Olive Oil: did you know that …

• People living in the Mediterranean area who use olive oil as their main source of fat have the world’s lowest mortality rate due to cardio-vascular illness. Finland and the United States, where people consume the highest amounts of saturated fat, have the highest.
• Olive oil contains more monounsaturated fatty acids than any other fat or oil.
• Olive oil is the most easily absorbed edible fat and it contains no cholesterol.
• Using olive oil in place of saturated fats as the main fat in your diet may actually reduce cholesterol levels.
• You can bake with olive oil. Just substitute the same amount for the fat called for in the recipe. The result is moist, even textured cake with a tender crumb.
• You can fry with olive oil. When used in frying, olive oil coats food instead of being absorbed. It also contains anti-oxidants and can be reused 4-5 times before being discarded. Other fats and oils can only be used twice.
• There are numerous varieties of olives, and olive oil is the only cooking and salad oil that offers a variety of natural flavors – no two are alike.
• The olive tree is an evergreen.
• The olive tree was first cultivated in 6,000 B.C.
• Olive trees can live up to 600 years or more.
• It takes 5-8 years before an olive tree will bear its first fruit.
• There are over 800 million olive trees now planted worldwide.
• Olive oil can keep for 2 years or more, longer than any other oil, if stored in a cool dark place.
• Olive oil is the second best-selling type of oil and the fastest growing segment of fats and oils in the United States

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