practically no carbohydrates but is packed with good, healthy fats. These are the type that our bodies need to stay strong and vigorous.

You can see a full analysis of micronutrients in olive oil in this list of The World’s Healthiest Foods.

Linoleic acid in olive oil

Linoleic acid is important for our brains, bones, skin, heart and reproductive systems. It’s an omega-6 polyunsaturated essential fatty acid that the body cannot produce. Therefore it needs to be consumed to ensure proper brain function, metabolism and development.

It also contributes to proper operation of the cells in our bodies and the structure of cell membranes. Linoleic acid contributes to cell membrane properties such as permeability, flexibility, and fluidity.

Vitamin E in EVOO

Vitamin E is one of the more important vitamins. Many of our internal organs depend on it to function properly.

It is also an antioxidant meaning it helps to retard cell-damage by free radicals, which cause or accelerate damage to nerve cells and can kill cells or cause disease.

You can read more about what Vitamin E does for us here.

Choline in olive oil

Choline was discovered only recently and small amounts are produced by our liver but not enough. We need to consume sources of choline in our diet too.

It is not a mineral or vitamin but a substance that is considered part of the B-vitamin complex because it is so similar. Choline contributes to many aspects of our nervous systems and neurotransmitters, and is a component of the mechanism in our bodies that creates our DNA.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil in our diet

As a key component of the well-known Mediterranean Diet, EVOO is now widely recognised as a very important contributor to healthy eating. In fact, by substituting EVOO for less healthy cooking oils, we can take a big step to better health for our families.

Try it today. Browse our family’s range of genuine true extra virgin olive oil direct from the olive groves of Italy. Order a bottle or two and see what you think. We are sure you will be impressed by the flavours and quality. Now available in Singapore. Click here