WHY OLIVE OIL IS GOOD FOR YOU

Relatively speaking, of course. I know there's a "no oil for blood" contingent out there, but if you're going to consume oils, it seems like olive oil is the way to go. And now there's science to explain why. A recent study suggests that "virgin olive oil may be better for the heart than seed oils because it is a natural juice that does not go through the processing needed to extract oil from seeds, such as sunflowers and soybeans. Therefore, the oil retains more of its original nutrients."

To put it another way: "'It could be that the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease and arteriosclerosis depends on the synergistic effects of the different nutrients that constitute complete foods and, as an example, virgin olive oil is more than fat because it is a real juice with other healthy micronutrients,' says researcher Francisco Pérez Jiménez, MD, PhD, from the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Córdoba, Spain." Well, that makes sense, I guess. Click through to read more about the nitty-gritty of phenolic compounds and how they do that voodoo that they do so well.