The ancient Greeks and Romans used olive oil as medicine.
In fact, they pretty much used the stuff for everything:
Sun block, lotion, shampoo, antibiotic, and of course – cooking.
Interestingly, the olive oil at your local grocery store isn’t much different from the stuff they had back then.
There is no radical difference in the way olives are cultivated, domesticated, and ultimately pressed into oil from then to today.
As it turns out, our ancestors were onto something.
We now understand it’s fantastic for cardiovascular health.
The American College of Cardiology recently found individuals who consume at least half a tablespoon of olive oil per day had a 19% lower risk of heart disease death.[R]
Olive oil provides essential antioxidants that protect red blood cells from damage, preventing heart diseases, heart attacks, and strokes.
The best part is, you can get these benefits by incorporating olive oil into your diet in almost any way.
Olive oil-based salad dressing? That checks.
Cooking a steak? Yes, please.
Adding it to your bread? Yep.
Using it to fry your eggs? That works as well.
In fact, if you replace unhealthy fats with olive oil, you are double-dipping on the benefits.
Here’s what one of the researchers, Dr. Guasch-Ferré, had to say:
“Clinicians should be counseling patients to replace certain fats, such as margarine and butter, with olive oil to improve their health. Our study helps make more specific recommendations that will be easier for patients to understand and hopefully implement into their diets.”
Heart disease is tragic, and it can happen to anyone, including otherwise healthy men.
80% of Americans are not getting enough good fats like olive oil, and as a result are much more likely to develop heart disease.
Don’t be one of them. Half a spoonful of olive oil per day will make all the difference!