Olive garden nutrition

A few facts and figures

Despite what you might read in the popular press, fats and oils are essential in our diet. From our first few mouthfuls of mother's milk (human milk is rich in fat), humans require a diet that is rich in certain essential fatty acids since fat is the main ingredient of the brain and all nerves.

An aside: If you want your child to grow as fast and big as a calf, feed him or her cow's milk. If on the other hand, you want your child to be intelligent, feed the little mite on mother's milk! It's much higher in fat than cow's milk for a very good reason. In fact the poly-unsaturates are a massive five times higher.

Not insignificant is that women who breast feed their babies have a much lower rate of breast cancer too.

A comprehensive study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (October edition), summarising the results of 11 different research projects involving over 7000 children, shows that breastfed infants tested 5.2 IQ points higher than formula fed infants.

1. Saturated fats come mainly from animal origins, though they occur in the plant kingdom too. Coconut oil is high in very nutritious saturated fats. Mainly however, saturated fats are found in meat, dairy products and eggs. Cholesterol is a saturated fat (and, in moderate amounts, is essential to health)

2. Unsaturated fats are found predominantly in oils derived from plants and fish. They too are essential for a healthy body. They may be further subdivided into

• Poly-unsaturated, and

• Mono-unsaturated fats.

The Polys are found in seed oils such as sunflower oil, maize and soyabeans. They are very healthy - until they are hydrogenated, which is what is done to make a runny oil into a solid margarine. It's complex, but in nature there are no 'trans' fatty compounds, which is what 50% of margerine is. It's my considered opinion that margarine is bad for us because the body then builds nerve cells using totally foreign building blocks.

Again, the amount of polys in mother's milk is a massive five times higher than in cow's milk. Brain food.

The Monos are found in the oil rich fruits, especially our humble olive and the avocado. Hence the importance of olive garden nutrition.

In 100 grams of the following oils, there are these percentages:

Oil	Saturates	Polys	Monos
Olive	14	8	74
Avocado	14	?	75
Maize	13	59	24
Soya	14	59	23
Sunflower	10	66	20

The first and immediate concern in cardio-vascular health is that too much saturated fat increases the harmful, so-called LDLs in the bloodstream. Note that all these vegetable oils, both those from seeds and those from fruits, are low in saturated fats.

Saturated fats contain the LDLs that have been associated with the plaque that builds up in the arteries, narrowing their diameter, and hardening them, even more so when associated with smoking. This is called arteriosclerosis. High levels of LDLs are associated with high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Some saturated fat is necessary, but with caution. It's all about balance.

On the other hand, low levels of HDLs are also associated with cardio-vascular disease.

Eating unsaturated oils like sunflower and olive oil do not raise the bad LDLs, like butter and meat do, but the great - and here relevant - advantage of Olive and Avocado oils is that a change to them will lower bad LDLs but NOT lower the good HDLs. Polys on the other hand do lower the levels of the health giving HDLs in the blood, which obviously is not good.

Polyunsaturated fats are better for us that than saturated fats, but not as good as Monounsaturated fats. Olive oil is better than sunflower oil. Having said that, it's interesting that mother's milk is very rich in polys.

Just as significant is that olive oil is almost entirely cold pressed and extracted these days, with high powered centrifuges, whereas the seed oils are usually solvent extracted, with much heat applied. Thinking more healthy fats? Then think olive garden nutrition.

Complex? Yes! Just accept: animal fats are okay in limited amounts, and in fact some cholesterol is essential for neurotransmitters in the brain and the nerves. Seed oils are better, if cold pressed, than animal fats but the fruit oils, from olives and avocados are the best. These latter two fats do not raise the dangerous fats in your blood, neither do they lower the good ones. For more about cholesterol,

Click here.

Fish oil is also excellent.

Interestingly, the pectin in apples, plums and other fruit also lowers LDLs without lowering the HDLs. For more info about the amazing apple, Click here.

Seven Country Study

What is confusing is that Dr Keys used the study to promote his theory that high cholesterol is the cause of heart disease. However, his very own study showed that West Finland, with the same cholesterol levels as adjacent North Karelia, had a much lower level of coronary heart disease (but still twice that of Crete.)

We have yet to hear the end of the cholesterol-mono-poly-unsaturates story, but consensus has it that we should limit animal fat, and increase the use of olive oil. Thus we recommend moderate use of butter over margarine, because of hydrogenation.

Tip: Olive oil on bread is delicious, if you are having cheese, salads or dips with your bread. Not so good with bread and honey! The queen was in her parlour ... she uses butter rather!

Sign up for CHIROPRACTIC TIPS. It's a free series of emails, once every two weeks so you don't get info-overload, about general health. For more info, Click here.

"In the same way as the tree bears the same fruit year after year, but each time new fruit, all lastingly valuable ideas in thinking must always be reborn."

Albert Schweitzer

The Mediterranean Diet

• whole grain cereals. (Try our Olive Bread recipe.)
  
  
• legumes

• vegetables, salads and fruit,

• high consumption of olive oil.

Moderate use of:

• dairy products

• fish and poultry and eggs several times a week

and low

• red meat consumption

For more about the benefits of the olive oil, Click here.

AVOCADOS, first cousin to the olive in our Olive Garden Nutrition parade.

The avo is also rich in water soluble fibre, so is good for constipation, just another good reason for it to find a place in our Olive Garden Nutrition parade, but because of its high kJ I would recommend rather the beetroot and the apple for that particular misery.

The avocado is full of iron and rich in vitamin E, a natural antioxidant. As one wag said, to stop the iron rusting!

Total fat, even the healthy fats, should only be eaten in moderation. Believe it or not, they are fattening! The only exception is for babies who are fattening their brains, and interesting research being done on serious neurological diseases like ALS and Parkinsons. Sufferers will benefit from being on a high fat diet, with very limited carbohydrate to produce ketosis. For more about that, Click here.

Stuffed Vine Leaves

Ingredients for your experiment with Olive Garden Nutrition !

1. 20 grapevine leaves

2. 2 cups brown rice and a handful of lentils

3. 2 cups grated onion

4. 2 grated zuccinis

5. A few TBSP of chopped mint (or parsley)

6. 2 TBSP lemon juice

7. 1 lemon sliced

8. 1 cup olive oil

9. 1/2 cup of sliced, pitted green olives.

Preparation

1. Dip half a dozen vine leaves at a time into boiling water for a couple of minutes (so they don't stick)

2. Boil the grated onion and some salt in a little water until tender and the water has evaporated. Add half the olive oil and saute lightly.

3. Mix the onion, uncooked rice, grated zuccinis, mint, sliced olives, salt and pepper.

4. Place a TBSP of the mix onto a vine leaf, and roll making a small parcel.

5. Lay a couple of vine leaves on the bottom of a large pot and place the stuffed leaves in a circular fashion, with the lemon slices here and there. Add lemon juice and remaining oil. Cover with a small plate to keep the vine leaves tightly wrapped.

6. Add three cups of warm water, cover the pot and boil gently. Test one after half an hour. Add more water if the rice isn't quite cooked. DONT LET THEM BURN!

It's all about Olive Garden Nutrition. Don't forget the Greek salad! Variation: Instead of the zuccini, use half a kilo of mincemeat and a couple chopped tomatoes. Add another chopped onion and tomato on top of the parcels before placing the plate on them. The Mediterranean peoples are great on Olive Garden Nutrition. That's why they live longer, healthier lives. Those that don't smoke.

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