Olive oil

How Olive Oil Can Protect You From Air Pollution

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“[E]xtra-virgin olive oil contains large amounts of antioxidant chemicals, including the two most researched antioxidants: hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein. These chemicals keep the blood thinner and prevent clotting. They also cause a release of nitric oxide inside the artery, which causes relaxation of the arterial wall and improvement in blood flow.” ~Dr. McLaughlin

OliveOilI consume extra-virgin olive oil almost on a daily basis, because I understand the importance of including this valuable source of omega-9 fats in my diet.

Olive oil has been widely researched and the findings have clearly shown that the intake of olive oil can lower your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, dementia, and some forms of cancer, and can improve your life expectancy.

Adding to this list, recent research has also indicated that by including olive oil in your diet, you may be able to ward off the harmful effects of air pollution. In the U.S., Canada, and other parts of the over-populated globe, air quality continues to be a very problematic issue, causing premature heart disease, lung disease, and death in thousands of unsuspecting people.

Unfortunately, the particulate matter in the air from pollution emitted by coal generators and vehicles can damage the sensitive endothelial linings of your arteries, leading to premature atherosclerosis. Continue reading →

Deane Alban ~ Is Your Olive Oil Lying About Its Virginity?

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Wake Up World  May 27 2014

“Throughout Europe there are large scale facilities that pump this stuff out. According to the book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, these illicit manufacturers slap an Italian flag and the name of an imaginary producer on the label and dump this stuff on the US market, where consumers are easy pickings.” ~ D Alban

YOliveOilou’d have to live in a cave to not have heard about the health benefits of olive oil. It’s a monounsaturated fat that is a major component of the Mediterranean diet and is believed to be a factor why people in that area of the world are some of the healthiest and long-lived.

Olive oil has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Its health benefits are legendary. It has been found to boost the immune system, increase bone density, prevent cancer, strokes, and heart disease, lower blood pressure, and reduce your risk of diabetes. And if that isn’t enough, it seems that olive oil can improve memory and increase overall cognitive function. A large study on 6,000 women over the age of 65 found that women who consumed the highest amount of monounsaturated fats, which can be found in olive oil, had better patterns of cognitive scores over time. (1)

I recommend it as one of the two vegetable oils that are truly healthy and that everyone should have in their kitchen, along with coconut oil…

But now it looks like the olive oil you trusted to provide you with health benefits might be a fake! Is nothing sacred anymore? My first thoughts were…

How do you make fake olive oil? Who is doing this? Why are they doing it?

Olive Oil Is Big Business

Working backwards, it’s pretty easy to guess the “why”. There is money to be made in olive oil forgery. The US alone spends 1.5 billion dollars a year on olive oil. It might not seem worth the effort to make fake oil, but in one Italian bust alone, authorities broke up a criminal gang sitting on $8 million worth of fake oil!

The “who” might be surprising… Continue reading →

Understanding The Benefits Of Natural Olive Oil

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NaturalNews  January 31 2014

OliveOilEveryone knows that natural and organic foods are far more healthier than their processed counterparts. Unfortunately, many people don’t take to heart this valuable piece of information, and they continue to consume food products that are completely unhealthy for them. In doing this, they often develop a wide array of preventable health conditions. The road to getting healthier can begin today, and it can start by incorporating natural olive oil into one’s diet. In fact, let’s go ahead and take a quick look at five healthy benefits of natural and organic olive oil.

Benefit 1: Good for the heart

Bad cholesterol, medically referred to as LDL, can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease. Because of this, people need to do all that they can to limit the amount of bad cholesterol that develops in their bodies. Natural olive oil has been proven to reduce the amount of arterial plaque that builds on the walls of arteries; therefore, making it a great weapon in the fight against heart disease.

Benefit 2: Boosts iron intake

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Calendula Plant Benefits: Grow Your Own Medicine

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Natural Society | January 29 2013

Calendula officinalis is a plant most often used to brighten up a garden or flower bed. It’s a popular choice because it’s pretty and is super easy to grow. But, what many people don’t know is that their pretty garden-addition is a valuable herbal remedy.

Calendula, also known as “pot marigolds” are usually a bright golden color. It is often mistaken for “common marigold” or Mexican marigold, which are very different and are members of the Tagetes genus. They don’t offer the same medicinal benefits as calendula, so it’s crucial when looking for the herbal remedy that you know what you are after.

The flowers of Calendula have been used for centuries for a variety of ailments and health problems. Some of those benefits include:

  • Wound healing
  • Burn soothing
  • Immune boosting
  • Collagen regeneration
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Liver, gallbladder, and uterine tonic
  • Anti-fungal
  • Rash soothing
  • Calming scrapes, cuts, bites, and other minor wounds
  • General skincare

Calendula officinalis also has antimicrobial, antiviral, and astringent properties, and is a go-to skin treatment for many herbalists.

“Calendula is such a soothing and calming skin herb when used topically,” says herbalist Dawn Marie Dillon of Breathless Beauty. “I use Calendula in every baby soap and salve I make.”

Making Calendula Oil

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Top 10 Healthy Yet Cheap Organic Foods

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NaturalSociety | October 24 2012

Cheap organic foods? In the face of global economic struggle, the issue of personal finance is at the heart of the average consumer. But do you really have to shed an exorbitant amount of your money to purchase organic foods over conventional? The answer is no, and there is a surprisingly large amount of high quality organic foods that are quite cheap — even when considering low income families. Even families on food stamps have been able to live entirely on an organic diet on the foodstamp income alone.

There’s even a documentary about it called Foodstamped, which is hosted free online. The couple in the film eats a 100% organic diet on as little as $40 a week. There are keys to keeping costs down such as buying from farmers markets when possible and always buying whole food options as opposed to pre-made or processed meals, but I am going to give you a list of 10 key items that are really quite cheap. In fact, they purchased many of them in the film to keep their costs down. When you get the opportunity, you can even store up on some of these items in bulk and cut costs even further — not to mention that many of these foods are capable of acting as long-term storeable foods.

Here are the top 10 healthy yet organic real food items that won’t break your budget:

1. Brown Rice

Brown rice has a lengthy shelf life when stored properly in a sealed container, and can make for a full meal simply by eating it alone or adding in some of the vegetables in this list. Organic brown rice when purchased in bulk, or at least not from pre-packaged bags, can be extremely cheap while able to be incorporated into many meals.

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