Olive Diet

Tips for Weight Loss by Adding Olive Oil

Adding olive oil to your diet is a great way to get healthy, and can help you to lose weight. But adding olive oil alone is not going to help you drop pounds. It is not a magic button that will help you shed excess weight. Olive oil is a tool to help you in your path to becoming healthier. In order to get the benefits from this great oil, you need to add other healthy foods, eat moderate proportions, eat slowly, and exercise.

Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet along with olive oil can help you lose weight. The best way to do that is to add salad into your diet. Creating homemade salad dressings using olive oil as a base instead of other options like mayo is an excellent choice. The best choice for salad dressings is extra virgin olive oil, as it has the lightest, freshest flavor, but any form of olive oil is a good choice. Adding healthy meats like poultry and fish, and cutting down on others like pork and red meat can also help you to drop weight.

Be conscious of the amount that you eat at each meal. The American culture is famous for having huge portions compared to the rest of the world. The servings you get at restaurants are often double or more of the recommending amounts of just about everything for one sitting. Reducing the amount of food on your plate even a little with each meal can start to add up fairly quickly and create the type of results you are hoping for. Add olive oil into any meal that you can, and you will find that you often feel full faster, helping you eat less, and you will stay sated for much longer. However, be conscious of the fact that although Olive oil is extremely healthy for you, it is not a low fat oil, and is rather calorie dense. Also, slow down when you eat. Take your time to enjoy the flavors of your meal and savor each bite. Doing this will help you eat a lot less. Your brain will have the time it needs to register that it is full. It will keep you from overeating at virtually every meal, which in turn can help you to lose weight.

Finally, you have to exercise. Changing your eating habits will not have the desired effect if you do not add some sort of exercise into your routine. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you do something. If it will help you to keep up with your exercise goals, join a gym. If you are too busy or reluctant to join one, there are numerous ways to add exercise into your life without having to buy specialized equipment. Perhaps the easiest way to add exercise into your life is to start walking. A 20 minute walk a day can do wonders for you. I also enjoy dancing. It’s easy, and all you need is some music. The important part is to move.

No matter how you decide to lose weight, there are crucial things you need to do in order to achieve your goals. Eat less, eat healthier and cut out or reduce junk foods from your diet, eat slower and savor your food, and exercise. Olive oil can help you achieve your weight goals, but you need to be wise about how you use it. Remember that a diet rich in olive oil can help you shed pounds and be healthier, but if you simply add it without making efforts in other areas, you will find yourself failing.

Which Type of Olive Oil is Best

olives by SarahCartwright on flickr.com

Olive oil is one of the world’s healthiest oils. The benefits from consuming this oil in place of other fats, especially saturated fats, are beginning to get noticed. There are benefits such as heart health, the reduction of blood pressure, lowering of bad cholesterol levels, as well as possible prevention of certain cancers. There are minor health benefits as well, such as helping keep skin smooth and keep it from drying out, makes hair shiny and healthy looking, and can even help to cure ear infections. Olive oil can also help you to lose weight when you combine it with a proper diet plan. It is great at helping you to feel full and satisfied for hours so you will not overeat. With all of the great benefits, why wouldn’t you add it to your diet?

Deciding that you want to add olive oil to your diet is the first step. The second though, is figuring out which oil is the best. There are several different kinds and each has a specific purpose. Not all olive oil is created equal. The healthiest versions of the oil all have “virgin” in the title. In this case, virgin means that the oil has been extracted from the raw olive by natural means only – via pressure or water – and hasn’t been refined or chemically altered. The healthiest, and usually the most expensive, of the virgin types available for purchase is Extra virgin olive oil. This type is considered the very best by pretty much everyone. This oil comes from the very first pressing of the olives and is the least refined of any of them. It has not been heated or changed in any way. Extra virgin olive oil is generally used in sauces and salad dressings, as well as a topping for breads. This is also the best olive oil to consider if you are attempting to eat it for heart health. Most other versions of “virgin olive oil” is not generally available on the US market, but include several other versions such as virgin olive oil, ordinary virgin olive oil, and lampant virgin olive oil. Each has been more refined than the last, but is still fairly close to the original state and still quite healthy versions of the oil. Other versions of olive oil found on the US market are often called “Pure Olive Oil” and “Light Olive Oil”. Pure olive oil, or simply olive oil, is a low grade version of the oil. It has been refined and changed chemically. It does have some virgin olive oil added to it, mainly for taste, but generally, this is a low grade of the oil. It is basically good for cooking, as it deals better with being heated than virgin olive oil. Light olive oil is at its heart, a trick on the consumer, designed to play upon the idea that anything “Light” will keep you from getting fat. The ingredients are exactly the same as pure olive oil versions, with the only difference being less virgin oil added. It is not really light in the way expected. All olive oils are quite calorie dense. Buying light in an effort to be healthier is a great idea in theory, but not in practice. It has the same caloric density as extra virgin olive oil and has been chemically refined. If you are looking for a way to be healthier, your best bet is to stick to extra virgin olive oil and skip the “hype” over light versions of everything.

Olive Oil Information

You’ll find a lot of information about olive oil in this video. A nice old greek man talks all about olive oil throughout. He makes sure to go over the health benefits associated with this amazing oil. You will also see some truly amazing scenery. Well worth a look.

Losing Weight on the Olive Diet

Olive oil and vinegar by Lamees (L.Y.S) on flickr.com

The Olive Diet.

Many people are concerned about losing weight these days. Everyone is looking for the best diet for them. There are many choices available out there, and it is hard to know what the best option is. Finding a diet that is sustainable but also helps you to lose weight is a definite key to long term success.

The Olive Diet is a “new” diet that uses olives and olive oil as a key part of weight loss. Research has found that a diet high in olive oil helps many people lose weight faster than a low fat diet. The general recommendation for consumption is about 1 to 2 tablespoons every day. The reasoning behind this is that the monounsaturated fat in olive oil will help manage hunger and keep unhealthy cravings under control. This will help with overall health as well as helping to lose weight.

This one is a bit different from the other diets in that it not only allows but encourages consumption of bread. Bananas, which are often restricted in most diets, are also allowed. White bread is very high glycemic index and bananas have a high sugar content which is why they are usually restricted or taboo since they are both excellent energy sources: More energy leads to more body fat. On this diet, however, both are fine to consume.

There are some keys to losing weight with this type of diet. The first is an attempt to replace all or most saturated fats with olive oil. The reasoning behind this is the fact that olive oil is much healthier in general and won’t cause clogged arteries, and that it has been shown to boost metabolism. It’s believed that it burns hot and fast inside the body and gives a metabolic boost. However, if you are counting calories on this diet, you need to remember to account for the calories added to foods through cooking and sautéing. These will add and possibly sabotage efforts if you do not include them in your daily totals. Another key to this diet is to lower your overall intake of carbohydrates. Although bread is allowed, this does not mean you should eat it in excess. When you do choose to eat it, you should skip butter and dip it in olive oil. For extra flavor, add some vinegar to the mix. There is a lot of research to show that diets that are higher in fats, specifically monounsaturated fats like olive oil, combined with low carbohydrate intake is more effective for weight loss than low fat, high carbohydrate diets.

Personally, I enjoy this diet because I believe that it is sustainable. The food is tasty, you are not constantly hungry, and you feel better in general. And the results, though not exceptionally fast, are noticeable which I find helps to encourage you to keep going. Finding a diet that works for you but is also something you can incorporate into your everyday life is very important. I believe that this diet offers that for many people.

Ten Unusual Uses for Olive Oil

olive oil by netsnake on flickr.com

Olive oil is special among oils in that it is extremely good for you. The health benefits from consuming it are quite substantial and include such things as a healthier heart, lower cholesterol levels, and healthier skin. The benefits of this interesting and unique oil do not stop simply at health benefits. There are many ways to use this oil that may not occur to many people. Here is a list of 10 unusual uses for olive oil:

1. Help get gum out of hair.

Sometimes chewing gum gets stuck in the hair of children and this can cause a huge mess. Most of the time, the only solution seems to be to take a pair of scissors and chop off the effected hair. However, instead of taking such a drastic step, try using some olive oil on it instead. The oil is a great natural lubricant and will not harm a child’s delicate skin. Pour some of the oil on the chewing gum and the hair surrounding it. Allow a little time to sit, then begin to pull the hair away from the sticky wad with your fingers. You can add a little more oil and rub it in with your fingers for any tricky spots. This works quite well and will keep you from having to give your child an impromptu hair cut.

2. Help to reduce snoring

As odd as it may sound, olive oil can help reduce snoring. The idea behind it is that the oil will coat the throat and keep it moist during the night. This in turn will reduce or completely eliminate snoring in most people. This natural snore remedy is easy to use: simply swallow a tablespoon of olive oil just before bed. If you don’t like the taste, hold your nose while you swallow. This works and this is a good way to add some more olive oil to your diet while getting other benefits.

3. Increasing the health of your cat or dog.

Olive oil can be healthy for your pets as well as for you, though they do not require nearly as much as humans. For cats, mixing a little olive oil into the food you give them will help to lessen the chance for the formation of hairballs. For dogs, the benefit is to reduce the amount of shedding. For cats add less than half a teaspoon, and dogs add one teaspoon into the food you give them once a week. This is adequate to produce the beneficial effects.

4. Reduce noise from squeaky hinges

Since olive oil is a natural lubricant, it can be used as a substitute for other types of oil or grease. If you have a hinge in your home that is squeaking, you can use olive oil to quiet it. The easiest way to do this is to fill a squirt bottle with some olive oil and then use it on any hinge that squeaks. It is quick, cheap and effective.

5. Treatment for ear infections

Ear infections can take a toll on anyone affected by them. If you are looking for a natural way help with such an infection, try turning to olive oil for relief. Gently heating some olive oil can soothe and heal. Place a small amount in the affected ear or ears. If you do not wish to keep your head tilted in order to keep it in place, you may add a cotton ball or some tissue to your ear. Let it sit for a few minutes. I usually let it sit for 10 minutes or longer. Repeat this several times a day, such as upon waking and going to bed.

6. Shaving Cream

Olive oil clearly has many uses, and one of the most surprising is that it can be an effective substitute for shaving cream. Place some on the skin you are attempting to shave, be it facial hair, leg, or underarm hair. The oil will soften the whiskers and allow the razor to give a close shave. Since olive oil is good for your skin, many people choose to use this as their primary shaving cream.

7. Shining for leather

Leather sometimes loses its luster, especially shoes that are made from the material. If you have something made from leather that looks less than spectacular due to age, try rubbing some olive oil on it to brighten it up. Take a cloth, dip it in some of the oil, and simply rub it onto the item. Let it sit for several minutes, and then buff away any excess oil. This will leave your items looking new and shiny.

8. Make your Palm tree healthier

Indoor plants and trees do not always do so well inside. Palm trees are popular house plants but often suffer from droopy leaves. To help make your tree look healthier, try adding some olive oil directly to the roots. A few tablespoons once a month should be sufficient. You will be amazed at the difference this can make in the appearance of your indoor palm tree.

9. Furniture polish

Not only is olive oil great for leather, it is very good as a natural furniture polish for wood. The recommended way to use it is to mix equal amounts of olive oil with lemon juice and mix it together. Dip a cloth into the mixture and rub it onto your wood surfaces to get a great shine.

10. Removing paint from your skin and hair