How Much Olive Oil Per Day In Mediterranean Diet – Guide In 2024!
1 to 4 servings daily(one tablespoon) of extra virgin olive oil are suggested daily in the Mediterranean diet. This helps keep your heart healthy and fights inflammation.
Furthermore, adding olive oil to salads, veggies, and sauces is an easy way to meet this recommendation and enjoy its benefits.
Hold onto your hats, because I’m excited to share various facts, benefits, and more about olive oil in this article!
Table of Contents:
Benefits Of Taking Olive Oil Every Day – For Those Who Don’t Know!
1. It Keeps Heart Healthy:
Olive oil helps prevent heart disease by lowering inflammation and blood pressure in our blood vessels. Olive oil is full of antioxidants that can help prevent plaque build-up in our blood vessels by lowering the amount of fats in our blood. This makes it easier for our blood to flow smoothly and reach all the parts of our body that need it!
A study called PREDIMED, with over 7000 participants, found that following a Mediterranean diet can greatly reduce heart problems. People who followed this diet had better blood pressure and insulin sensitivity and healthier levels of fats and inflammation in their bodies.
Another study, LYON, showed that eating the Mediterranean diet decreased the risk of having another heart problem after experiencing one.
So, not only does the Mediterranean diet help prevent heart disease, but it can also stop another heart problem from happening if you’ve already had one.
2. Useful In Constipation:
The Mediterranean diet is renowned for emphasizing wholesome foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains, which are fiber-rich.Fiber helps keep your bowels regular, prevents constipation, and supports a healthy digestive system.
The olive oil helped make stools softer, just like other constipation treatments used to treat constipation.
Read also: Mediterranean Diet Beverages – Start Nourishing Your Body With Every Sip!
3. It Promotes Weight Management:
Losing weight is not just about eating less than you burn. Research shows that people who follow a Mediterranean diet tend to lose weight. This might be because the diet is mainly made up of plant foods, which are low in calories but high in fiber. This makes you feel full and satisfied, helping you eat less overall.
I recommend that my clients add olive oil to salads, veggies, and various dishes. It can help you feel full and manage your weight, but it’s essential to use it in the correct amount.
4. Control Diabetes:
Olive oil is mainly made of healthy monounsaturated fat. Studies show that eating monounsaturated fats, like the ones in olive oil. It can help improve how your body responds to insulin and lower fasting blood sugar levels, which is essential for managing diabetes.
It’s important to use olive oil in moderation as part of a healthy diet, along with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Consulting with a healthcare professional or dietitian can help you plan how to include olive oil to manage diabetes while staying healthy.
Finally, you have learned about the benefits of olive oil in your diet. Now, I’m going to discuss how to consume olive oil and its potential side effects. For further information, read the Qoura website.
How To Consume Extra Virgin Olive Oil? – Quick Over View!
- Instead of butter on toast, try dipping it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Use olive oil for cooking vegetables, fish, eggs, and wraps instead of butter or vegetable oil.
- Make your salad dressing with olive oil instead of using store-bought options.
- Drizzle olive oil on pasta instead of butter or sugary sauces.
- Use olive oil instead of butter or vegetable oil when baking muffins and cakes.
- Roast vegetables with olive oil for added flavour and health benefits.
Read also: Mediterranean Diet Eating Out – A Comprehensive Guide!
Potential Side Effects Of Consuming Olive Oil – Also Consider It!
- Olive oil is nutrient-dense but high in calories, with one tablespoon containing 119 calories.
- Adding olive oil to your diet without adjusting other foods may lead to excess calorie intake and weight gain.
- Consuming more olive oil is recommended while reducing intake of saturated fats like fatty meats, butter, lard, and high-fat dairy products is recommended.
- Excessive consumption of olive oil, including drinking it in large quantities, can cause digestive discomfort and contribute to weight gain.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Do You Need To Drink Olive Oil?
No, you don’t have to drink olive oil if you use it every day when cooking. But if you don’t cook often or eat out a lot, drinking a little olive oil regularly can still give you its health benefits.
2. What can I use instead of olive oil on Mediterranean diet?
Studies, like one published in 2019 in the journal Nutrients, suggest that canola oil might have anti-inflammatory properties and benefits for heart health. It is similar to olive oil in the Mediterranean diet. You can use canola oil in different recipes.
3. Will Eating More Olive Oil Make Me Fat?
Research suggests that olive oil consumption may even lower the risk of obesity. It provides healthy fats that can aid weight management by promoting satiety. However, excessive intake may contribute to weight gain over time, so using olive oil moderately and alongside nutritious foods is essential.
4. Is olive oil bad when trying to lose weight?
Yes, you can add olive oil to your daily meals when you’re aiming to lose weight. Just remember to use it in small amounts because it has a lot of calories. One tablespoon of olive oil typically has around 119 calories.
Conclusion:
Incorporating olive oil into your diet as part of a Mediterranean-style eating pattern offers numerous health benefits, including heart health, weight management, and diabetes control. Using olive oil in moderation with healthy foods is important for maximizing its benefits and maintaining overall health.
