Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Israel Makes the headlines again...
Olive oil is in the news, and the news is good. Last week's findings by Northwestern University in Chicago that olive oil can help fight breast cancer, is just the latest of many health benefits that have been shown to be derived from this oldest of medicinal foods.
"Our findings underpin epidemiological studies that show that the Mediterranean diet has significant protective effects against cancer, heart disease and ageing," said the study's lead author, Javier Menendez, of Northwestern University's Feinberg medical school.
One of the few non-drug products that has gained FDA approval, olive oil was attributed by the agency at the end of 2004 with the ability to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease.
Israelis, who long ago made olive oil a staple in their diet, are no strangers to the benefits of olive oil, and two in particular - Dr. Shaul Eger and Professor Ishak Neeman are leading the way in developing olive oil-derived products aimed at enabling people to live healthier lives.
A visit to Egers Farms in Yokneam near Haifa, run by Eger - coined the "guru" of Israeli olive oil - provides ample evidence of the scope of applications for the ancient oil.
"More than 20 diseases are caused by oil malnutrition," Eger told ISRAEL21c, citing cardiac and digestive problems as well as a host of other ills including post-partum depression, ADHD, dandruff, loss of hair, and skin diseases such as psoriasis.
"It is finally recognized that food kills. A low-fat diet can be harmful because we need essential oils. The human nervous system is oil dependent, and it is one of the first to deteriorate when deprived of essential oil."
An animal physiologist by profession, Eger, together with Neeman of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, has developed a whole line of products based on olive oil. Through their research at the Technion situated on Mount Carmel - where coincidentally the first olive tree took root some 6,000 years ago - they've succeeded in solidifying the oil for use in spreadable olive oil products, as well as ointments.
The achievement won Neeman a Hershel Rich Technion Innovation Award presented to researchers for outstanding innovative projects with commercial potential.
It represents a new way of producing an oil spread that can replace butter and margarine, according to Eger, without the process of hydrogenation, which produces saturated fatty acids and trans-configurated acid and constitute potential health risks. The patented procedure can also be used with different oils such as olive, corn or sunflower.
At Eger Farms - which hosts Eger and Neeman's Olive Oil Products industry ltd. - the olive oil enthusiasts make a good case for putting olive oil on your pasta, on your bread, and in your salads - not to mention rubbing it on your skin and hair.
"Most processed food [like margarine] loses its nutritional properties and is potentially harmful," said Eger. "To modify it to a solid state the vegetable fat undergoes a process of hydrogenation, thereby raising quantities of saturated fatty acids. It is no secret anymore that oils solidified by hydrogenation contain trans-fatty acids," adds Eger.
According to the FDA, any food that contains over 1% fatty acid cannot be considered a functional food and is actually detrimental to health. Most spreads contain 9-12% trans-fatty acids.
Eger and Neeman say that people need to change from a diet of saturated fats, to a balanced diet with at least 75% mono-unsaturated fat, no more than 15% saturated, and 10% polyunsaturated. The winner as a therapeutic food is top quality extra virgin olive oil.
"It has optimal fatty acid composition and a high content of antioxidants," says Eger.
The collaboration between Eger and Neeman led to the development of olive oil products that have no synthetic colors, preservatives, sugar, salt, or water. There are no other solidified olive oil products on the market that offer the same health benefits, they said.
"We have worked for more than 10 years developing innovative olive oil products," said Eger who earned his doctorate at the School of Agriculture of the Hebrew University.
Dr. Eger - Olive Oil Products industry ltd., is a private company specializing in olive based products, established in 1991. The company, in cooperation with the Technion Research and Development Foundation Ltd., has developed a unique technology for solidification of edible oils.
Based on this technology, the company developed patented spreads - in flavors like garlic, basil and oregano - as a substitute to butter and margarine for the retail and industrial market, as well as cosmetic products.
The spreads also include an Omega-3 boost (tasteless and odorless fish or vegetable-based oil). Omega-3 is vital for visual systems and cognitive development in infants, and reduces the risk of arteriosclerosis and cardio vascular impairment in adults. It can also ameliorate the deterioration of mental capacity of adults and improve cognitive ability.
"We have the only products in the world that include such a high content of Omega-3 - 20% in therapeutic products, and 10% in nutritional products," said Eger.
Eger also produces a line of Olive Oil/Aroma Cosmetics: natural ointments with moisturizing and nourishing properties for the face and body, and Olive Oil for the Scalp. Each product is enhanced with natural essential oils, both therapeutic and aromatic.
Neeman, an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Engineering and Biotechnology at the Technion, has a distinguished academic career. He has done research at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Medical School. He is also well-known for his research on other natural products: avocado (which has anti-bacterial properties), cactus flower extracts (anti-depressant), pomegranate juice and oil (a potent anti-oxidant), and has co-founded several companies based on his patented technology.
Eger said that their products are already being sold in Japan and Korea, and in the upcoming year, consumers in North America and England will also be able to sample their wares.
MUST KNOW INFORMATION ABOUT OLIVE OIL & FAT
There is more to fat, of course, than love handles. More than a belly that sit-ups can't tame. Yet, hard as it is to imagine when our mirror zeroes in on our dimpled thighs, we need some fat. Fat is good. Fat kept our ancestors alive, and it keeps our bodies functioning.
Here are 10 facts that will help you understand fat better.
We need some dietary fat. It helps satisfy us when we eat and is important for basic body metabolism and disease prevention, says Julie Bender, a registered and licensed dietitian at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.
Some cells are designated "fat cells." If you overeat consistently, fat cells expand. When they reach a certain point, they recruit other cells that aren't designed to hold fat. Thus, fat spills over into parts of the body such as the heart, liver and pancreas. That's when disease occurs.
Fat-free or reduced-fat may not be best. Take peanut butter, for instance. It's an excellent source of healthy fat. When you buy reduced-fat peanut butter, fat often is replaced with sugar or other unhealthy fillers. When choosing salad dressings made with healthy oils such as olive or canola, full-fat is fine, Bender says. Just use them sparingly; calories count, and most salad dressings have lots.
The good news: 10 percent of our fat cells die every year. And the bad? They're replaced by new fat cells. Such is the word from Swedish researchers as reported earlier this year in The New York Times. The cycle of dying and regenerating is based on fat cells we have accumulated through puberty. After that, Bender says, the number remains the same. That makes it especially important to keep our children's diets healthy; what they eat affects their predisposition to disease later in life, she says. Infants and babies, however, need fat to grow. Check with your pediatrician to know how much and what kind.
Here's a fat primer. Our bodies need 20 percent to 30 percent of daily calories to come from fat. The key is what kind of fat. Unsaturated fats -- healthier option: Olive and canola oils, olives, nuts, avocados, salmon, tuna, sardines, some shellfish. A caveat: "Healthy fats are great to choose, but you need to do so in moderation," she says. "Many people think because they're healthy, they can have unlimited amounts." Big N-O.
Saturated fats -- limit. Tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil; high-fat dairy products; fatty meats. Keep these to less than 20 grams per day. For perspective, an 8-ounce, prime-rib portion has 32 grams of saturated fat.
Trans fats -- avoid: Man-made hydrogenated oils. Many restaurants no longer use them. But that's not permission to order extra french fries, Bender says.
Paying attention to labels can help make you healthy. When label-reading, keep saturated fat at 2 grams or less per serving. To determine calories from fat, multiply the number of fat grams listed by 9.
Cardio, resistance training, fat taming. "When you start doing cardio, your body releases hormones and enzymes to send fat to the bloodstream to be used as energy," says Kirk Burgess, senior physical director over health, wellness and aquatics for YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. "People who come in and do 5 or 10 minutes of cardio aren't burning fat; they're burning simple sugars. Your body may not get into the fat-burning system for 25 minutes." Additionally, studies show that the more toned your muscles, the better you can control your weight. That's because the more muscle weight you have, the more calories you burn.
Liposuction is not a cure for obesity. Enough said.
Fat doesn't make us fat. "The bottom line is, when we take in too many calories, whether they're fat or carbohydrates protein, we will gain weight," Bender says.
Belly fat: Not pretty, not good for you, not easy to lose. Belly fat, especially in women, isn't just uncomfortable and unsightly, it's also unhealthy. It has been linked to higher risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Its secretions narrow blood vessels and promote inflammation, according to the journal Neurology. Additionally, a recent study reported in Weekly Women's Health links abdominal fat on people in their 40s with dementia in their 70s. For women, a belly-button circumference of 35 inches or more means you have an unhealthy concentration of belly fat. For men, that number is 40 inches.
Join us for the 2-Lux at Trulucks a South Florida Business Networking Event Tuesday December 13th 2011. IsRoil Olive Oil is a brand of extra virgin olive oil from Israel and the website is an eclectic host of hundreds of webpages related to: Israeli Rugs www.israelirugs.com providing Persian & Oriental Style Rugs hand made by Jewish and Bedouin Artisan Craftsman in Israel, Jewish and Israeli events in south florida, events in New York www.eventsinnewyork.net The Calendar 4 New Yorkers, chamber of commerce events, gourmet foods, Israel, travel, judaica, and the South Florida Jewish community. Jay Shapiro PR, Jay Shapiro Public Relations, Associated PR www.AssociatedPR.com IsRoil is a trademark owned by Jay Shapiro enterprises.
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