When Delicious Taste Meets Health Benefits
BY WENDY LECHNER - OWNER OF EMERALD COAST OLIVE OILS
Olive Oil
After operating a cooking school in the Caribbean for a number of years, I moved back to Florida and started working in an olive oil store. Little did I know. After tasting my very first couple of samples of really well-made and fresh oil and vinegar, I tossed out my grocery store bottles with sheer chagrin. I had no idea that store-bought oils were often very old, purposefully mislabeled, and 69% didn’t meet basic health standards according to our nation’s testing labs at the University of California (Davis).
My taste buds knew the difference. One taste of my first Cobrancosa olive oil from Portugal and I was hooked. Luscious, rich, fragrant, buttery – and a polyphenol (antioxidant) count of 362. So it was super healthy to boot. Doctors say that any time the polyphenol count is over 100, the olive oil is good for you. Most grocery store olive oils have a count of less than 38 polyphenols. All of the oils we carry at Emerald Coast Olive Oil range between a 125 and 475 polyphenol count. They are properly made and are 100% extra virgin (first press/cold press), rather than most grocery store olive oils that only have to be 12% extra virgin to claim extra virgin status.
Demand for the freshest and most healthbeneficial olive oils is well underway as consumers become more educated. Great resources are the Mayo Institute and the Cleveland Clinic. It is no stretch to say olive oil can change your life for the better. The Mayo Clinic lists several factors that high-quality olive oil can do for you. It can lower “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, lower the risk of heart disease, help prevent hardening of the arteries, and help with cognitive (brain) function. Doctors suggest having at least two teaspoons to two tablespoons of olive oil a day. So use it in your salads, marinades, as a sandwich condiment, in cooking, and even in baking. You can replace vegetable oil in brownies, for instance, with olive oil — they’ll taste even richer!
To get the best health benefits, olive oil needs to be 100% extra virgin olive oil. Wherever you buy high quality olive oil, make sure the crush date is less than a year ago and that it lists the polyphenols (the antioxidants that fight cancer and heart disease) on the bottle. It’s worth doing your homework to get the best health benefit.
Vinegar
Need a flavor wallop with few calories? Vinegar can be made from almost any fruit, but the most common ones you find are either made from grapes (wine or balsamic vinegars) or apples (cider vinegar). As with everything, you can make healthier choices. If you like apple cider, Bragg’s is the most famous brand since it also contains probiotics which improve your tummy chemistry and help regulate spikes in blood sugar levels, especially important for diabetics.
However, now specialty olive oil stores, including my store, Emerald Coast Olive Oil at Pier Park, also carry balsamic vinegars that contain the same probiotics that Bragg’s apple cider vinegar contain – but, in my opinion, ours taste much better and the acidity levels are lower, which makes them more palatable.
Why use vinegars, especially those with probiotics? Vinegar contains a moderate, but important, level of antioxidants that reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, and infectious diseases. Vinegar is a natural pain reliever and it aids in digestion. There is increasing evidence that it also decelerates the aging process by improving overall body chemistry. And it contains a good amount of Vitamin C, iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium.
With all that said, the reason I use so much balsamic vinegar is TASTE. My meals taste much better with just a couple of teaspoons of great vinegar. I love to cook, but I’m a lazy cook, so a splash of Pomegranate Quince Balsamic Vinegar, for instance, on my vegetables makes me feel like a clever chef. I spice up my marinades, barbecue sauces, cole slaw, and a hundred other dishes. What more can the home cook want!