Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Cal Orey is an accomplished author and journalist. She has a master’s degree in English from San Francisco State University, and for three decades has written hundreds of articles for national and international magazines. She specializes in topics such as health, beauty, nutrition, relationships, science, and pets. Her books include The Healing Powers of Olive Oil, The Healing Powers of Coffee, The Healing Powers of Honey, The Healing Powers of Chocolate, The Healing Powers of Vinegar, 202 Pets’ Peeves, and Doctors’ Orders. She lives in Northern California. Readers are invited to visit her website at calorey.com, read her blog The Writing Gourmet at calorey.blogspot.com, find her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

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THE HEALING POWERS OF Olive Oil

KENSINGTON BOOKS

Contents

Foreword...........................................................................................viiAcknowledgments....................................................................................ixPART 1 A Time for Olive Oil........................................................................11. The Power of Olive Oil..........................................................................32. A Genesis of the Olive..........................................................................15PART 2 Olive Oil...................................................................................253. A Historical Testimony..........................................................................274. Where Are the Secret Ingredients?...............................................................375. Why Is Olive Oil So Healthy?....................................................................456. The Keys to the Mediterranean Diet..............................................................53PART 3 Other Natural Oils..........................................................................617. Flavored Olive Oils.............................................................................638. More Healing Oils...............................................................................69PART 4 Youth in a Bottle...........................................................................819. Combining Olive Oil and Vinegar.................................................................8310. The Elixir to Heart Health.....................................................................9211. The Olive Oil Diet.............................................................................9912. Antiaging Wonder Food..........................................................................107PART 5 Olive Oil Home Remedies.....................................................................11713. Cures from Your Kitchen........................................................................119PART 6 Future Olive Oil............................................................................13714. Olive Oil Mania: Using Olive Oil for the Household, Kids, Pets, and Beauty.....................13915. Olive Beautiful................................................................................15916. Olive Oil Producers, Tasting Bars, and Tours...................................................16717. Olive Oil Is Not for Everyone: Some Bitter Views...............................................18318. The Joy of Cooking with Olive Oil..............................................................188PART 7 Olive Oil Recipes...........................................................................20119. Olive Oil Bon Apptit!.........................................................................203PART 8 Olive Oil Resources.........................................................................241Where Can You Buy Olive Oil?.......................................................................243Notes..............................................................................................255Selected Bibliography..............................................................................261

Chapter One

* * *

Except the vine, there is no plant which bears a fruit as of great importance as the olive. -Pliny

In the fifties, I grew up in San Jose, California, a place once known for its plentiful prune tree orchards. Today, as a nature-loving Northern Californian who currently lives amid tall pine trees in South Lake Tahoe, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that within three hours of my mountain-style home-with rolling hills much like in Italy, Spain, and Greece-olive groves are growing and people are producing olive oil, known as liquid gold, in a Mediterranean-type weather in the Golden State.

When I was in my late twenties, it was my dream to go to Europe. I dog-eared one of those Europe-on-a-shoestring-budget travel books and planned my trip. But I opted to go to graduate school instead. So, I never got to enjoy the exotic Mediterranean countries or taste the European cuisine-including its wide world of olive oil.

The closest I've come to Italy, the second largest producer of olive oil, is by watching the film Under the Tuscan Sun, which is about a divorced writing professor and book reviewer-played by Diane Lane-and based loosely on a novel created by Frances Mayes, who taught classes at my alumni college, San Francisco State University. With envy, I viewed her protagonist, Frances, learning to live and laugh again thousands of miles away from the San Francisco Bay Area. In Tuscany, where she relocates, it's the eccentric, down-to-earth locals and observing an earthy harvest of olives (right outside her new home) that finds a place in her heart.

In the real world, I sit here in my study with snow-covered ground outdoors in the California Sierras and fantasize about how wonderful it would be to live in Italy amid olive trees. But, whisking off in a plane to Europe isn't going to happen for me today or tomorrow. Still, I will take you along with me to visit real people and real places where you will get a real flavor of the Mediterranean basin and of the healing powers of olive oil.

The Olive Yields a Powerful Oil

Olive oil has been praised by people as one of Mother Nature's most healthful fats, especially if it is extra virgin olive oil. And now, olive oil-and other healing oils-are making the news worldwide, and are here to stay in homes, restaurants, and even fast-food chains.

People from all walks of life-including some olive oil pioneers and contemporary medical experts-believe olive oil helps fight body fat and keeps blood pressure down as well as heart disease at bay. Olive oil is also known to help relieve colds and maintain healthy skin.

Jean Carper, a leading authority on health and nutrition, points out that new Italian research finds olive oil contains antioxidants, similar to those in tea and red wine, that fight heart disease, including LDL cholesterol's ability to clog arteries.

Dietician and nutrition consultant Pat Baird, author of The Pyramid Cookbook: Pleasures of the Food Guide Pyramid, touts the golden liquid, too. "I love the whole idea of olive oil's versatility. I use it for baking, as well as salad dressings and sauting. Olive oil has been around for a long time, and the more we know about it, the more we learn about its great contribution to good health."

Liz Applegate, Ph.D., a renowned health, nutrition, and fitness expert, wrote in her book 101 Miracle Foods That Heal Your Heart, "Rich in history, and even richer in heart-healthy benefits, olive oil is the 'king' of oils."

Most important, like apple cider and red wine vinegars, extra virgin olive oil contains polyphenols, naturally occurring compounds that act as powerful antioxidants (disease-fighting enzymes that protect your body by trapping free-radical molecules and getting rid of them before damage occurs).

Olive Oils with Polyphenols

Keep in mind, if you're a health-conscious person like I am, you'll quickly ask, "Which olive oil has...