California
Olive Oil |
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Volume 1 Issue 6 |
November 1998 |
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Olive Oil and Heart Disease John Deane M.D. Greenbrae, Ca - A web visitor recently asked about the value of olive oil for persons recently diagnosed with atherosclerotic heart disease. There is still a great difference of opinion about oils and health. What people agree on is that less fat is better and unsaturated fats are better than saturated ones. The question is, how low do you go and which oil is better than others.The truth may be that everyone is different and fats may or may not be a risk factor depending on one's genes. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to lower heart disease but Mediterranean countries people eat as much as 40% of their calories as fats (mostly olive oil). How much of the benefit is from the oil and how much is from the large quantity of nuts, fruits, and vegetables that are consumed? Studies are in progress to try to find out. For patients with low HDL levels and high triglycerides, the Mediterranean diet may lower heart disease best. Dr. Dean Ornish has risen to national prominence with a diet and lifestyle program which advocates as little as 10% calories from fat. This has been shown to actually reverse atherosclerosis in some studies. Dr. Ornish says high triglycerides and low HDL are risky only for people on high-fat diets. With a lower fat diet your HDL level is less important. But there are a few critics who argue that a diet too low in fat may actually lower the good HDL cholesterol and cause worse damage to arteries. There are plenty of places in the world where heart disease is unheard of, as in rural China where the diet is heavy with complex carbohydrates such as rice and greens and very light in meat and no dairy. That would tend to support Dr. Ornish. Now what about the different oils? Animal fats have cholesterol so there is a consensus we should avoid them. Plant oils never contain cholesterol but those which are deliberately saturated to stay solid at room temperature cause oxidative damage with resulting accelerated heart disease. Monosaturated fats such as olive oil are best. There is new research that shows that nut oils such as almond oil can lower cholesterol and raise HDL better than olive oil. As you can see, the jury is still out, there is still controversy about diet and heart disease. My cardiology colleagues all agree though, that lower fat is better. Remember, sopping your bread with olive oil may make you feel like you are doing the healthy thing, but 2 tablespoons of oil is equivalent to 2 scoops of Ben and Jerry's when it comes to total fat. Santa Barbara Olive Company is pleased to introduce several new items. The Five Pepper Stuffed Olive, formerly available in an eight ounce place pack, is now available in a less expensive five ounce throw pack. Perfect for those who love hot- each olive is stuffed with one of five different peppers. The Mediterranean Medley, the newest addition to the International Select line, is a beautiful combination of eight different varieties of olives, including Calamata, Pink Moroccan and Picholine. Liquor companies such as Skky Vodka, Finlandia and Beafeater, continue to request the 3.5 oz jars of Santa Barbara Olive Co.’s most popular olives for on-pack promotions. For the martini lover, Santa Barbara Olive Company now offers a Dirty Martini Mix, available in both a 375 ml. bottle and a 750 ml. Bottle. Santa Barbara Olive Company is currently improving their existing website. The new website will offer a store locator, a gift locator, easier shopping, a recipe of the month club, and a Distributor Resource Center. Please stop by the website at www.sbolive.com to check out the progress. Santa Barbara Olive Company Owners Craig and Cindy Makela own their own ten- acre olive ranch in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County. Please call 800-4-SB-OLIV to arrange a tour.Questions and Comments from the Internet: PowerDel@aol.com asks: In your list of varietals, you mention that some are "disputed." What did you mean by that? OOS replies:Olive trees have been cultivated for centuries and thousands of varieties have been spread around the world. What a Moroccan considers as his native tree may also be considered "native" to an Argentinean, etc. Two different names may actually represent the same varietal. DNA tests can be used to identify separate varieties but the more common method is to send the pit to one of the world experts, such as those at the University of Cordoba, Spain, for identification. The size and shape of the pit is compared to DNA tested standard pits.Donovan Hart writes on Oct. 26 1998: My wife insists on reusing olive oil that has been used for cooking. I say that this will not only effect the taste, but is also bad for our health. Please advise. OOS replies: Heating olive oil to the frying point takes all the flavor out of it and may put some strange flavors into it (where I once lived, in New Orleans, most people kept their fish frying oil separate from their donut frying oil). Putting it through a coffee filter helps. Most people don't use the oil forever, but toss it after several uses. Because heating olive oil takes all the flavor out of it, most people use the cheapest oil they can find. So why bother to save it? Really good olive oil is worth saving, but you would drizzle that over the food after cooking to savor the flavor. People have been reusing oil for centuries without any acute poisonings that I know of, but there is a concern over the long term effects. Oil which has been heated extensively oxidizes and picks up particles of food which can putrefy. Oxidized oil isn't considered as healthy. There was much made of some studies several years back concerning the "burnt" oils and proteins in barbecue being carcinogenic. I haven't seen any new studies that corroborate that in the medical journals. On the commercial side of things, Burger King certainly doesn't use new oil for every batch of fries. Restaurants have contracts with tallow companies which pick up the oil at regular intervals and refine it for reuse or for other industrial purposes. |
Events:California
November
Arts and Olive Festival
Saturday, Nov 14, 10:00-4:00 Canada College in Redwood City, Ca. Contact Georgia
Bravo 650-306-3380 for information
Getting Started in the
Specialty food business - UC Davis workshop November 14-15 1998 contact Anna
Trunnell 530-757-8899
Taste As You Learn with
Chef Pilar Sanchez - Meadowood Napa Valley Cooking course - cold cooking November
17, warm cooking November 19 sponsored by American
Center for Wine, Food and the Arts 707-257-3606
Olives Among the Vines - American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts luncheon at
Meadowood Resort: Saturday, November 21 call Patty Darragh
888-718-9830
Olive Harvest Weekend Jesuit Retreat House in Los Altos November 28 - 30 The Jesuit Retreat House in Los Altos (COOC member Father Bernie Bush) is holding their annual "Olive Harvest Weekend" on Thanksgiving Weekend, November 28, 29, an 30, 1998. The Retreat House is home to over 100 trees which predate the founding of this community (over 75 years ago). The public is invited to handpick and make olive oil which is then used at monthly healing services as well as bottled and sold as a fund raising item. Last year, 1000 lbs. of olives were picked producing 40 gallons of olive oil. COOC supporting member and board member Nick Sciabica and his family have been generously pressing the olive oil for this Jesuit Community. Please call Father Bernie Bush at 650-917-4025 or email bjbushsj@aol.com if you would like to attend. December Blessing of the Olives and open house at Local Presses: in downtown Sonoma: December 12. Blessing will be at the Mission San Francisco de Solano at 11:00 am. Following the blessing, guests will be provided with maps detailing the region's olive presses, and naming the presses that will be open for the occasion. 1999 January From tree to Table: Olives and Oils - Infusion, Curing and Marinating. co-sponsored by the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts http://www.theamericancenter.org Location: Cakebread Cellars, 8300 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, California Saturday, January 16, 1999 10:00 - 1:30 p.m. Cost: $50 45 participants. Cakebread Cellars, a charming historic family winery located in the heart of the Napa Valley will host this special workshop, tasting, and luncheon. The program includes a discussion on infusing olive oils, and curing and marinating olives. A surprise guest speaker will take guests through the olive marinating and curing process from the tree to the table. The program will conclude with the culinary creations of Cakebread Cellars' Chef Brian Streeter. Space limited.February Elements of Quality: New Oil Tasting, Seminar, Luncheon and Wine Reception. Sunday February 7, 1999 10:30 - 6:00 Cost: $125 per person Speakers include Paul vossen, Ken Stutz, Darrel Corti, Michael Henwood, Ridgely Evers, Holly Peterson, Bona Frescobaldi, Albert Katz and Roberto Zecca
February 8th, Sacramento Convention Center International SOL - VinItaly Verona, ItalyApril 8-12 1999 Exhibition for Olive Oil 'Vergine' and 'Extravergine' Sol-Uliveto & Frantoio Verona, Italy Olive Growing and Olive Oil Technology Exhibition April 9-13 1999 Contact us for more info on attending. SIO. Olive Oil Industry Show. Reus, Spain Dates: May 26-29 Biennial: Olive oil, vegetable oils and fatty materials; technology and services. contact: Fira de Reus Palau de Fires i Congressos. Av. Sant Jordi, s/n 43201 Reus Telephone: 977/31 72 15 Fax: 977/31 63 59 Oleum - Jaen, Spain Expoliva - Florence, Italy Copyright © 1997 [The
Olive Oil Source]. All rights reserved. 
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