Glorious Artisan Bakery, providing the best extra virgin olive oil in the Spokane Washington area.Click Here to look at our selection of ultra pure extra virgin Olive Oils
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Glorious Artisan Bread has over a dozen varieties of ultra pure extra virgin olive oil, fresh, from all over the world. We are expanding our line to include even more.
The tagline of Glorious is: Simple. Natural. Made with Love.
Location: 1516 W. Riverside Avenue, Spokane, Washington, 99201
Phone: (509) 720-7546
Hours: Mon Closed, Tue Closed, Wed 11am - 7pm, Thu 11am - 7pm, Fri 11am - 7pm, Sat 11am - 7pm, Sun 10am-5pm
There are many places to purchase extra virgin olive oil in Spokane, but Glorious Artisan Bakery offers some of the most pure, freshest, and delicious olive oils in the region.
What is olive oil?
The olive was native to Asia Minor and spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean basin 6,000 years ago. It is among the oldest known cultivated trees in the world - being grown before the written language was invented. It was being grown on Crete by 3,000 BC and may have been the source of the wealth of the Minoan kingdom. The Phoenicians spread the olive to the Mediterranean shores of Africa and Southern Europe. Olives have been found in Egyptian tombs from 2,000 years BC. The olive culture was spread to the early Greeks then Romans. As the Romans extended their domain they brought the olive with them.
1,400 years ago the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, advised his followers to apply olive oil to their bodies, and himself used oil on his head. The use of oil is found in many religions and cultures. It has been used during special ceremonies as well as a general health measure. During baptism in the Christian church, holy oil, which is often olive oil, may be used for anointment. At the Christmas mass, olive oil blessed by the bishop, "chrism", is used in the ceremony. Like the grape, the Christian missionaries brought the olive tree with them to California for food but also for ceremonial use. Olive oil was used to anoint the early kings of the Greeks and Jews. The Greeks anointed winning athletes. Olive oil has also been used to anoint the dead in many cultures.
The olive trees on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem are reputed to be over 2000 years old, still relative newcomers considering the long domestication of the olive. We don't know the exact variety of the trees on the Mount. Man has manipulated the olive tree for so many thousands of years that it is unclear what varieties came from which other varieties. Varieties in one country have been found to be identical to differently named varieties in another. Some research is now being done using gene mapping techniques to figure out the olive family tree. Shrub-like "feral" olives still exist in the Middle East and represent the original stock from which all other olives are descended.
In the past several hundred years the olive has spread to North and South America, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
Information About Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Currently Spain produces around 36% of the worlds olive oil, followed by Italy with 25% and Greece with 18%. (“Produces” is a relative term as many olives are sent to these countries from surrounding countries to be pressed and bottled in Italy (Greece or Spain) to obtain a “Made in Italy” label. A much smaller % is actually grown, harvested, pressed, bottled and available for mass sales from these countries.) The other 21% includes Australia, Brazil, Chili, South America and California- Go USA! Many of our California based Olive Oils are bringing home Gold and Silver medals from International competitions – beating out Italian, Greek, Moroccan and Spanish Olive Oils in both chemistry (think health benefits) and taste!
There are 4 main grades of Olive Oil:
1. Extra Virgin: Olives are picked and cold pressed. The juice that comes out is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is high in nutrients, color and has a very flavorful taste. BELLA BALSAMIC &THE PRESSED OLIVE SELLS ONLY ULTRA PREMIUM CERTIFIED EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS
*Ultra Premiums exceed the standards for Extra Virgin! If Extra Virgin Olives Oils were in High School and they were your 4.0 students, Ultra Premiums would be the Valedictorian’s of the class!
2. Virgin: Olives are put into a second press, sometimes heat is added to extract more oil (heat destroys nutrients). The resulting second press oil is called Virgin. It has medium nutrition, a lighter color and less flavors.
3. Pure: Olives are gathered up and heat and chemicals (which also deplete nutrients) are added to extract even more oil. This press is called pure. This oil retains only trace amounts of nutrition, color and flavors.
4. Refined: Refined oils are what is left after “pure”, which, along with the rotten,bug and rodent infested olives, are sent to a refinery, processed with HIGH heat and LOTS of chemicals (including Lye) so all traces of mold, mildew, bacteria, flavor, color and nutrition are removed. These oils are then mixed with other processed oils (soybean, canola, corn, etc). What you are left with is the colorless, odorless, flavorless (and nutrition-less) dead oil most Americans think is Olive Oil. A small portion of Extra Virgin Olive Oil may be added back in, and the resulting product gets labeled “Extra Virgin Olive Oil”, packed in gallon jugs and sent to America to be sold in big name stores! Why? Because there are no FDA regulations currently and no-one checks!! (Read “Extra Virginity- The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil” by Tom Mueller for more in depth information. )
More Technical Information:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)includes at least 9 different categories of polyphenols (antioxidants) and more than 2 dozen well researched anti inflammatory nutrients. In heart patients, EVOO has been determined to lower blood levels of C-reactive proteins (CRP). Thanks to its status in the Mediterranean diet, and extensive research on its unique phytonutrient composition, EVOO has become a legendary culinary oil with very difficult to match health benefits. Among its extensive list of phytonutrients, no single category of nutrients is more important than its polyphenols. The polyphenol count of our delicious oils are truly amazing!!
EVOO supports blood vessels by providing anti-inflammatory anti-oxidants including Vitamin E and Beta Kerotine. Olive Oil and Olives
Some additional benefits of EVOO
* Contains 75% Oleic Acid (monounsaturated Omega-9 fatty acid)
* Decreases total blood cholesterol
* Decreases blood pressure
* Decreases oxidative stess in the blood
* Decreases inflammation
* Decreases blood platelet clumping
* Decreases LDL
* Increases bone formation
* Increases cognitive benefits
* Increases fat loss
* Contains cancer fighting benefits
The health benefits of olives -- and associated natural products such as olive oil -- have long been recognized and touted by proponents of the Mediterranean diet.
However, little was previously known about what specific compounds and biochemical interactions in the fruit contribute to its medical and nutritional benefits such as weight loss and prevention of type 2 diabetes.
A Virginia Tech research team discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism. The same compound also detoxifies another signaling molecule called amylin that over-produces and forms harmful aggregates in type 2 diabetes. In these two distinct ways, oleuropein helps prevent the onset of disease.
The findings were recently published in the journal Biochemistry as a Rapid Report, which is reserved for timely topics of unusual interest, according to the journal.
"Our work provides new mechanistic insights into the long-standing question of why olive products can be anti- diabetic," said Bin Xu, lead author, assistant professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a Fralin Life Science Institute affiliate. "We believe it will not only contribute to the biochemistry of the functions of the olive component oleuropein, but also have an impact on the general public to pay more attention to olive products in light of the current diabetes epidemic."
The discovery could help improve understanding of the scientific basis of health benefits of olive products and develop new, low-cost nutraceutical strategies to fight type 2 diabetes and related obesity.
Next steps include testing the compound in a diabetic animal model and investigation of additional new functions of this compound, or its components, in metabolism and aging.
From CNN Health: Nutritionists have long touted the heart-healthy benefits of extra-virgin olive oil.
Recently, researchers found that consuming a Mediterranean diet heavy in olive oil can help lower some heart risks. Consuming more than four tablespoons a day can significantly lower your risk of having a heart attack, suffering from a stroke or dying of heart disease, according to the recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Olive oil is high in a type of fat known as monounsaturated fat, according to the Mayo Clinic. MUFAs, as they're commonly called, can help lower your cholesterol and control insulin levels in the body. In addition to olive oil, they can be found in avocados, nuts and fatty fish.
Of course, that doesn't mean you can go overboard. Even though it's made of "healthy fats," olive oil is still high in calories and should be used in moderation. Here are five things you might not know about this Mediterranean staple:
It helps more than your heart. Olive oil is full of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that helps protect your cells from damage. Certain polyphenols also have anti-inflammatory properties.
Scientists have been exploring the effects these polyphenols may have on bone and digestive health as well as looking into how they could help prevent cancer. Other researchers are looking into olive oil's potential for improving cognitive function and memory.
This article from Medical News Today was published in 2017.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266258.php
Olive oil, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, is a major component of the Mediterranean diet.
Populations from that region have longer life expectancies and lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, compared with North Americans and Northern Europeans.
Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are considered a healthy dietary fat, as opposed to saturated fats and trans fats.
What is olive oil?
Olive oil and olives
Olives are a popular and healthful fruit.
Olive oil is a fat obtained from the fruit of the Olea europaea (olive tree), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean region. Whole olives are pressed to produce this distinctive oil.
The oil is used in cosmetics, medicine, cooking, and soaps, and was also used as a fuel for traditional lamps. Olive oil originally came from the Mediterranean, but today it is used worldwide.
In the diet, olives can be eaten whole or chopped and added to pizzas and other dishes.
The oil can be used as a dip for bread, for frying, or as a salad dressing. Some people even consume it by the small glassful for medicinal purposes.
Benefits
Over the last 50 years, many studies have looked at the health benefits of olive oil.
Olive oil and the cardiovascular system
Olive oil is the main source of dietary fat in the Mediterranean diet. There appears to be a lower death rate from cardiovascular diseases in the Mediterranean area, compared with other parts of the world.
A review of studies carried out in Barcelona, Spain, looked at the biological and clinical effects of olive oil.
Results suggested that people who regularly consume olive oil are less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, and hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels).
Olive oil intake also appears to help reduce inflammation, endothelial dysfunction (problems with the inner linings of blood vessels), thrombosis, and carbohydrate metabolism.
Frying with olive oil and heart disease risk
People who regularly eat foods fried in olive oil or sunflower oil do not have a higher risk of heart disease or premature death, researchers from Madrid, in Spain, reported in the BMJ.
The scientists surveyed 40,757 adults aged from 26 to 69 years over an 11-year period. They focused on cooking methods and dietary habits. None of the participants had heart disease when the study started.
The researchers concluded:
"In a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death."
Fried meals were defined as food that had only been prepared by frying it. Participants were also asked whether their fried food was sautéed, battered, or crumbed.
Frying in extra virgin olive oil may enable food to retain more of their nutrients than boiling, according to research published by the University of Granada in 2016. The scientists say that phenols from the olive oil transfer to foods, making them more healthful.
In 2017, another study found that olive oil is more stable and less likely to change the nutritional value of food that is fried in it, compared with sunflower oil.
Olive oil may help prevent stroke
Scientists in France concluded that olive oil may prevent stroke in older people.
The team found that older people who regularly used olive oil for cooking and salad dressing or with bread had a 41-percent lower risk of stroke, compared with those who never consumed it.
The researchers suggested that olive oil might be a cheap and easy way to prevent stroke, a common problem in older people.
Depression risk and olive oil
People whose diets are high in trans fats may have a higher risk of depression, compared with those whose diets are rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Trans fats are widely used in fast foods and mass-produced items, such as pastries.
According to a study carried out at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain and published in PLoS ONE, olive oil appears to protect slightly against the risk of depression, even after taking into account people's overall diet, physical activity, and lifestyle.
Data on 12,000 volunteers over a period of 6 years showed that, compared with people whose dietary fat was mainly olive oil, those who consumed trans-fats regularly had a 48-percent higher risk of developing depression.
The more trans-fats they ate, the higher the risk.
Olive oil may reduce breast cancer risk
Scientists from Barcelona in Spain found a key mechanism by which virgin olive oil protects the body against breast cancer, in contrast to other vegetable oils.
After decoding signals in the cells of breast tumors that are activated by virgin olive oil, they concluded that the oil reduces the activity of p21Ras, an oncogene. This oncogene prevents DNA damage, encourages tumor cell death, and triggers changes in protein signaling pathways.
The activity of corn oil, meanwhile, an oil rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, appears to increase the aggressiveness of tumors.
The team demonstrated a link between virgin olive oil and a higher incidence of benign, or non-cancerous, breast tumors.
Olive oil helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels
A Japanese study published in the Medical Science Monitor showed that LDL-cholesterol concentrations fell in 28 outpatients who took olive oil supplements once a day for 6 weeks.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is often referred to as "bad cholesterol". The "good cholesterol" is high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
The authors concluded, "These results point to an overwhelmingly beneficial influence of olive oil on the lipoprotein spectrum."
Extra virgin olive oil and Alzheimer's disease
Oleocanthal is a type of natural phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil.
In laboratory experiments with mice, researchers noted that oleocanthal helped shuttle the abnormal Alzheimer's disease proteins out of the brain.
The team looked at whether oleocanthal might help prevent beta-amyloid from accumulating. Beta amyloid is believed to be a key factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Findings suggested that oleocanthal boosts the production of two proteins and key enzymes that help removal beta-amyloid from the brain.
Rates of Alzheimer's disease are lower in Mediterranean countries, where consumption of olive oil is higher than anywhere else in the world.
Researchers in Spain have suggested that following a Mediterranean diet supplemented with additional portions of antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts could help protect cognitive functioning in older adults.
Extra virgin olive oil and acute pancreatitis
Extra virgin olive oil is rich in oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol, which affect the development of acute pancreatitis, or sudden inflammation of the pancreas.
In a laboratory experiment at the University of Granada in Spain, researchers found that the components of extra virgin olive oil appear to protect against acute pancreatitis.
Olive oil and the liver
Investigators from Tunisia and Saudi Arabia carried out a study demonstrating that extra virgin olive oil may protect the liver from oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress refers to cell damage associated with the chemical reaction between free radicals and other molecules in the body.
After giving laboratory rats a moderately toxic herbicide, they were then fed on a diet containing olive oil. It appeared to protect them partially from liver damage.
Olive oil may help protect from ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation of the large intestine, or colon. It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is similar to Crohn's disease.
Scientists at the United Kingdome say that consuming more olive oil could help fend off ulcerative colitis.
They looked at data for over 25,000 people, aged from 40 to 65 years and living in the U.K. None of them had ulcerative colitis at the start of the study.
The findings showed that the participants with the highest intake of oleic acid, a component of olive oil, had a 90-percent lower risk of developing ulcerative colitis compared to those with the lowest intake.
The researchers suggested that consuming two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil each day could have a protective effect.
This online article from the world healthiest foods talks about the health benefits of olive oil
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132
What's New and Beneficial about Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lowering your risk of cardiovascular problems is an area upon which several recent studies on extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have focused. Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for many types of cardiovascular disease, and EVOO has well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. These properties of EVOO are closely linked to its phenols and polyphenols—especially tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, and oleuropein. Cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory benefits have been demonstrated in some studies with EVOO consumption as low as one tablespoon per day. However, as the number of tablespoons increases between one and four tablespoons, the anti-inflammatory benefits have also been found to increase in several studies. Our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan includes a variety of delicious and easy-to-follow recipes that incorporate health-supportive amounts of EVOO. In fact, you will find our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan providing you with an average intake of more than 2 tablespoons per day - all within the structure of a balanced meal plan and less than 1900 calories per day.
We might not ordinarily think about a plant oil like EVOO as helping to improve problems with insulin secretion and blood sugar levels. But a recent study suggests that EVOO may be able to provide exactly that kind of help. Participants in the study had all been previously diagnosed with a condition called impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Like this name implies, blood sugar levels for these participants were too high even when no food was eaten and being digested. At their lunchtime meal, half of the study participants were given a little less than one tablespoon of EVOO along with their regular meal of pasta, salad, fruit, and a slice of ham. When the participants' insulin and blood sugar levels were measured at one hour and two hours after lunch, blood sugar levels were found to be significantly lower for participants with the added EVOO. As mentioned earlier in this section, our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan averages about twice this amount of EVOO per day.
Advice about cooking with EVOO covers the entire spectrum of opinion from "absolutely fine" to "absolutely not." Luckily, recent research findings in this area are helpful when trying to decide about this issue. Because EVOO is a primarily monounsaturated plant oil (the specific version that we analyze on our website is 73% monounsaturated), it is lower than many other plant oils in polyunsaturated fats which tend to be less stable because polyunsaturated fats are more easily oxidized. In addition, EVOO is also lower in free fatty acids than many other plants oils and this lower level also helps to decrease the chance of oxidation. These characteristics of EVOO led researchers to refer to EVOO as an oil with "good thermal resistance"—meaning that the basic fat composition of EVOO is less likely to degrade with cooking than other plant oils. But recent studies also show that the phytonutrient content of EVOO—including its phenolic compounds like hydroxytyrosol and its flavonoids like luteolin—are not stable to heat and degrade relatively quickly. For example, when heated in a container over a flame for only 5 minutes at a temperature of 461°F/188°C, one study has shown 50% loss of hydroxytyrosol and 69% loss of luteolin. In short, despite the well-documented thermal stability of EVOO's fat content, EVOO heating can quickly reduce some of its phytonutrient content. At WHFoods, we don't cook with EVOO for precisely this reason as we want to make sure that our recipes provide as many health benefits from the phytonutrients in EVOO as possible.
One recent study that caught our eye compared daily intake of EVOO over a period of 6 weeks to daily intake of flaxseed oil. Ordinarily, we don't think of these two oils as comparable. For example, EVOO is nearly 75% monounsaturated, with very high levels of oleic acid. By comparison, flax oil is only 18% monounsaturated, and has far higher levels of polyunsaturated fat, including higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. (Two tablespoons of EVOO provide 200 milligrams of omega-3s, while two tablespoons of flaxseeds provide over 3,000 milligrams.) Participants in this study went through two 6-week periods of time, with EVOO added to their meal plan during one period and flax oil added to their meal plan during the other. Using this method, researchers could compare the impact of each oil on each participant. Both EVOO and flax were found to provide anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as benefits in reduction of total and LDL cholesterol. However, greater anti-inflammatory benefits were associated with intake of EVOO (as measured by greater drops in an inflammatory marker called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or high-sensitivity CRP). For a wide variety of reasons, we don't think of these two oils as interchangeable. Yet this study caught our eye because of the impressive benefits provided by EVOO, even when compared to an oil obtained from flaxseeds, which are well-known for their rich omega-3 content and ability to provide us with anti-inflammatory and overall cardiovascular benefits.
The well-known role of EVOO in Mediterranean diets alongside of fresh vegetables in those diets has led to a fascinating recent study on the special relationship between EVOO, tomatoes, and bioavailability of carotenoids (for example, beta-carotene). When EVOO and raw or cooked tomato are combined together, oil droplets can make their way into the cells of the tomato, help solubilize the carotenoids, and make them more easily transferred from the tomato and onto transport molecules (micelles) inside of our digestive tract. Interestingly, about 1/4 teaspoon of EVOO per ounce of tomato has been shown to have this impact on increased carotenoid bioavailability. Since one large tomato weighs approximately 7 ounces and corresponds to about 1.25 cups of chopped tomato, this ratio would mean approximately 2 teaspoons of EVOO per 1.25 cups of tomato, or 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a recipe that contained 3–4 whole large tomatoes.
Recommendations
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is our oil of choice. The reason that we place special emphasis on EVOO and take special care in its use is quite simple: we find the health benefits of this oil to be remarkable, and very closely tied to its phenol and polyphenol content. For us, EVOO is truly one of a kind. And we see no way to maximally preserve its phenols and polyphenols without avoiding cooking heats.
If EVOO is not a part of your current meal plan, we strongly encourage you to try it out! Start out with something simple. We think that you will be delighted by the taste, and we know that EVOO will be providing you with a great array of phytonutrients.
If EVOO is already part of your current meal plan, we encourage you to take a look at your current level of intake. If you are already averaging one tablespoon of EVOO per day, that is great! We have seen numerous studies that show health benefits at this level. However, we have also seen health studies showing even greater benefits will higher levels of daily EVOO. Whatever your current intake level, we encourage you to consider gradual increases that will eventually bring you up to the EVOO average in our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan: namely, two tablespoons per day. And of course, our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan will make it easy for you to find delicious places in your meal plan for EVOO without resorting to its use as a cooking oil. While you could exceed this two tablespoon level and receive some potentially increased health benefits, we've found that this two tablespoon amount fits very comfortably into an 1800-1900 calorie meal plan that is rich in a wide variety of the World's Healthiest Foods.
Olive Oil, cold pressed extra virgin
1.00 TBS
(13.50 grams)Calories: 119
GI: very low
NutrientDRI/DV
vitamin E13%
The %DV that a serving of Olive oil, extra virgin provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is Rich in Phenols and Polyphenols
Among the extensive list of phytonutrients provided to us by extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), no categories of nutrients are more important than its phenols and polyphenols. The list below shows some of the key phenols and polyphenols present in EVOO, organized by their chemical categories:
Simple Phenols
tyrosol
hydroxytyrosol
Secoiridoids
oleuropein
decarboxymethyl oleuropein
Flavones
apigenin
luteolin
Hydroxycinnamic acids
caffeic acid
cinnamic acid
ferulic acid
coumaric acid
Anthocyanidins
cyanidins
peonidins
Flavonols
quercetin
kaempferol
Flavonoid glycosides
rutin
Lignans
pinoresinol
Hydroxybenzoic acids
vanillic acid
syringic acid
Most of these phenols and polyphenols have been studied individually for their anti-inflammatory properties and have been shown to provide us with anti-inflammatory benefits, especially related to reduced inflammation in our cardiovascular system.
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Phenols and polyphenols serve as the core substances that give EVOO its unique anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers have determined that small amounts of EVOO, as low as one tablespoon per day, can lower inflammatory signaling in our body, including levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Interestingly, in Mediterranean-type diets that include daily intake of EVOO, not only is there less production of signaling molecules like TNF-alpha, but there is also less activity by the cell receptors for these pro-inflammatory molecules. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) have also been shown to decrease with daily intake of EVOO.
The anti-inflammatory properties of EVOO are well documented. Scientists have shown that individuals who regularly consume EVOO have reduced activity of their pro-inflammatory cyclo-oxygenase 1 (COX-1) and cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) enzymes, as well as reduced levels of related molecules including thromboxane B2 and leukotriene B4. Two molecules that are known to increase during inflammatory disease processes—vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)—have also been shown to decrease in amount following intake of EVOO. These receptors may or may not be familiar to you, but they are the targets of many anti-inflammatory medications.
In this anti-inflammatory context, it is also worth noting that oxidative stress—a process that often parallels the process of chronic inflammation—is reduced by regular consumption of EVOO. One common blood marker used to monitor oxidative stress is the formation of substances called F2-isoprostanes, and studies have shown 10-15% lower levels of this blood marker following EVOO intake.
Importantly, the anti-inflammatory benefits of EVOO do not depend on large levels of intake. In most studies, these benefits become statistically significant with as little as one tablespoon of EVOO per day. The anti-inflammatory benefits of EVOO also appear to increase with daily intake above this level. We've seen studies that looked at benefits associated with EVOO intake all the way up to 4–5 tablespoons per day—the equivalent of 2–2.5 ounces and 476–595 calories. In our 7-Day Menu, we decided on an average daily EVOO amount of 2 tablespoons per day—enough to provide strong anti-inflammatory benefits, while still leaving daily calories at a very manageable level.
Cardiovascular Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
We want to avoid excessive ongoing inflammation is within our blood vessels. Our blood supply is just too important for maintaining the health of all our body systems, and it cannot effective support our body systems when compromised with ongoing inflammation. Given this relationship, it's not surprising to see cardiovascular benefits of EVOO rising to the top of the health benefits provided by this remarkable oil.
From a variety of different research perspectives—some of them described in the paragraphs above—we know that daily intake of EVOO in amounts as low as one tablespoon per day reduces inflammatory processes within our blood vessels. By reducing these processes, EVOO also reduces our risk of inflammation-related cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis.
Yet anti-inflammatory benefits are not the only cardiovascular benefits provided by EVOO. Two other broad types of heart-related benefits are well documented for this oil. The first type is lessened risk of forming unwanted blood clots. While blood clotting is a natural and healthy process required for the healing of wounds and prevention of excessive bleeding, clotting in the arteries can ultimately result in a heart attack or stroke. One risk factor for unwanted clotting in our arteries is excessive clumping together of our platelet blood cells. This clumping process is also called "aggregation." Regular incorporation of EVOO into a meal plan has been shown to lessen the risk of this excessive aggregation, and the reason that researchers refer to EVOO as an "anti-aggregatory" oil.
The other broad area of cardiovascular benefits involves improved levels of circulating fats in our bloodstream, as well as protection of those fats from oxygen-related damage. Decreased levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol following consumption of EVOO are findings in the majority of studies that have analyzed this relationship. Yet equally important, the cholesterol molecules that remain in our blood also appear to be better protected from oxygen-related damage (oxidation). Since fats and cholesterol belong to a broader technical category called "lipids," damage to the fats and cholesterol in our blood stream is typically referred to as "lipid peroxidation." And it is precisely this lipid peroxidation process that gets reduced through incorporation of EVOO into a meal plan.
Other Health Benefits from Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Some of the most active and exciting areas of EVOO research involve other body systems that are no less important than our cardiovascular system. Regulation of blood sugar—especially after eating—is one system that has a definite friend in EVOO. One recent study on individuals diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) helps explain the ability of EVOO to improve blood sugar regulation. Like this name implies, IFG is a condition in which blood sugar levels are too high—even when no food is being eaten and digested. However, in this particular study, participants were given a little less than one tablespoon of EVOO along with a familiar lunch meal of pasta, salad, fruit, and a slice of ham. When the participants' insulin and blood sugar levels were measured at one hour and two hours after lunch, their blood sugar levels were found to be significantly lower due to this added EVOO. Researchers for this study went one step further, however. They looked at potential ways in which EVOO might have produced these desirable effects. What they found were higher levels of incretins—specifically glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) in the blood of participants after consuming EVOO. Since these incretins are molecules that stimulate more insulin production, raising their levels resulted in more insulin secretion and more removal of sugars from the blood. In short, these study participants achieved better insulin secretion and better regulation of blood sugar levels following their lunch meal through the addition of EVOO.
Decreased risk of bone fracture and better overall bone health is another area of increasing interest in EVOO research. One recent study compared the number of bone fractures in a group of 870 study participants over a period of seven years to see if intake of EVOO was associated with the number of reported bone fractures. When the study results were analyzed, the researchers divided this large group into three categories. In terms of their EVOO intake, the lowest third of the study participants averaged 38 grams of EVOO per day—approximately 3 tablespoons. The middle third averaged nearly 4 tablespoons (48 grams), and the top third averaged about 4.5 tablespoons (57 grams). Participants in the highest category of EVOO intake reported 51% fewer fractures than participants in the lowest category of EVOO intake. While all of these EVOO intake levels are fairly high, they nevertheless show a link between reduced risk of bone fracture and incorporation of EVOO into an ordinary meal plan. It's also worth noting that numerous animal studies have shown increased bone formation in rats and mice that were given EVOO in their feeding plan. This increased bone formation has also been specifically tied to the presence of two phenols—tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol—in EVOO.
Research studies are providing better and better documentation for the anti-cancer benefits of EVOO. Early studies in this area were largely limited to research using rats and mice or research on cell cultures in the lab. But more recent studies have looked at people incorporating EVOO into their everyday meal plan, and have found encouraging results. In survey studies, as few as 1–2 tablespoons of EVOO per day have been associated with decreased risk of breast, respiratory tract, and digestive tract cancers. In the case of the digestive tract, reduced risk seems more likely in the upper tract (stomach and small intestine) than in the lower digestive tract (large intestine, including the colon). Scientists have looked at several different mechanisms that might allow EVOO to provide these anti-cancer effects. One group of studies have focused on the secoiridoids, oleuropein and decarboxylmethyl oleuropein, and determined that these EVOO phytonutrients help shift some of our metabolic pathways in the direction of better stress resistance. In addition, the overall phenolic content of EVOO has been associated with a decreased ability of cancer cells to regenerate. At least some of this effect involves the ability of two phenols in EVOO—tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol—to block activity of an enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MM-2). The multiplication of cancer cells depends on an adequate supply of oxygen, and in order to obtain this supply of oxygen, cancer cell growth is often accompanied by the formation of new blood vessels (through a process called angiogenesis). Because the activity of MM-2 is needed to trigger this process of new blood vessel formation, substances that block MM-2 activity can also lessen the likelihood of new blood vessel formation. The tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol in EVOO may decrease the likelihood of cancer cell regeneration by interfering with angiogenesis and lowering the supply of oxygen that would otherwise be available for new blood vessel formation.
In animal studies, supplementation with EVOO has been shown to slow growth of a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori in the stomach. This slowed growth can be potentially important for lowering risk of stomach ulcer since overgrowth of this bacterium and too much clinging of this bacterium to the stomach wall can cause ulcer and other digestive problems.
Description
Olive oil is made from the crushing and then subsequent pressing of olives. The fact that olives are rich in oil is reflected in the botanical name of the olive tree—Olea europea—since the word "oleum" means oil in Latin. Olive oil is available in a variety of grades, which reflect the degree to which it has been processed. Extra virgin olive oil is derived from the first pressing of the olives and has the most delicate flavor and strongest overall health benefits. See How to Select and Store for more information on these different grades of olive oil.
Olives are native to Africa, the Arabian Peninsula (including Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and of course to the general Mediterranean area, including Greece, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. Over time, olive trees also became naturalized to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Yet today, olives are even more widely cultivated and olive oil is enjoyed in cuisines worldwide.
Extra virgin olive oils can naturally range in color from slightly pale yellow to golden to lighter shades and (sorry, we could not resist) olive green. There are many different types of chlorophyll-related molecules that contribute to these green shades, and many different carotenoids that contribute to the yellow and gold shades. There is no guaranteed relationship between the quality of EVOO and its color shade—in other words, there are high-quality versions of EVOO in all color shades, and low-quality versions of EVOO in all color shades. Taste and aroma make far better ways of evaluating EVOO quality than color. While not a hard and fast rule, yellow and golden versions of EVOO tend to be milder in taste, and green versions tend to be hardier in flavor. If the EVOO you are looking at is dark green in color, it's often because olive leaves have been added to the olive crush prior to the pressing of the oil.
History
As plants native to Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, olive trees and the olives they produce have one of the longest food histories among all known foods. The pressing of olive oil from olives dates back at least 3,000 years to food practices in this part of the world. (It's also worth noting that olive oil was not exclusively used as a food, but also as a medicine, a lamp fuel, and in other ways). European colonizers of North and Central America were responsible for bringing olive trees to what is now Mexico and the United States.
Today, nearly 50 countries produce olive oil commercially, even though the largest producers are located in the Mediterranean. And on a global basis, over 3 million tons of olive oil are currently consumed each year.
Within the U.S., olive oil imports are fairly evenly split between two countries—Spain (45% of olive oil consumed) and Italy (43% of consumption), with imports from Greece, Tunisia, Portugal, Turkey, and Chile playing a smaller role. (Only 5% of olive oil consumed within the U.S. is also produced within the U.S., although this percentage has been increasing.)
In countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece, per capital consumption of olive averages between 10–16 kilograms per year—approximately 1-2 tablespoons per day. In the U.S. average per capita consumption is a little less than 1 kilogram per year (less than 1/4 tablespoon per day). However, since 1990 total olive oil consumption in the U.S. has steadily increased, and it is expected to continue increasing over the upcoming years. Interestingly, it is estimated that 40% of U.S. consumers who purchase olive oil purchase it in the form of EVOO.
How to Select and Store
Since olive oil can become rancid from exposure to light and heat, there are some important purchasing criteria you should follow to ensure buying a better quality product. Glorious only sells olive oils that are sold in dark tinted bottles since the packaging will help protect the oil from oxidation caused by exposure to light. In addition, make sure the oil is displayed in a cool area, away from any direct or indirect contact with heat.
Glorious Artisan Bakery only sells extra virgin olive oils.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the unrefined oil derived from the first pressing of the olives and has the most delicate flavor
Virgin olive oil is also derived from the first pressing of the olives but has a higher acidity level than extra virgin olive oil (as well as lower phytonutrient levels and a less delicate taste). According to the standards adopted by the International Olive Council (IOC), "virgin" can contain up to 2% free acidity (expressed as oleic acid), while "extra virgin" can only contain up to 0.8% of free acidity.
It is important to note, however, that acidity is by no means the only difference between EVOO and other grades of olive oil. In fact, a sizeable amount of controversy has arisen within the olive oil industry over key characteristics of EVOO and the extent to which these characteristics are present in commercial products. Since over 90% of all EVOO consumed in the United States is imported, many evaluators of EVOO have looked to the International Olive Council (IOC) headquartered in Madrid, Spain for quality criteria in evaluating EVOO. However, unlike Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, and other European Union countries that were founding members of the IOC, the United States has never become an official IOC member country or adopted IOC standards for EVOO as its own mandatory standards.
In the United States, voluntary standards for olive oil have traditionally been set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which in 2010 did update its own standards to more closely resemble IOC standards in terms of EVOO chemistry. However, even though most IOC chemical standards like percent free acidity were adopted by the USDA, some differences remain between IOC and USDA chemical criteria. (In addition, since 2010, the IOC has gone on to update and revise some of its chemical standards, and these changes are not reflected in the existing USDA criteria.) But a perhaps even bigger part of the controversy over EVOO standards has not involved chemical criteria like percent free acidity but rather sensory criteria (also called "organoleptic" criteria) like taste and aroma. If you consider olive oil as falling into the category of a fresh fruit juice (in the sense that an olives actually belong to a special group of fruits called "drupes" and can be pressed to obtain their oil or "juice"), aroma and taste might be considered as defining characteristics of this food. Assurance of excellent taste and aroma is a more difficult regulatory standard than assurance of a chemical standard like percent free acidity, and to some extent may require closer monitoring of local conditions and plant varieties. In this context, several organizations in the U.S. offer their own quality seal for EVOO, including the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) and the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA). Quality seals from these organizations can help provide assurance about EVOO quality.
Similar organizations exist in Europe and can be helpful for assuring EVOO quality. In most cases, your best bet is to look for specific initials on the olive oil container that represent official review and sanctioning by these organizations. Among your options here are the designations "A.O.C." or "D.O.P." or "D.P.O." or "D.O." "A.O.C." stands for the French term "Appellation D'origine Controlée." "D.O.P." stands for the Italian "Denominazione d'Origine Protetta" (note that D.O.P. is also written as "D.P.O." in some other European countries). In Spain, a similar designation is "D.O." which stands for "Denominacion de Origen." Any of these initials can help provide assurance of quality with respect to extra virgin olive oils.
"Pure olive oil" is a phrase that is somewhat confusing, and perhaps also somewhat misleading. If you see the term "pure" on the label of an olive oil container, it typically means that the oil is a blend of refined and unrefined virgin olive oils. "Refined olive oil" is obtained from unrefined virgin olive oils, and it's only allowed to contain up to 0.3% of free acidity. However, while lower in free acidity than extra virgin or virgin olive oils, refined olive oil loses some of its unique nutrient content through the refining process. For this reason, we recommend the purchase of extra virgin olive oil over all other olive oil types, including "pure olive oil."
Another term that you may see on a bottle of olive oil is "cold pressed." This term means that very minimal heating (and by IOC standards, under 81F/27C) was used when mechanically processing the olives to obtain their oil. We like the idea of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, because we believe that minimal use of heating, combined with the phytonutrient-rich first pressing of the oil, provides the strongest possible nutrient composition from an extracted oil.
Proper storage techniques for olive oil are very important, not only to preserve the delicate taste of the oil, but also to ensure that it does not spoil and become rancid, which will have a negative effect on its nutritional profile.
Even though olive oil's monounsaturated fats are more stable and heat-resistant than the polyunsaturated fats that predominate in other oils (especially the easily damaged omega-3 fatty acids found in flax seed oil, which should always be refrigerated and never heated), olive oil should be stored properly and used within 1-2 months to ensure its healthy phytonutrients remain intact and available. Research studies have shown compromise in the nutritional quality of olive oil after two months' period of time, even when the oil was properly stored.
Proper storage techniques for olive oil are very important, not only to preserve the delicate taste of the oil, but also to ensure that it does not spoil and become rancid, which will have a negative effect on its nutritional profile.
Even though olive oil's monounsaturated fats are more stable and heat-resistant than the polyunsaturated fats that predominate in other oils, olive oil should always be stored properly. In this case, proper storage means tightly sealed to minimize exposure to oxygen in the air and in a dark place (if packaged in glass) to minimize exposure to light. Both oxygen and light can interact with the phenols, polyphenols, and other phytonutrients in olive oil and prevent them from providing us with health benefits. In addition, even when properly stored, we recommend consumption of EVOO within 3 months of purchase. In studies that we have seen on oleocanthol and other phenolic substances in EVOO, there is relatively little loss of its phenolic contents during the first three months of storage, but a greater percentage loss from 3–6 months.
Because proper storage of olive oil includes protection from light, there has been ongoing debate about the ideal type of storage container for EVOO. Tinted glass bottles are one of the best storage options for preventing unwanted contamination of the olive oil with packaging materials (as might occur, for example, with the use of dark plastic bottles in which very small amounts of plastic might migrate from the bottle into the oil). This is how we sell our olive oils at Glorious. Metal containers for olive oil storage are also an option, and this is how we store our large quantities of olive oil at Glorious. The transfer of olive oil to a sealed ceramic container is also an option. We still recommend that you store it in a lightproof area, like a cabinet with solid doors or closed pantry.
Purchase only as much as you will use in one to three months and store away from light and heat. Protect your olive oil's flavor and antioxidants by transferring 7 to 10 days' worth of oil to a smaller bottle to lessen the oxidation that occurs when the oil is exposed to air. Leave this small bottle at room temperature for easy use, but refrigerate the rest. When chilled, olive oil will solidify slightly and turn cloudy, but once restored to room temperature, it will regain its normal appearance, and its quality will be better maintained. Although it may be convenient, definitely don't store your olive oil near the stove (for example, in a cabinet above the stove) since phytonutrients in the oil may become damaged through exposure to the heat.
Tips for Preparing and Cooking
We suggest using extra virgin olive oil in dressing salads and a variety of already-cooked foods.
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
Use extra virgin olive oil in your salad dressings.
Puree minced garlic, cooked potatoes and extra virgin olive oil together to make exceptionally delicious garlic mashed potatoes. Season to taste.
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over healthy sautéed vegetables before serving.
Puree extra virgin olive oil, garlic and your favorite beans together in a food processor. Season to taste and serve as a dip.
Instead of putting the butter dish out on the table, place a small cup of extra virgin olive oil out instead to use on your bread or rolls. For extra flavor, try adding a little Balsamic vinegar or any of your favorite spices to the extra virgin olive oil.
Nutritional Profile
Extra virgin olive oil is a particularly valuable of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. Among these phytonutrients are many standout phenols and polyphenols. Included on this phytonutrient list are tyrosols (oleuropein, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol), flavones (apigenin, luteolin), secoiridoids (oleuropein ), anthocyanidins (cyanidins, peonidins), hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, cinnamic, ferulic, and coumaric acids), flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol), lignans (pinoresinol), and hydroxybenzoic acids (vanillic and syringic acids). Olive oil is also a unique plant oil in terms of its fat composition, containing about three-fourths of its fat in the form of oleic acid (a monounsaturated, omega-9 fat). It is also a good source of vitamin E.
We encourage you to learn more from The Food Processor, Version 10.12.0, ESHA Research, Salem, Oregon, USA. Among the 50,000+ food items in the master database and 163 nutritional components per item, specific nutrient values were frequently missing from any particular food item. We chose the designation "--" to represent those nutrients for which no value was included in this version of the database.
Here is additional resources to learn about the health benefits of olive oil:
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• Cicerale S, Lucas L and Keast R. Biological Activities of Phenolic Compounds Present in Virgin Olive Oil. Int J Mol Sci. 2010; 11(2): 458-479. Published online 2010 February 2. doi: 10.3390/ijms11020458. 2010.
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• Covas MI, de la Torre K, Farre-Albaladejo M et al. Postprandial LDL phenolic content and LDL oxidation are modulated by olive oil phenolic compounds in humans. Free Radic Biol Med. 2006 Feb 15;40(4):608-16. Epub 2005 Oct 18. 2006. PMID:16458191. 2006.
• Covas MI, Nyyssonen K, Poulsen HE, Kaikkonen J, Zunft HJ, Kiesewetter H, Gaddi A, de la Torre R, Mursu J, Baumler H, Nascetti S, Salonen JT, Fito M, Virtanen J, Marrugat J. EUROLIVE Study Group. The effect of polyphenols in olive oil on heart disease risk factors: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2006 Sep 5;145(5):333-41. 2006. PMID:16954359.
• D'Imperio M, Gobbino M, Picanza A et al. Influence of Harvest Method and Period on Olive Oil Composition: an NMR and Statistical Study. J Agric Food Chem. 2010 Oct 5. [Epub ahead of print]. 2010.
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• Delgado-Lista J, Garcia-Rios A, Perez-Martinez P et al. Olive oil and haemostasis: platelet function, thrombogenesis and fibrinolysis. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(8):778-85. 2011.
• Ebaid GM, Seiva FR, Rocha KK et al. Effects of olive oil and its minor phenolic constituents on obesity-induced cardiac metabolic changes. Nutr J. 2010 Oct 19;9:46. 2010.
• Eilertsen KE, Maehre HK, Cludts K et al. Dietary enrichment of apolipoprotein E-deficient mice with extra virgin olive oil in combination with seal oil inhibits atherogenesis. Lipids Health Dis. 2011 Mar 3;10:41. 2011.
• Elnagar AY, Sylvester PW, and El Sayed KA. (-)-Oleocanthal as a c-Met Inhibitor for the Control of Metastatic Breast and Prostate Cancers. Planta Med. 2011 Feb 15. [Epub ahead of print]. 2011.
• Escrich E, Solanas M, Moral R et al. Modulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of olive oil and other dietary lipids in breast cancer. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(8):813-30. 2011.
• Frankel EN. Nutritional and biological properties of extra virgin olive oil. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Feb 9;59(3):785-92. Epub 2011 Jan 6. 2011.
• Garcia-Segovia P, Sanchez-Villegas A, Doreste J et al. Olive oil consumption and risk of breast cancer in the Canary Islands: a population-based case-control study. Public Health Nutr 2006 Feb;9(1A):163-7. 2006. PMID:16512965. 2006.
• Hashim YZ, Eng M, Gill C et al. Components of olive oil and chemoprevention of colorectal cancer. Nutr Rev. 2005 Nov;63(11):374-86. 2005. PMID:16370222. 2005.
• Impellizzeri D, Esposito E, Mazzon E et al. The effects of oleuropein aglycone, an olive oil compound, in a mouse model of carrageenan-induced pleurisy. Clin Nutr. 2011 Mar 14. [Epub ahead of print]. 2011.
• Kontogianni MD, Panagiotakos DB, Chrysohoou C, Pitsavos C, Zampelas A, Stefanadis C. The impact of olive oil consumption pattern on the risk of acute coronary syndromes: The CARDIO2000 case-control study. Clin Cardiol. 2007 Mar;30(3):125-9. 2007. PMID:17385704.
• Lucas L, Russell A and Keast R. Molecular mechanisms of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory benefits of virgin olive oil and the phenolic compound oleocanthal. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(8):754-68. 2011.
• Machowetz A, Poulsen HE, Gruendel S et al. Effect of olive oils on biomarkers of oxidative DNA stress in Northern and Southern Europeans. FASEB J. 2007 Jan;21(1):45-52. Epub 2006 Nov 16. 2007. PMID:17110467. 2007.
• Marí-Sanchis A, Beunza JJ, Bes-Rastrollo M et al. [Olive oil consumption and incidence of diabetes mellitus, in the Spanish sun cohort.] . Nutr Hosp. 2011 Feb;26(1):137-143. Spanish. 2011.
• Martinez Nieto L, Hodaifa G and Lozano Peña JL. Changes in phenolic compounds and Rancimat stability of olive oils from varieties of olives at different stages of ripeness. J Sci Food Agric. 2010 Nov;90(14):2393-8. 2010.
• Mascitelli L and Goldstein MR. Olive oil, iron, and cardiovascular disease prevention. 2011 Apr;68(4):391; author reply 391-2. Epub 2011 Feb 16. No abstract available. 2011.
• Mascitelli L, Pezzetta F and Goldstein MR. Is the beneficial antioxidant effect of olive oil mediated by interaction of its phenolic constituents and iron? . Arch Med Res. 2010 May;41(4):295-6. 2010.
• Menendez JA, Vazquez-Martin A, Colomer R et al. Olive oil's bitter principle reverses acquired autoresistance to trastuzumab (Herceptin) in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. BMC Cancer. 2007; 7: 80. Published online 2007 May 9. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-7-80. 2007.
• Mohagheghi F, Bigdeli MR, Rasoulian B et al. Dietary virgin olive oil reduces blood brain barrier permeability, brain edema, and brain injury in rats subjected to ischemia-reperfusion. ScientificWorldJournal. 2010 Jun 29;10:1180-91. 2010.
• Morello JR, Motilva MJ, Tovar MJ, Romero MP. Changes in commercial virgin olive oil (cv Arbequina) during storage, with special emphasis on the phenolic fraction. J Agric Food Chem, 2004 May; 85(3):357-364. 2004.
• Moreno DA, López-Berenguer C, García-Viguera C. Effects of stir-fry cooking with different edible oils on the phytochemical composition of broccoli. J Food Sci. 2007 Jan;72(1):S064-8. 2007. PMID:17995900.
• Mosher A. Justification for additional data analysis: fruit, vegetables, and olive oil and risk of coronary heart disease in Italian women: the EPICOR Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Apr 13. [Epub ahead of print] . 2011.
• Notarnicola M, Tutino V, Bocale D et al. Effects of olive oil polyphenols on fatty acid synthase gene expression and activity in human colorectal cancer cells. Genes Nutr. 2011 February; 6(1): 63-69. Published online 2010 May 16. doi: 10.1007/s12263-010-0177-7. 2011.
• Oliveras-Ferraros C, Fernandez-Arroyo S, Vazquez-Martin A et al. Crude phenolic extracts from extra virgin olive oil circumvent de novo breast cancer resistance to HER1/HER2-targeting drugs by inducing GADD45-sensed cellular stress, G2/M arrest and hyperacetylation. Int J Oncol. 2011 Jun;38(6):1533-47. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2011.993. Epub 2011 Mar 30. 2011.
• Papageorgiou N, Tousoulis D, Psaltopoulou T et al. Divergent anti-inflammatory effects of different oil acute consumption on healthy individuals. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011 Apr;65(4):514-9. Epub 2011 Feb 16. 2011.
• Pelucchi C, Bosetti C, Negri E et al. Olive Oil and Cancer Risk: An Update of Epidemiological Findings through 2010. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(8):805-12. 2011.
• Peyrot des Gachons C, Uchida K, Bryant B et al. Unusual pungency from extra-virgin olive oil is attributable to restricted spatial expression of the receptor of oleocanthal. J Neurosci. 2011 Jan 19;31(3):999-1009. 2011.
• Pinto J, Paiva-Martins F, Corona G et al. Absorption and metabolism of olive oil secoiridoids in the small intestine. Br J Nutr. 2011 Mar 17:1-12. [Epub ahead of print]. 2011.
• Romero C, Medina E, Vargas J, Brenes M, Castro AD. In Vitro Activity of Olive Oil Polyphenols against Helicobacter pylori. J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Feb 7;55(3):680-6. 2007. PMID:17263460.
• Ruano J, Lopez-Miranda J, Ruano J et al. Intake of phenol-rich virgin olive oil improves the postprandial prothrombotic profile in hypercholesterolemic patients. Am J Clin Nutr, Aug 2007; 86: 341 - 346. 2007.
• Ruiz-Canela M and Martinez-Gonzalez MA. Olive oil in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Maturitas. 2011 Mar;68(3):245-50. Epub 2011 Jan 8. 2011.
• Saleh NK and Saleh HA. Olive Oil effectively mitigates ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011 Feb 4;11:10. 2011.
• Salvini S, Sera F, Caruso D, Giovannelli L, Visioli F, Saieva C, Masala G, Ceroti M, Giovacchini V, Pitozzi V, Galli C, Romani A, Mulinacci N, Bortolomeazzi R, Dolara P, Palli D. Daily consumption of a high-phenol extra-virgin olive oil reduces oxidative DNA damage in postmenopausal women. Br J Nutr. 2006 Apr;95(4):742-51. 2006. PMID:16571154.
• Sanchez-Hernandez L, Castro-Puyana M, Luisa Marina M et al. Determination of betaines in vegetable oils by capillary electrophoresis tandem mass spectrometry - application to the detection of olive oil adulteration with seed oils. Electrophoresis. 2011 Jun;32(11):1394-401. doi: 10.1002/elps.201100005. Epub 2011 Apr 26. 2011.
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• Visioli F and Bernardini E. Extra Virgin Olive Oil's Polyphenols: Biological Activities. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(8):786-804. 2011.
• Zrelli H, Matsuoka M, Kitazaki S et al. Hydroxytyrosol Induces Proliferation and Cytoprotection against Oxidative Injury in Vascular Endothelial Cells: Role of Nrf2 Activation and HO-1 Induction. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 May 11;59(9):4473-82. Epub 2011 Apr 13. 2011.
Glorious Artisan Bread was created by Leo Walters, who has been dreaming of owning a bakery for over a decade. Working in corporate finance, he took a week off and traveled to the San Francisco Baking Institute because it sounded like fun and he wanted to explore bread making. That single week turned into an obsession, and while he still worked in the corporate world, moving from Kansas City to Seattle and then to Spokane, he couldn't get the dream of owning his own bakery out of his mind.
Sharing his bread in his company break rooms, coworkers would tell him, "you should start your own bakery!" The thought of it terrified him, but Leo took a chance and quit his job.
Beginning at local Farmer's Markets, Glorious started gaining popularity, and soon he was completely selling out of his products within an hour after setting up. At this point he rediscovered a line of Ultra Pure Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars that he could offer as the fresh bread was sold, and it turned out to be a crowd-pleaser, too.
So it was kismet when a space became available at the Ladder Building at 1516 W. Riverside Avenue, and Glorious Artisan Bakery found a permanent spot to bake, offer samples of nearly 20 flavors and varieties of Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, and hold classes on healthy vegan living, cooking, bread making and more.
And more importantly, it's a place for people to gather and to create a community.
You can purchase our extra virgin olive oils at our location near downtown Spokane at 1516 W. Riverside Ave. (inside of the Dormitory Building).
Glorious Artisan Bakery • 1516 W. Riverside • Open Wed-Sat 11 am-7 pm, Sun 10 am-5 pm • howglorious.com • 720-7546
In addition to bread, Glorious serves cookies, energy bars, biscuits, whole wheat biscuits, teff biscuits, jams, jellies, olives, chutney, truffle salt, peanut butters, nut butters, vegan cheese.
More articles on Olive Oil and its health properties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil
http://www.internationaloliveoil.org/glosario_terminos/index
http://bellabalsamic.net/health-benefits-of-extra-virgin-olive-oil/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170912161025.htm
https://publichealth.yale.edu/ehs/research/conferences/olive_oil.aspx
https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/26/health/five-things-olive-oil/index.html
Olive oil and its benefits to people with Type II diabetes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5436092/
Olive oil and its benefits to people with liver disease
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mnfr.201600549
Olive oil and its benefits to people with brain cancer
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170602112837.htm
Olive oil and its benefits to people with alzheimers
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170621103123.htm
Olive oil and the prevention of chronic diseases
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475318301261
Olive oil and its effect on blood pressure
https://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/media/files/OliveOilasMedicine.pdf
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Glorious Artisan Bread has over a dozen varieties of ultra pure extra virgin olive oil, fresh, from all over the world. We are expanding our line to include even more.
The tagline of Glorious is: Simple. Natural. Made with Love.
Location: 1516 W. Riverside Avenue, Spokane, Washington, 99201
Phone: (509) 720-7546
Hours: Mon Closed, Tue Closed, Wed 11am - 7pm, Thu 11am - 7pm, Fri 11am - 7pm, Sat 11am - 7pm, Sun 10am-5pm
There are many places to purchase extra virgin olive oil in Spokane, but Glorious Artisan Bakery offers some of the most pure, freshest, and delicious olive oils in the region.
What is olive oil?
The olive was native to Asia Minor and spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean basin 6,000 years ago. It is among the oldest known cultivated trees in the world - being grown before the written language was invented. It was being grown on Crete by 3,000 BC and may have been the source of the wealth of the Minoan kingdom. The Phoenicians spread the olive to the Mediterranean shores of Africa and Southern Europe. Olives have been found in Egyptian tombs from 2,000 years BC. The olive culture was spread to the early Greeks then Romans. As the Romans extended their domain they brought the olive with them.
1,400 years ago the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, advised his followers to apply olive oil to their bodies, and himself used oil on his head. The use of oil is found in many religions and cultures. It has been used during special ceremonies as well as a general health measure. During baptism in the Christian church, holy oil, which is often olive oil, may be used for anointment. At the Christmas mass, olive oil blessed by the bishop, "chrism", is used in the ceremony. Like the grape, the Christian missionaries brought the olive tree with them to California for food but also for ceremonial use. Olive oil was used to anoint the early kings of the Greeks and Jews. The Greeks anointed winning athletes. Olive oil has also been used to anoint the dead in many cultures.
The olive trees on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem are reputed to be over 2000 years old, still relative newcomers considering the long domestication of the olive. We don't know the exact variety of the trees on the Mount. Man has manipulated the olive tree for so many thousands of years that it is unclear what varieties came from which other varieties. Varieties in one country have been found to be identical to differently named varieties in another. Some research is now being done using gene mapping techniques to figure out the olive family tree. Shrub-like "feral" olives still exist in the Middle East and represent the original stock from which all other olives are descended.
In the past several hundred years the olive has spread to North and South America, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
Information About Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Currently Spain produces around 36% of the worlds olive oil, followed by Italy with 25% and Greece with 18%. (“Produces” is a relative term as many olives are sent to these countries from surrounding countries to be pressed and bottled in Italy (Greece or Spain) to obtain a “Made in Italy” label. A much smaller % is actually grown, harvested, pressed, bottled and available for mass sales from these countries.) The other 21% includes Australia, Brazil, Chili, South America and California- Go USA! Many of our California based Olive Oils are bringing home Gold and Silver medals from International competitions – beating out Italian, Greek, Moroccan and Spanish Olive Oils in both chemistry (think health benefits) and taste!
There are 4 main grades of Olive Oil:
1. Extra Virgin: Olives are picked and cold pressed. The juice that comes out is Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is high in nutrients, color and has a very flavorful taste. BELLA BALSAMIC &THE PRESSED OLIVE SELLS ONLY ULTRA PREMIUM CERTIFIED EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILS
*Ultra Premiums exceed the standards for Extra Virgin! If Extra Virgin Olives Oils were in High School and they were your 4.0 students, Ultra Premiums would be the Valedictorian’s of the class!
2. Virgin: Olives are put into a second press, sometimes heat is added to extract more oil (heat destroys nutrients). The resulting second press oil is called Virgin. It has medium nutrition, a lighter color and less flavors.
3. Pure: Olives are gathered up and heat and chemicals (which also deplete nutrients) are added to extract even more oil. This press is called pure. This oil retains only trace amounts of nutrition, color and flavors.
4. Refined: Refined oils are what is left after “pure”, which, along with the rotten,bug and rodent infested olives, are sent to a refinery, processed with HIGH heat and LOTS of chemicals (including Lye) so all traces of mold, mildew, bacteria, flavor, color and nutrition are removed. These oils are then mixed with other processed oils (soybean, canola, corn, etc). What you are left with is the colorless, odorless, flavorless (and nutrition-less) dead oil most Americans think is Olive Oil. A small portion of Extra Virgin Olive Oil may be added back in, and the resulting product gets labeled “Extra Virgin Olive Oil”, packed in gallon jugs and sent to America to be sold in big name stores! Why? Because there are no FDA regulations currently and no-one checks!! (Read “Extra Virginity- The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil” by Tom Mueller for more in depth information. )
More Technical Information:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)includes at least 9 different categories of polyphenols (antioxidants) and more than 2 dozen well researched anti inflammatory nutrients. In heart patients, EVOO has been determined to lower blood levels of C-reactive proteins (CRP). Thanks to its status in the Mediterranean diet, and extensive research on its unique phytonutrient composition, EVOO has become a legendary culinary oil with very difficult to match health benefits. Among its extensive list of phytonutrients, no single category of nutrients is more important than its polyphenols. The polyphenol count of our delicious oils are truly amazing!!
EVOO supports blood vessels by providing anti-inflammatory anti-oxidants including Vitamin E and Beta Kerotine. Olive Oil and Olives
Some additional benefits of EVOO
* Contains 75% Oleic Acid (monounsaturated Omega-9 fatty acid)
* Decreases total blood cholesterol
* Decreases blood pressure
* Decreases oxidative stess in the blood
* Decreases inflammation
* Decreases blood platelet clumping
* Decreases LDL
* Increases bone formation
* Increases cognitive benefits
* Increases fat loss
* Contains cancer fighting benefits
The health benefits of olives -- and associated natural products such as olive oil -- have long been recognized and touted by proponents of the Mediterranean diet.
However, little was previously known about what specific compounds and biochemical interactions in the fruit contribute to its medical and nutritional benefits such as weight loss and prevention of type 2 diabetes.
A Virginia Tech research team discovered that the olive-derived compound oleuropein helps the body secrete more insulin, a central signaling molecule in the body that controls metabolism. The same compound also detoxifies another signaling molecule called amylin that over-produces and forms harmful aggregates in type 2 diabetes. In these two distinct ways, oleuropein helps prevent the onset of disease.
The findings were recently published in the journal Biochemistry as a Rapid Report, which is reserved for timely topics of unusual interest, according to the journal.
"Our work provides new mechanistic insights into the long-standing question of why olive products can be anti- diabetic," said Bin Xu, lead author, assistant professor of biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a Fralin Life Science Institute affiliate. "We believe it will not only contribute to the biochemistry of the functions of the olive component oleuropein, but also have an impact on the general public to pay more attention to olive products in light of the current diabetes epidemic."
The discovery could help improve understanding of the scientific basis of health benefits of olive products and develop new, low-cost nutraceutical strategies to fight type 2 diabetes and related obesity.
Next steps include testing the compound in a diabetic animal model and investigation of additional new functions of this compound, or its components, in metabolism and aging.
From CNN Health: Nutritionists have long touted the heart-healthy benefits of extra-virgin olive oil.
Recently, researchers found that consuming a Mediterranean diet heavy in olive oil can help lower some heart risks. Consuming more than four tablespoons a day can significantly lower your risk of having a heart attack, suffering from a stroke or dying of heart disease, according to the recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Olive oil is high in a type of fat known as monounsaturated fat, according to the Mayo Clinic. MUFAs, as they're commonly called, can help lower your cholesterol and control insulin levels in the body. In addition to olive oil, they can be found in avocados, nuts and fatty fish.
Of course, that doesn't mean you can go overboard. Even though it's made of "healthy fats," olive oil is still high in calories and should be used in moderation. Here are five things you might not know about this Mediterranean staple:
It helps more than your heart. Olive oil is full of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that helps protect your cells from damage. Certain polyphenols also have anti-inflammatory properties.
Scientists have been exploring the effects these polyphenols may have on bone and digestive health as well as looking into how they could help prevent cancer. Other researchers are looking into olive oil's potential for improving cognitive function and memory.
This article from Medical News Today was published in 2017.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266258.php
Olive oil, rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, is a major component of the Mediterranean diet.
Populations from that region have longer life expectancies and lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, compared with North Americans and Northern Europeans.
Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are considered a healthy dietary fat, as opposed to saturated fats and trans fats.
What is olive oil?
Olive oil and olives
Olives are a popular and healthful fruit.
Olive oil is a fat obtained from the fruit of the Olea europaea (olive tree), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean region. Whole olives are pressed to produce this distinctive oil.
The oil is used in cosmetics, medicine, cooking, and soaps, and was also used as a fuel for traditional lamps. Olive oil originally came from the Mediterranean, but today it is used worldwide.
In the diet, olives can be eaten whole or chopped and added to pizzas and other dishes.
The oil can be used as a dip for bread, for frying, or as a salad dressing. Some people even consume it by the small glassful for medicinal purposes.
Benefits
Over the last 50 years, many studies have looked at the health benefits of olive oil.
Olive oil and the cardiovascular system
Olive oil is the main source of dietary fat in the Mediterranean diet. There appears to be a lower death rate from cardiovascular diseases in the Mediterranean area, compared with other parts of the world.
A review of studies carried out in Barcelona, Spain, looked at the biological and clinical effects of olive oil.
Results suggested that people who regularly consume olive oil are less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, and hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels).
Olive oil intake also appears to help reduce inflammation, endothelial dysfunction (problems with the inner linings of blood vessels), thrombosis, and carbohydrate metabolism.
Frying with olive oil and heart disease risk
People who regularly eat foods fried in olive oil or sunflower oil do not have a higher risk of heart disease or premature death, researchers from Madrid, in Spain, reported in the BMJ.
The scientists surveyed 40,757 adults aged from 26 to 69 years over an 11-year period. They focused on cooking methods and dietary habits. None of the participants had heart disease when the study started.
The researchers concluded:
"In a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death."
Fried meals were defined as food that had only been prepared by frying it. Participants were also asked whether their fried food was sautéed, battered, or crumbed.
Frying in extra virgin olive oil may enable food to retain more of their nutrients than boiling, according to research published by the University of Granada in 2016. The scientists say that phenols from the olive oil transfer to foods, making them more healthful.
In 2017, another study found that olive oil is more stable and less likely to change the nutritional value of food that is fried in it, compared with sunflower oil.
Olive oil may help prevent stroke
Scientists in France concluded that olive oil may prevent stroke in older people.
The team found that older people who regularly used olive oil for cooking and salad dressing or with bread had a 41-percent lower risk of stroke, compared with those who never consumed it.
The researchers suggested that olive oil might be a cheap and easy way to prevent stroke, a common problem in older people.
Depression risk and olive oil
People whose diets are high in trans fats may have a higher risk of depression, compared with those whose diets are rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Trans fats are widely used in fast foods and mass-produced items, such as pastries.
According to a study carried out at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain and published in PLoS ONE, olive oil appears to protect slightly against the risk of depression, even after taking into account people's overall diet, physical activity, and lifestyle.
Data on 12,000 volunteers over a period of 6 years showed that, compared with people whose dietary fat was mainly olive oil, those who consumed trans-fats regularly had a 48-percent higher risk of developing depression.
The more trans-fats they ate, the higher the risk.
Olive oil may reduce breast cancer risk
Scientists from Barcelona in Spain found a key mechanism by which virgin olive oil protects the body against breast cancer, in contrast to other vegetable oils.
After decoding signals in the cells of breast tumors that are activated by virgin olive oil, they concluded that the oil reduces the activity of p21Ras, an oncogene. This oncogene prevents DNA damage, encourages tumor cell death, and triggers changes in protein signaling pathways.
The activity of corn oil, meanwhile, an oil rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, appears to increase the aggressiveness of tumors.
The team demonstrated a link between virgin olive oil and a higher incidence of benign, or non-cancerous, breast tumors.
Olive oil helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels
A Japanese study published in the Medical Science Monitor showed that LDL-cholesterol concentrations fell in 28 outpatients who took olive oil supplements once a day for 6 weeks.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is often referred to as "bad cholesterol". The "good cholesterol" is high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
The authors concluded, "These results point to an overwhelmingly beneficial influence of olive oil on the lipoprotein spectrum."
Extra virgin olive oil and Alzheimer's disease
Oleocanthal is a type of natural phenolic compound found in extra-virgin olive oil.
In laboratory experiments with mice, researchers noted that oleocanthal helped shuttle the abnormal Alzheimer's disease proteins out of the brain.
The team looked at whether oleocanthal might help prevent beta-amyloid from accumulating. Beta amyloid is believed to be a key factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Findings suggested that oleocanthal boosts the production of two proteins and key enzymes that help removal beta-amyloid from the brain.
Rates of Alzheimer's disease are lower in Mediterranean countries, where consumption of olive oil is higher than anywhere else in the world.
Researchers in Spain have suggested that following a Mediterranean diet supplemented with additional portions of antioxidant-rich extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts could help protect cognitive functioning in older adults.
Extra virgin olive oil and acute pancreatitis
Extra virgin olive oil is rich in oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol, which affect the development of acute pancreatitis, or sudden inflammation of the pancreas.
In a laboratory experiment at the University of Granada in Spain, researchers found that the components of extra virgin olive oil appear to protect against acute pancreatitis.
Olive oil and the liver
Investigators from Tunisia and Saudi Arabia carried out a study demonstrating that extra virgin olive oil may protect the liver from oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress refers to cell damage associated with the chemical reaction between free radicals and other molecules in the body.
After giving laboratory rats a moderately toxic herbicide, they were then fed on a diet containing olive oil. It appeared to protect them partially from liver damage.
Olive oil may help protect from ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation of the large intestine, or colon. It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is similar to Crohn's disease.
Scientists at the United Kingdome say that consuming more olive oil could help fend off ulcerative colitis.
They looked at data for over 25,000 people, aged from 40 to 65 years and living in the U.K. None of them had ulcerative colitis at the start of the study.
The findings showed that the participants with the highest intake of oleic acid, a component of olive oil, had a 90-percent lower risk of developing ulcerative colitis compared to those with the lowest intake.
The researchers suggested that consuming two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil each day could have a protective effect.
This online article from the world healthiest foods talks about the health benefits of olive oil
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132
What's New and Beneficial about Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lowering your risk of cardiovascular problems is an area upon which several recent studies on extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have focused. Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for many types of cardiovascular disease, and EVOO has well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. These properties of EVOO are closely linked to its phenols and polyphenols—especially tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, and oleuropein. Cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory benefits have been demonstrated in some studies with EVOO consumption as low as one tablespoon per day. However, as the number of tablespoons increases between one and four tablespoons, the anti-inflammatory benefits have also been found to increase in several studies. Our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan includes a variety of delicious and easy-to-follow recipes that incorporate health-supportive amounts of EVOO. In fact, you will find our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan providing you with an average intake of more than 2 tablespoons per day - all within the structure of a balanced meal plan and less than 1900 calories per day.
We might not ordinarily think about a plant oil like EVOO as helping to improve problems with insulin secretion and blood sugar levels. But a recent study suggests that EVOO may be able to provide exactly that kind of help. Participants in the study had all been previously diagnosed with a condition called impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Like this name implies, blood sugar levels for these participants were too high even when no food was eaten and being digested. At their lunchtime meal, half of the study participants were given a little less than one tablespoon of EVOO along with their regular meal of pasta, salad, fruit, and a slice of ham. When the participants' insulin and blood sugar levels were measured at one hour and two hours after lunch, blood sugar levels were found to be significantly lower for participants with the added EVOO. As mentioned earlier in this section, our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan averages about twice this amount of EVOO per day.
Advice about cooking with EVOO covers the entire spectrum of opinion from "absolutely fine" to "absolutely not." Luckily, recent research findings in this area are helpful when trying to decide about this issue. Because EVOO is a primarily monounsaturated plant oil (the specific version that we analyze on our website is 73% monounsaturated), it is lower than many other plant oils in polyunsaturated fats which tend to be less stable because polyunsaturated fats are more easily oxidized. In addition, EVOO is also lower in free fatty acids than many other plants oils and this lower level also helps to decrease the chance of oxidation. These characteristics of EVOO led researchers to refer to EVOO as an oil with "good thermal resistance"—meaning that the basic fat composition of EVOO is less likely to degrade with cooking than other plant oils. But recent studies also show that the phytonutrient content of EVOO—including its phenolic compounds like hydroxytyrosol and its flavonoids like luteolin—are not stable to heat and degrade relatively quickly. For example, when heated in a container over a flame for only 5 minutes at a temperature of 461°F/188°C, one study has shown 50% loss of hydroxytyrosol and 69% loss of luteolin. In short, despite the well-documented thermal stability of EVOO's fat content, EVOO heating can quickly reduce some of its phytonutrient content. At WHFoods, we don't cook with EVOO for precisely this reason as we want to make sure that our recipes provide as many health benefits from the phytonutrients in EVOO as possible.
One recent study that caught our eye compared daily intake of EVOO over a period of 6 weeks to daily intake of flaxseed oil. Ordinarily, we don't think of these two oils as comparable. For example, EVOO is nearly 75% monounsaturated, with very high levels of oleic acid. By comparison, flax oil is only 18% monounsaturated, and has far higher levels of polyunsaturated fat, including higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. (Two tablespoons of EVOO provide 200 milligrams of omega-3s, while two tablespoons of flaxseeds provide over 3,000 milligrams.) Participants in this study went through two 6-week periods of time, with EVOO added to their meal plan during one period and flax oil added to their meal plan during the other. Using this method, researchers could compare the impact of each oil on each participant. Both EVOO and flax were found to provide anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as benefits in reduction of total and LDL cholesterol. However, greater anti-inflammatory benefits were associated with intake of EVOO (as measured by greater drops in an inflammatory marker called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or high-sensitivity CRP). For a wide variety of reasons, we don't think of these two oils as interchangeable. Yet this study caught our eye because of the impressive benefits provided by EVOO, even when compared to an oil obtained from flaxseeds, which are well-known for their rich omega-3 content and ability to provide us with anti-inflammatory and overall cardiovascular benefits.
The well-known role of EVOO in Mediterranean diets alongside of fresh vegetables in those diets has led to a fascinating recent study on the special relationship between EVOO, tomatoes, and bioavailability of carotenoids (for example, beta-carotene). When EVOO and raw or cooked tomato are combined together, oil droplets can make their way into the cells of the tomato, help solubilize the carotenoids, and make them more easily transferred from the tomato and onto transport molecules (micelles) inside of our digestive tract. Interestingly, about 1/4 teaspoon of EVOO per ounce of tomato has been shown to have this impact on increased carotenoid bioavailability. Since one large tomato weighs approximately 7 ounces and corresponds to about 1.25 cups of chopped tomato, this ratio would mean approximately 2 teaspoons of EVOO per 1.25 cups of tomato, or 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a recipe that contained 3–4 whole large tomatoes.
Recommendations
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is our oil of choice. The reason that we place special emphasis on EVOO and take special care in its use is quite simple: we find the health benefits of this oil to be remarkable, and very closely tied to its phenol and polyphenol content. For us, EVOO is truly one of a kind. And we see no way to maximally preserve its phenols and polyphenols without avoiding cooking heats.
If EVOO is not a part of your current meal plan, we strongly encourage you to try it out! Start out with something simple. We think that you will be delighted by the taste, and we know that EVOO will be providing you with a great array of phytonutrients.
If EVOO is already part of your current meal plan, we encourage you to take a look at your current level of intake. If you are already averaging one tablespoon of EVOO per day, that is great! We have seen numerous studies that show health benefits at this level. However, we have also seen health studies showing even greater benefits will higher levels of daily EVOO. Whatever your current intake level, we encourage you to consider gradual increases that will eventually bring you up to the EVOO average in our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan: namely, two tablespoons per day. And of course, our World's Healthiest Foods Meal Plan will make it easy for you to find delicious places in your meal plan for EVOO without resorting to its use as a cooking oil. While you could exceed this two tablespoon level and receive some potentially increased health benefits, we've found that this two tablespoon amount fits very comfortably into an 1800-1900 calorie meal plan that is rich in a wide variety of the World's Healthiest Foods.
Olive Oil, cold pressed extra virgin
1.00 TBS
(13.50 grams)Calories: 119
GI: very low
NutrientDRI/DV
vitamin E13%
The %DV that a serving of Olive oil, extra virgin provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is Rich in Phenols and Polyphenols
Among the extensive list of phytonutrients provided to us by extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), no categories of nutrients are more important than its phenols and polyphenols. The list below shows some of the key phenols and polyphenols present in EVOO, organized by their chemical categories:
Simple Phenols
tyrosol
hydroxytyrosol
Secoiridoids
oleuropein
decarboxymethyl oleuropein
Flavones
apigenin
luteolin
Hydroxycinnamic acids
caffeic acid
cinnamic acid
ferulic acid
coumaric acid
Anthocyanidins
cyanidins
peonidins
Flavonols
quercetin
kaempferol
Flavonoid glycosides
rutin
Lignans
pinoresinol
Hydroxybenzoic acids
vanillic acid
syringic acid
Most of these phenols and polyphenols have been studied individually for their anti-inflammatory properties and have been shown to provide us with anti-inflammatory benefits, especially related to reduced inflammation in our cardiovascular system.
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Phenols and polyphenols serve as the core substances that give EVOO its unique anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers have determined that small amounts of EVOO, as low as one tablespoon per day, can lower inflammatory signaling in our body, including levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Interestingly, in Mediterranean-type diets that include daily intake of EVOO, not only is there less production of signaling molecules like TNF-alpha, but there is also less activity by the cell receptors for these pro-inflammatory molecules. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) have also been shown to decrease with daily intake of EVOO.
The anti-inflammatory properties of EVOO are well documented. Scientists have shown that individuals who regularly consume EVOO have reduced activity of their pro-inflammatory cyclo-oxygenase 1 (COX-1) and cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) enzymes, as well as reduced levels of related molecules including thromboxane B2 and leukotriene B4. Two molecules that are known to increase during inflammatory disease processes—vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)—have also been shown to decrease in amount following intake of EVOO. These receptors may or may not be familiar to you, but they are the targets of many anti-inflammatory medications.
In this anti-inflammatory context, it is also worth noting that oxidative stress—a process that often parallels the process of chronic inflammation—is reduced by regular consumption of EVOO. One common blood marker used to monitor oxidative stress is the formation of substances called F2-isoprostanes, and studies have shown 10-15% lower levels of this blood marker following EVOO intake.
Importantly, the anti-inflammatory benefits of EVOO do not depend on large levels of intake. In most studies, these benefits become statistically significant with as little as one tablespoon of EVOO per day. The anti-inflammatory benefits of EVOO also appear to increase with daily intake above this level. We've seen studies that looked at benefits associated with EVOO intake all the way up to 4–5 tablespoons per day—the equivalent of 2–2.5 ounces and 476–595 calories. In our 7-Day Menu, we decided on an average daily EVOO amount of 2 tablespoons per day—enough to provide strong anti-inflammatory benefits, while still leaving daily calories at a very manageable level.
Cardiovascular Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
We want to avoid excessive ongoing inflammation is within our blood vessels. Our blood supply is just too important for maintaining the health of all our body systems, and it cannot effective support our body systems when compromised with ongoing inflammation. Given this relationship, it's not surprising to see cardiovascular benefits of EVOO rising to the top of the health benefits provided by this remarkable oil.
From a variety of different research perspectives—some of them described in the paragraphs above—we know that daily intake of EVOO in amounts as low as one tablespoon per day reduces inflammatory processes within our blood vessels. By reducing these processes, EVOO also reduces our risk of inflammation-related cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis.
Yet anti-inflammatory benefits are not the only cardiovascular benefits provided by EVOO. Two other broad types of heart-related benefits are well documented for this oil. The first type is lessened risk of forming unwanted blood clots. While blood clotting is a natural and healthy process required for the healing of wounds and prevention of excessive bleeding, clotting in the arteries can ultimately result in a heart attack or stroke. One risk factor for unwanted clotting in our arteries is excessive clumping together of our platelet blood cells. This clumping process is also called "aggregation." Regular incorporation of EVOO into a meal plan has been shown to lessen the risk of this excessive aggregation, and the reason that researchers refer to EVOO as an "anti-aggregatory" oil.
The other broad area of cardiovascular benefits involves improved levels of circulating fats in our bloodstream, as well as protection of those fats from oxygen-related damage. Decreased levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol following consumption of EVOO are findings in the majority of studies that have analyzed this relationship. Yet equally important, the cholesterol molecules that remain in our blood also appear to be better protected from oxygen-related damage (oxidation). Since fats and cholesterol belong to a broader technical category called "lipids," damage to the fats and cholesterol in our blood stream is typically referred to as "lipid peroxidation." And it is precisely this lipid peroxidation process that gets reduced through incorporation of EVOO into a meal plan.
Other Health Benefits from Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Some of the most active and exciting areas of EVOO research involve other body systems that are no less important than our cardiovascular system. Regulation of blood sugar—especially after eating—is one system that has a definite friend in EVOO. One recent study on individuals diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) helps explain the ability of EVOO to improve blood sugar regulation. Like this name implies, IFG is a condition in which blood sugar levels are too high—even when no food is being eaten and digested. However, in this particular study, participants were given a little less than one tablespoon of EVOO along with a familiar lunch meal of pasta, salad, fruit, and a slice of ham. When the participants' insulin and blood sugar levels were measured at one hour and two hours after lunch, their blood sugar levels were found to be significantly lower due to this added EVOO. Researchers for this study went one step further, however. They looked at potential ways in which EVOO might have produced these desirable effects. What they found were higher levels of incretins—specifically glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) in the blood of participants after consuming EVOO. Since these incretins are molecules that stimulate more insulin production, raising their levels resulted in more insulin secretion and more removal of sugars from the blood. In short, these study participants achieved better insulin secretion and better regulation of blood sugar levels following their lunch meal through the addition of EVOO.
Decreased risk of bone fracture and better overall bone health is another area of increasing interest in EVOO research. One recent study compared the number of bone fractures in a group of 870 study participants over a period of seven years to see if intake of EVOO was associated with the number of reported bone fractures. When the study results were analyzed, the researchers divided this large group into three categories. In terms of their EVOO intake, the lowest third of the study participants averaged 38 grams of EVOO per day—approximately 3 tablespoons. The middle third averaged nearly 4 tablespoons (48 grams), and the top third averaged about 4.5 tablespoons (57 grams). Participants in the highest category of EVOO intake reported 51% fewer fractures than participants in the lowest category of EVOO intake. While all of these EVOO intake levels are fairly high, they nevertheless show a link between reduced risk of bone fracture and incorporation of EVOO into an ordinary meal plan. It's also worth noting that numerous animal studies have shown increased bone formation in rats and mice that were given EVOO in their feeding plan. This increased bone formation has also been specifically tied to the presence of two phenols—tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol—in EVOO.
Research studies are providing better and better documentation for the anti-cancer benefits of EVOO. Early studies in this area were largely limited to research using rats and mice or research on cell cultures in the lab. But more recent studies have looked at people incorporating EVOO into their everyday meal plan, and have found encouraging results. In survey studies, as few as 1–2 tablespoons of EVOO per day have been associated with decreased risk of breast, respiratory tract, and digestive tract cancers. In the case of the digestive tract, reduced risk seems more likely in the upper tract (stomach and small intestine) than in the lower digestive tract (large intestine, including the colon). Scientists have looked at several different mechanisms that might allow EVOO to provide these anti-cancer effects. One group of studies have focused on the secoiridoids, oleuropein and decarboxylmethyl oleuropein, and determined that these EVOO phytonutrients help shift some of our metabolic pathways in the direction of better stress resistance. In addition, the overall phenolic content of EVOO has been associated with a decreased ability of cancer cells to regenerate. At least some of this effect involves the ability of two phenols in EVOO—tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol—to block activity of an enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MM-2). The multiplication of cancer cells depends on an adequate supply of oxygen, and in order to obtain this supply of oxygen, cancer cell growth is often accompanied by the formation of new blood vessels (through a process called angiogenesis). Because the activity of MM-2 is needed to trigger this process of new blood vessel formation, substances that block MM-2 activity can also lessen the likelihood of new blood vessel formation. The tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol in EVOO may decrease the likelihood of cancer cell regeneration by interfering with angiogenesis and lowering the supply of oxygen that would otherwise be available for new blood vessel formation.
In animal studies, supplementation with EVOO has been shown to slow growth of a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori in the stomach. This slowed growth can be potentially important for lowering risk of stomach ulcer since overgrowth of this bacterium and too much clinging of this bacterium to the stomach wall can cause ulcer and other digestive problems.
Description
Olive oil is made from the crushing and then subsequent pressing of olives. The fact that olives are rich in oil is reflected in the botanical name of the olive tree—Olea europea—since the word "oleum" means oil in Latin. Olive oil is available in a variety of grades, which reflect the degree to which it has been processed. Extra virgin olive oil is derived from the first pressing of the olives and has the most delicate flavor and strongest overall health benefits. See How to Select and Store for more information on these different grades of olive oil.
Olives are native to Africa, the Arabian Peninsula (including Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and of course to the general Mediterranean area, including Greece, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. Over time, olive trees also became naturalized to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Yet today, olives are even more widely cultivated and olive oil is enjoyed in cuisines worldwide.
Extra virgin olive oils can naturally range in color from slightly pale yellow to golden to lighter shades and (sorry, we could not resist) olive green. There are many different types of chlorophyll-related molecules that contribute to these green shades, and many different carotenoids that contribute to the yellow and gold shades. There is no guaranteed relationship between the quality of EVOO and its color shade—in other words, there are high-quality versions of EVOO in all color shades, and low-quality versions of EVOO in all color shades. Taste and aroma make far better ways of evaluating EVOO quality than color. While not a hard and fast rule, yellow and golden versions of EVOO tend to be milder in taste, and green versions tend to be hardier in flavor. If the EVOO you are looking at is dark green in color, it's often because olive leaves have been added to the olive crush prior to the pressing of the oil.
History
As plants native to Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean, olive trees and the olives they produce have one of the longest food histories among all known foods. The pressing of olive oil from olives dates back at least 3,000 years to food practices in this part of the world. (It's also worth noting that olive oil was not exclusively used as a food, but also as a medicine, a lamp fuel, and in other ways). European colonizers of North and Central America were responsible for bringing olive trees to what is now Mexico and the United States.
Today, nearly 50 countries produce olive oil commercially, even though the largest producers are located in the Mediterranean. And on a global basis, over 3 million tons of olive oil are currently consumed each year.
Within the U.S., olive oil imports are fairly evenly split between two countries—Spain (45% of olive oil consumed) and Italy (43% of consumption), with imports from Greece, Tunisia, Portugal, Turkey, and Chile playing a smaller role. (Only 5% of olive oil consumed within the U.S. is also produced within the U.S., although this percentage has been increasing.)
In countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece, per capital consumption of olive averages between 10–16 kilograms per year—approximately 1-2 tablespoons per day. In the U.S. average per capita consumption is a little less than 1 kilogram per year (less than 1/4 tablespoon per day). However, since 1990 total olive oil consumption in the U.S. has steadily increased, and it is expected to continue increasing over the upcoming years. Interestingly, it is estimated that 40% of U.S. consumers who purchase olive oil purchase it in the form of EVOO.
How to Select and Store
Since olive oil can become rancid from exposure to light and heat, there are some important purchasing criteria you should follow to ensure buying a better quality product. Glorious only sells olive oils that are sold in dark tinted bottles since the packaging will help protect the oil from oxidation caused by exposure to light. In addition, make sure the oil is displayed in a cool area, away from any direct or indirect contact with heat.
Glorious Artisan Bakery only sells extra virgin olive oils.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the unrefined oil derived from the first pressing of the olives and has the most delicate flavor
Virgin olive oil is also derived from the first pressing of the olives but has a higher acidity level than extra virgin olive oil (as well as lower phytonutrient levels and a less delicate taste). According to the standards adopted by the International Olive Council (IOC), "virgin" can contain up to 2% free acidity (expressed as oleic acid), while "extra virgin" can only contain up to 0.8% of free acidity.
It is important to note, however, that acidity is by no means the only difference between EVOO and other grades of olive oil. In fact, a sizeable amount of controversy has arisen within the olive oil industry over key characteristics of EVOO and the extent to which these characteristics are present in commercial products. Since over 90% of all EVOO consumed in the United States is imported, many evaluators of EVOO have looked to the International Olive Council (IOC) headquartered in Madrid, Spain for quality criteria in evaluating EVOO. However, unlike Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, and other European Union countries that were founding members of the IOC, the United States has never become an official IOC member country or adopted IOC standards for EVOO as its own mandatory standards.
In the United States, voluntary standards for olive oil have traditionally been set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which in 2010 did update its own standards to more closely resemble IOC standards in terms of EVOO chemistry. However, even though most IOC chemical standards like percent free acidity were adopted by the USDA, some differences remain between IOC and USDA chemical criteria. (In addition, since 2010, the IOC has gone on to update and revise some of its chemical standards, and these changes are not reflected in the existing USDA criteria.) But a perhaps even bigger part of the controversy over EVOO standards has not involved chemical criteria like percent free acidity but rather sensory criteria (also called "organoleptic" criteria) like taste and aroma. If you consider olive oil as falling into the category of a fresh fruit juice (in the sense that an olives actually belong to a special group of fruits called "drupes" and can be pressed to obtain their oil or "juice"), aroma and taste might be considered as defining characteristics of this food. Assurance of excellent taste and aroma is a more difficult regulatory standard than assurance of a chemical standard like percent free acidity, and to some extent may require closer monitoring of local conditions and plant varieties. In this context, several organizations in the U.S. offer their own quality seal for EVOO, including the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) and the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA). Quality seals from these organizations can help provide assurance about EVOO quality.
Similar organizations exist in Europe and can be helpful for assuring EVOO quality. In most cases, your best bet is to look for specific initials on the olive oil container that represent official review and sanctioning by these organizations. Among your options here are the designations "A.O.C." or "D.O.P." or "D.P.O." or "D.O." "A.O.C." stands for the French term "Appellation D'origine Controlée." "D.O.P." stands for the Italian "Denominazione d'Origine Protetta" (note that D.O.P. is also written as "D.P.O." in some other European countries). In Spain, a similar designation is "D.O." which stands for "Denominacion de Origen." Any of these initials can help provide assurance of quality with respect to extra virgin olive oils.
"Pure olive oil" is a phrase that is somewhat confusing, and perhaps also somewhat misleading. If you see the term "pure" on the label of an olive oil container, it typically means that the oil is a blend of refined and unrefined virgin olive oils. "Refined olive oil" is obtained from unrefined virgin olive oils, and it's only allowed to contain up to 0.3% of free acidity. However, while lower in free acidity than extra virgin or virgin olive oils, refined olive oil loses some of its unique nutrient content through the refining process. For this reason, we recommend the purchase of extra virgin olive oil over all other olive oil types, including "pure olive oil."
Another term that you may see on a bottle of olive oil is "cold pressed." This term means that very minimal heating (and by IOC standards, under 81F/27C) was used when mechanically processing the olives to obtain their oil. We like the idea of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, because we believe that minimal use of heating, combined with the phytonutrient-rich first pressing of the oil, provides the strongest possible nutrient composition from an extracted oil.
Proper storage techniques for olive oil are very important, not only to preserve the delicate taste of the oil, but also to ensure that it does not spoil and become rancid, which will have a negative effect on its nutritional profile.
Even though olive oil's monounsaturated fats are more stable and heat-resistant than the polyunsaturated fats that predominate in other oils (especially the easily damaged omega-3 fatty acids found in flax seed oil, which should always be refrigerated and never heated), olive oil should be stored properly and used within 1-2 months to ensure its healthy phytonutrients remain intact and available. Research studies have shown compromise in the nutritional quality of olive oil after two months' period of time, even when the oil was properly stored.
Proper storage techniques for olive oil are very important, not only to preserve the delicate taste of the oil, but also to ensure that it does not spoil and become rancid, which will have a negative effect on its nutritional profile.
Even though olive oil's monounsaturated fats are more stable and heat-resistant than the polyunsaturated fats that predominate in other oils, olive oil should always be stored properly. In this case, proper storage means tightly sealed to minimize exposure to oxygen in the air and in a dark place (if packaged in glass) to minimize exposure to light. Both oxygen and light can interact with the phenols, polyphenols, and other phytonutrients in olive oil and prevent them from providing us with health benefits. In addition, even when properly stored, we recommend consumption of EVOO within 3 months of purchase. In studies that we have seen on oleocanthol and other phenolic substances in EVOO, there is relatively little loss of its phenolic contents during the first three months of storage, but a greater percentage loss from 3–6 months.
Because proper storage of olive oil includes protection from light, there has been ongoing debate about the ideal type of storage container for EVOO. Tinted glass bottles are one of the best storage options for preventing unwanted contamination of the olive oil with packaging materials (as might occur, for example, with the use of dark plastic bottles in which very small amounts of plastic might migrate from the bottle into the oil). This is how we sell our olive oils at Glorious. Metal containers for olive oil storage are also an option, and this is how we store our large quantities of olive oil at Glorious. The transfer of olive oil to a sealed ceramic container is also an option. We still recommend that you store it in a lightproof area, like a cabinet with solid doors or closed pantry.
Purchase only as much as you will use in one to three months and store away from light and heat. Protect your olive oil's flavor and antioxidants by transferring 7 to 10 days' worth of oil to a smaller bottle to lessen the oxidation that occurs when the oil is exposed to air. Leave this small bottle at room temperature for easy use, but refrigerate the rest. When chilled, olive oil will solidify slightly and turn cloudy, but once restored to room temperature, it will regain its normal appearance, and its quality will be better maintained. Although it may be convenient, definitely don't store your olive oil near the stove (for example, in a cabinet above the stove) since phytonutrients in the oil may become damaged through exposure to the heat.
Tips for Preparing and Cooking
We suggest using extra virgin olive oil in dressing salads and a variety of already-cooked foods.
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
Use extra virgin olive oil in your salad dressings.
Puree minced garlic, cooked potatoes and extra virgin olive oil together to make exceptionally delicious garlic mashed potatoes. Season to taste.
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over healthy sautéed vegetables before serving.
Puree extra virgin olive oil, garlic and your favorite beans together in a food processor. Season to taste and serve as a dip.
Instead of putting the butter dish out on the table, place a small cup of extra virgin olive oil out instead to use on your bread or rolls. For extra flavor, try adding a little Balsamic vinegar or any of your favorite spices to the extra virgin olive oil.
Nutritional Profile
Extra virgin olive oil is a particularly valuable of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. Among these phytonutrients are many standout phenols and polyphenols. Included on this phytonutrient list are tyrosols (oleuropein, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol), flavones (apigenin, luteolin), secoiridoids (oleuropein ), anthocyanidins (cyanidins, peonidins), hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, cinnamic, ferulic, and coumaric acids), flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol), lignans (pinoresinol), and hydroxybenzoic acids (vanillic and syringic acids). Olive oil is also a unique plant oil in terms of its fat composition, containing about three-fourths of its fat in the form of oleic acid (a monounsaturated, omega-9 fat). It is also a good source of vitamin E.
We encourage you to learn more from The Food Processor, Version 10.12.0, ESHA Research, Salem, Oregon, USA. Among the 50,000+ food items in the master database and 163 nutritional components per item, specific nutrient values were frequently missing from any particular food item. We chose the designation "--" to represent those nutrients for which no value was included in this version of the database.
Here is additional resources to learn about the health benefits of olive oil:
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• Covas MI, de la Torre K, Farre-Albaladejo M et al. Postprandial LDL phenolic content and LDL oxidation are modulated by olive oil phenolic compounds in humans. Free Radic Biol Med. 2006 Feb 15;40(4):608-16. Epub 2005 Oct 18. 2006. PMID:16458191. 2006.
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• Eilertsen KE, Maehre HK, Cludts K et al. Dietary enrichment of apolipoprotein E-deficient mice with extra virgin olive oil in combination with seal oil inhibits atherogenesis. Lipids Health Dis. 2011 Mar 3;10:41. 2011.
• Elnagar AY, Sylvester PW, and El Sayed KA. (-)-Oleocanthal as a c-Met Inhibitor for the Control of Metastatic Breast and Prostate Cancers. Planta Med. 2011 Feb 15. [Epub ahead of print]. 2011.
• Escrich E, Solanas M, Moral R et al. Modulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of olive oil and other dietary lipids in breast cancer. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(8):813-30. 2011.
• Frankel EN. Nutritional and biological properties of extra virgin olive oil. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Feb 9;59(3):785-92. Epub 2011 Jan 6. 2011.
• Garcia-Segovia P, Sanchez-Villegas A, Doreste J et al. Olive oil consumption and risk of breast cancer in the Canary Islands: a population-based case-control study. Public Health Nutr 2006 Feb;9(1A):163-7. 2006. PMID:16512965. 2006.
• Hashim YZ, Eng M, Gill C et al. Components of olive oil and chemoprevention of colorectal cancer. Nutr Rev. 2005 Nov;63(11):374-86. 2005. PMID:16370222. 2005.
• Impellizzeri D, Esposito E, Mazzon E et al. The effects of oleuropein aglycone, an olive oil compound, in a mouse model of carrageenan-induced pleurisy. Clin Nutr. 2011 Mar 14. [Epub ahead of print]. 2011.
• Kontogianni MD, Panagiotakos DB, Chrysohoou C, Pitsavos C, Zampelas A, Stefanadis C. The impact of olive oil consumption pattern on the risk of acute coronary syndromes: The CARDIO2000 case-control study. Clin Cardiol. 2007 Mar;30(3):125-9. 2007. PMID:17385704.
• Lucas L, Russell A and Keast R. Molecular mechanisms of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory benefits of virgin olive oil and the phenolic compound oleocanthal. Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(8):754-68. 2011.
• Machowetz A, Poulsen HE, Gruendel S et al. Effect of olive oils on biomarkers of oxidative DNA stress in Northern and Southern Europeans. FASEB J. 2007 Jan;21(1):45-52. Epub 2006 Nov 16. 2007. PMID:17110467. 2007.
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• Martinez Nieto L, Hodaifa G and Lozano Peña JL. Changes in phenolic compounds and Rancimat stability of olive oils from varieties of olives at different stages of ripeness. J Sci Food Agric. 2010 Nov;90(14):2393-8. 2010.
• Mascitelli L and Goldstein MR. Olive oil, iron, and cardiovascular disease prevention. 2011 Apr;68(4):391; author reply 391-2. Epub 2011 Feb 16. No abstract available. 2011.
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• Menendez JA, Vazquez-Martin A, Colomer R et al. Olive oil's bitter principle reverses acquired autoresistance to trastuzumab (Herceptin) in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. BMC Cancer. 2007; 7: 80. Published online 2007 May 9. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-7-80. 2007.
• Mohagheghi F, Bigdeli MR, Rasoulian B et al. Dietary virgin olive oil reduces blood brain barrier permeability, brain edema, and brain injury in rats subjected to ischemia-reperfusion. ScientificWorldJournal. 2010 Jun 29;10:1180-91. 2010.
• Morello JR, Motilva MJ, Tovar MJ, Romero MP. Changes in commercial virgin olive oil (cv Arbequina) during storage, with special emphasis on the phenolic fraction. J Agric Food Chem, 2004 May; 85(3):357-364. 2004.
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• Oliveras-Ferraros C, Fernandez-Arroyo S, Vazquez-Martin A et al. Crude phenolic extracts from extra virgin olive oil circumvent de novo breast cancer resistance to HER1/HER2-targeting drugs by inducing GADD45-sensed cellular stress, G2/M arrest and hyperacetylation. Int J Oncol. 2011 Jun;38(6):1533-47. doi: 10.3892/ijo.2011.993. Epub 2011 Mar 30. 2011.
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Glorious Artisan Bread was created by Leo Walters, who has been dreaming of owning a bakery for over a decade. Working in corporate finance, he took a week off and traveled to the San Francisco Baking Institute because it sounded like fun and he wanted to explore bread making. That single week turned into an obsession, and while he still worked in the corporate world, moving from Kansas City to Seattle and then to Spokane, he couldn't get the dream of owning his own bakery out of his mind.
Sharing his bread in his company break rooms, coworkers would tell him, "you should start your own bakery!" The thought of it terrified him, but Leo took a chance and quit his job.
Beginning at local Farmer's Markets, Glorious started gaining popularity, and soon he was completely selling out of his products within an hour after setting up. At this point he rediscovered a line of Ultra Pure Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars that he could offer as the fresh bread was sold, and it turned out to be a crowd-pleaser, too.
So it was kismet when a space became available at the Ladder Building at 1516 W. Riverside Avenue, and Glorious Artisan Bakery found a permanent spot to bake, offer samples of nearly 20 flavors and varieties of Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, and hold classes on healthy vegan living, cooking, bread making and more.
And more importantly, it's a place for people to gather and to create a community.
You can purchase our extra virgin olive oils at our location near downtown Spokane at 1516 W. Riverside Ave. (inside of the Dormitory Building).
Glorious Artisan Bakery • 1516 W. Riverside • Open Wed-Sat 11 am-7 pm, Sun 10 am-5 pm • howglorious.com • 720-7546
In addition to bread, Glorious serves cookies, energy bars, biscuits, whole wheat biscuits, teff biscuits, jams, jellies, olives, chutney, truffle salt, peanut butters, nut butters, vegan cheese.
More articles on Olive Oil and its health properties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil
http://www.internationaloliveoil.org/glosario_terminos/index
http://bellabalsamic.net/health-benefits-of-extra-virgin-olive-oil/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170912161025.htm
https://publichealth.yale.edu/ehs/research/conferences/olive_oil.aspx
https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/26/health/five-things-olive-oil/index.html
Olive oil and its benefits to people with Type II diabetes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5436092/
Olive oil and its benefits to people with liver disease
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mnfr.201600549
Olive oil and its benefits to people with brain cancer
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170602112837.htm
Olive oil and its benefits to people with alzheimers
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170621103123.htm
Olive oil and the prevention of chronic diseases
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475318301261
Olive oil and its effect on blood pressure
https://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/media/files/OliveOilasMedicine.pdf
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