Olive oil can:
1. Make your arteries more elastic – Two tablespoons daily makes you more resistant to strokes
and heart attack.
2. Reduce bad cholesterol levels. – Olive oil contains polyphenols, which help to keep your
levels of LDL cholesterol within healthy ranges.
3. Make you less hungry – Olive oil makes you feel sated and tends to make you eat
less and have fewer sugar cravings.
4. Reduce the risk of stroke in the
elderly through yet another mechanism
– Older people who ate diets rich in olive oil consumption, which contains
plasma oleic acid, had fewer strokes in a 2011 study.
5. Lower the risk of coronary heart
disease in women – Mediterranean cultures have long
revered the olive and its oil, with good reason. An Italian study found that a
diet that included olive oil along with plenty of leafy vegetables and fruit
resulted in reduced rates of coronary heart disease in women enrolled in the
study.
6. Cure or reduce acne – Although it sounds counterintuitive to use oil to fight pimples and blackheads, using an olive oil and salt scrub helps some types of acne.
6. Cure or reduce acne – Although it sounds counterintuitive to use oil to fight pimples and blackheads, using an olive oil and salt scrub helps some types of acne.
7. Protect your red blood cells and
therefore your heart – Over time, cells oxidize, leading
to the common effects of aging. A specific polyphenol in olive oil is
especially effective at protecting your red blood cells from oxidation. A 2009
study identified this component as DHPEA-EDA.
8. Treat sunburn – Olive oil soothes the pain of mild sunburn by helping
skin retain its moisture. Use equal parts olive oil and water in a tight-lidded
container. Shake well, then apply to mild sunburn. Shake the mixture often
during application to keep it from separating.
9. Help fight breast cancer – Olive oil contains phytochemicals, and a 2008 study found
that they are effecting at killing cancer cells and suppressing cancer genes.
10. Improve your memory – Some research has shown that olive oil can prevent and
possibly even reverse the memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease.
11. Prevent heart attacks in men – A 2008 study showed that men who ate at least two ounces
of olive oil reduced their chances of having a heart attack by 82 percent as
compared to men who ate no olive oil.
12. Keep your lips soft and supple – Make your own lip balm by combining olive oil with equal
parts beeswax. Put it into a small glass jar and apply it with your fingertip.
13. Condition your hair – Ancient beauties and warriors alike used olive oil to
tame and beautify their locks. Olive oil strengthens hair and makes it more
flexible.
14. Help you to stay healthier into
old age – The Mediterranean Diet has been
proven to be one of the healthiest in the world. Some consider it the
healthiest. Olive oil has always been an integral part of the Mediterranean
Diet. Although red wine and lots of fish, whole grains, fruits and vegetables
also play a huge part in the diet’s success, scientists agree that it wouldn’t
be nearly as beneficial without olive oil.
15. Prevent dry scalps – Using olive oil as a scalp conditioner moisturizes your
dry scalp.
16. Prevent middle-age spread – Because olive oil is a calorie-dense food, it is often
avoided out of fear that it will cause weight gain. However, a 2008 study
showed that olive oil, along with nut oils, did not cause weight gain the way
less healthy fats do.
17. Provide an easy way to add
minimally processed food to your diet
– Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is unrefined. It is obtained by pressing cold
olives. All other oils that are readily available to consumers must be refined
using heat and other harsh processes.
18. Clean sensitive skin – The Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans had no soap and
didn’t miss it thanks to olive oil. They massaged olive oil into their skin,
then scraped it back off, along with dirt and dead skin. Today, a wide variety
of soaps, including some made from olive oil, are available. Yet many people
still prefer to clean their skin with pure olive oil.
19. Remove paint from your skin – Olive oil gently loosens paint on your skin. When you
wipe away the oil, the paint goes with it. Your skin will be left soft, firm
and smooth.
20. Make an inexpensive exfoliant
that works like the most expensive spa products available – Exfoliating removes dead skin and prevents your skin from
becoming dull. Mix a palmful of olive oil with a teaspoon of sugar or salt.
Apply the mixture to your skin, then massage gently.
21. Moisturize your skin – Olive oil is closer in chemical structure to your skin’s
natural oil than any other naturally occurring oil. Use it as you would a body,
face and hand lotion.
22. Prevent your skin from aging
prematurely – The same antioxidant properties
that keep your red blood cells from oxidizing when you eat olive oil keep your
skin cells from oxidizing when you apply it topically. The antioxidant
hydroxytyrosol and vitamin E help to prevent cell degeneration in your skin.
23. Never clog your pores or cause
pimples – Olive oil penetrates the skin,
leaving your skin silky smooth with no greasy feeling. Cleopatra undoubtedly
had many costly beauty secrets up her sleeve, but the most important of them
can be yours for the price of a small bottle of EVOO.
24. Prevent sagging skin – The squalene in olive oil increases your skin’s
elasticity, leaving it firmly toned with a bright, youthful glow.
25. Smooth and moisturize rough, dry
feet – Make a foot scrub of equal parts
olive oil and honey, a third part sugar and a dash of lemon juice. Soak your
feet in warm water, then massage the moisture into them. Follow up by
moisturizing your feet and hands with a well-shaken water and olive oil
emulsion.
26. Give you a safe sunless tan – Use olive oil as a medium to make self-tanners go on more
smoothly and evenly. Mix equal parts of a commercial self-tanning product and
olive oil. Apply the mixture to your skin and enjoy your streak-free sunless
tan.
27. Act as a perfect medium for
cosmetics – Combined with natural pigments
and beeswax, olive oil makes inexpensive, natural lip-gloss, blush and even eye
shadow.
28. Make a perfect addition to
homemade skin-care products – Nearly
all your skin-care recipes, from masks to exfoliants, can be improved by
substituting olive oil for the oil called for in the original recipe. You can
also often improve and extend expensive commercial skin care products by mixing
a small amount with a palmful of olive oil just before you use them.
29. Act as a perfect carrier for
oil-based medicines – Essential oils usually cannot be
used full-strength on the skin. They typically require the use of a carrier
oil. Olive oil is excellent carrier oil for most essential oils.
30. Team up with mashed avocado for
a homemade facial mask – Mix
olive oil with a mashed ripe avocado into a paste. Smooth onto your face or
another area that needs moisturizing and rejuvenating. Allow to sit for 15
minutes, then rinse.
31. Combine with honey and egg for a
beauty mask right from the pages of Venus’ beauty guide – An ancient beauty mask recipe is made from an egg yolk, a
spoonful of honey and a spoonful of olive oil. Rub it on and wait for 15
minutes, then rinse it all off with warm water.
32. Make a natural vitamin
supplement – Two tablespoons can replace your
daily vitamin E supplement while providing all the other benefits of olive oil.
33. Possibly protect and lubricate
your voice – There is no scientific evidence
yet to back them up, but singers have been using olive oil as a gargle before
performing for centuries.
34. Make a natural massage oil – Olive oil may very well be the world’s oldest massage
oil. It can be used alone or as a carrier oil for essential oils.
35. Enhance spirituality – Homer makes reference to the use of olive oil as an
anointing oil. In ancient times, anointing was very important. Olive oil was
often combined with myrrh or cinnamon oil before it was used for this sacred
purpose.
36. Improve your skin’s appearance
from the inside out – Including olive oil in your daily
diet helps your skin stay healthy and beautiful.
37. Act as an all-natural personal
lubricant – Olive oil is almost certainly the
world’s oldest personal lubricant. It should not be used in combination with
latex condoms or diaphragms, however.
38. Help fight off degenerative
diseases – The antioxidants in olive oil
give it the power to help lessen the impact of degenerative diseases on your
body.
39. Improve the health of the entire
population of the world – The
World Health Organization officially recommends that people across the world
adopt the Mediterranean diet for better health and specifically suggests olive
oil as the healthiest source of fat on the planet.
40. Hold its own next to fruits and
vegetables as a source of antioxidants and vitamins – EVOO is a natural, minimally processed food that contains
as many antioxidants and nutrients as many foods that are touted as health
foods.
41. Lower your blood pressure – Although researchers have some theories as to why it
works, no one is sure why olive oil helps to lower blood pressure. They just
know that it does.
42. Reduce nitric acid to normal
levels – Nitric acid has been proven to
increase blood pressure. Olive oil reduces nitric acid levels. This may be one
of the ways it lowers your blood pressure.
43. Take the credit for making women
beautiful – The Bible mentions that the
Persian king Xerxes’ wives used olive oil to make themselves beautiful. More
recently, Sophia Loren, who is still being named to “most beautiful” lists in
her 70s, credits her beauty to olive oil baths. She also claims to consume olive
oil daily.
44. Make fine soap – The very first soap in the world was made of olive oil.
Today, olive oil soap is still one of the smoothest, best-smelling soaps on the
market.
45. Combine with butter for a
healthier bread spread – In a
mixing bowl, combine one part softened butter and one part olive oil. Mix on
low until the oil is whipped into the butter. Refrigerate and use it as you
would butter.
46. Make you live longer – There is no doubt that eating a healthy diet can make you
live longer. Olive oil is part of the healthiest diet on earth, the
Mediterranean Diet. Jeanne Calment, who currently has the distinction of being
the longest-living person whose age could be confirmed in the world, needed no
convincing. She lived to be a very youthful 122 and gave the credit to her
daily consumption of olive oil. She also used it topically.
47. Minimize cellulite – Mix used coffee grounds with olive oil for a topical
cellulite treatment. Apply it directly to the skin.
48. Help you get a sunless tan
without using commercial products
– If you don’t like the thought of mixing olive oil with a commercial
self-tanning lotion, mix it with used coffee grounds instead. Apply it
liberally but evenly in the tub before your shower and allow it to work its
magic.
49. Condition your hair – Used coffee grounds and olive oil make a good hair
conditioner, as well. Rub it in well before you shampoo your hair.
50. Deep condition damaged hair – Warm a quarter cup of olive oil to a comfortable
temperature, then work it through your hair to the roots. Wrap your hair in
plastic wrap or a shower cap, then heat your hair with a hair dryer. Allow the
oil to sit on your hair for up to a half hour, then shampoo as usual. If you do
this in the shower, your whole body will emerge soft and silky.
51. Remove makeup – Apply olive oil to a cotton ball and gently wipe your
makeup off your face. You can safely use olive oil near your eyes.
52. Firm and tone skin – Combine equal parts water and olive oil in a jar or other
container with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Apply to your skin.
53. Add a new dimension to ordinary
wrestling matches – In Turkey, a 600-year-old
tradition involves grown men wrestling while covered in olive oil.
54. Act as a sensual massage oil – Olive oil has been used as a sensual massage oil since
ancient times.
55. Help you create delicious,
healthy baked goods – Olive oil is commonly used in
baking in the Mediterranean. Use a lighter-colored, lighter tasting
end-of-season version for desserts.
56. Ensure your baked goods come out
of the pan in one piece – Olive
oil can be rubbed or misted on baking pans instead of baking sprays or
shortening.
57. Turn fast food into health food – Use olive oil to transform unhealthy American pizza into
healthy Mediterranean pizza by substituting it for other oils and using it to
oil the pan and shine up the finished crust.
58. Keep baked goods fresh longer – The vitamin E in olive oil helps to keep baked goods
moist and fresh longer than solid shortenings or even other oils.
59. Replace butter in recipes – Olive oil is a good substitute for butter in recipes. It
even works in baked goods. Use slightly less than the amount of butter called
for in the recipe.
60. Return Italian dishes to their
healthy roots – Use olive oil in sauces, to
prevent pasta from sticking and to sauté ingredients. A little of the right oil
can make the difference between a health dish and an unhealthy one.
61. Make heaven on a plate – Make heart-healthy pesto by grinding basil, walnuts or
pine nuts, parmesan and garlic together, then incorporating EVOO until the
texture is right. Serve over pasta or as a dipping sauce for bread.
62. Protect food from freezer burn – Use as a protective seal for homemade sauces or other
Mediterranean dishes before you freeze them.
63. Prevent mosquitoes from breeding – Prevent mosquito larvae from contaminating rainwater by
pouring a layer of olive oil on top of the water in your rain barrel.
64. Make a heart-healthy condiment – EVOO is delicious drizzled over bread and many other
dishes.
65. Make a heart-healthy salad
dressing – Combine equal parts EVOO and
balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar and drizzle over your
salad.
66. Make ordinary bread something
special – Bread dipping oils can be
flavored with a variety of herbs and spices. Start with EVOO and use your
imagination.
67. Combine with herbs, spices,
garlic or citrus juices to make your taste buds pop – Infuse EVOO with herbs for dipping sauces. Experiment
with adding garlic alone or in combination with herbs, spices, vinegars or
lemon or other citrus juices.
68. Compliment or contrast with your
food – Different EVOOs pair beautifully
with foods. Choose flavors of EVOO that either compliment or contrast with the
food you are serving it with, then drizzle the cold oil over the food.
69. Reduce the appearance of stretch
marks – Combine equal parts cocoa butter
and olive oil for a stretch-mark minimizer.
70. Enhance the beauty of black hair – Combine olive oil with hair care products to make the
product spread more evenly through your hair.
71. Detangle your hair – Work olive oil into your hair, then comb the tangles
right out of it.
72. Shine and seal your hair – After moisturizing, apply olive oil to prevent the
moisture from evaporating.
73. Boost a commercial conditioner – Add olive oil to conditioner to enhance and improve it.
74. Prevent hair loss and damage – By using olive oil to manage your hair instead of using
harsh chemicals, you can minimize damage to your hair.
75. Kill lice – To kill lice, follow the directions for using olive oil
as a deep conditioning treatment. Make sure to leave the oil on your child’s
hair for at least 30 minutes and repeat the treatment every ten days for at
least a month.
76. Prevent prematurely gray hair – EVOO contains pigments. Using it in your hair will
gradually darken it.
77. Aid digestion – People have taken olive oil as a digestive aid for
generations.
78. Make a sweet-smelling,
clean-burning lamp oil – Olive
oil lamps have been prized for thousands of years for their good light and lack
of sputter.
79. Act as a household lubricant – Use olive oil anywhere you would use a lubricant spray or
3in1 oil.
80. Shine household surfaces – Appliances, faucets, stainless steel and laminate
surfaces all benefit from a light coating of olive oil and a gentle buffing.
81. Condition cutting boards – Rub olive oil lightly on cutting boards, wooden salad
bowls and wooden utensils.
82. Sauté food – You can sauté most foods in olive oil. Avoid high heat
and don’t try to use it for deep-frying.
83. Darken and highlight eyelashes – Use olive oil instead of mascara to darken and shine your
eyelashes and eyebrows.
84. Turn or bath into a spa – Add olive oil to your bath the way you would use any bath
oil. Experiment with using different essential oils to scent it.
85. Soothe a baby’s delicate skin – Use olive oil instead of baby oil for baby care,
especially to treat and prevent diaper rash.
86. Waterproof your work boots – It also works on tool belts, baseball gloves and other
utilitarian leather items.
87. Smooth out that rough shave – Use olive oil instead of soap or shaving cream for a
close, comfortable shave.
88. Polish wood furniture – Apply olive oil to a soft cloth, then wipe it onto your
furniture.
89. Condition cuticles – Apply olive oil on a cotton swab to moisturize your
cuticles.
90. Keep measuring cups clean – Wipe measuring containers with olive oil to allow sticky
ingredients to slide right out of the pan.
91. Tame frizzy hair – Lightly spray olive oil on frizzy hair before combing.
92. Unstick a zipper – Allow oil to penetrate the zipper, then unzip as usual.
93. Improve a cat’s coat – Add a small amount of olive oil to cat food for a shinier
coat and healthy skin.
94. Lend a shine to brass – Apply olive oil to a soft cloth, then rub it onto brass
hardware.
95. Ease earache pain – A popular over-the-counter earache remedy has only one
ingredient: olive oil.
96. Ease a scratchy throat tickle – A sip of EVOO may quiet that annoying tickle.
97. Make shoes shine – Lightly dampen a soft cloth with olive oil, then buff
your shoes with it.
98. Protect hands from yard work – Put olive oil on your hands before gardening or other
dirty work to prevent dirt buildup and make cleanup easier.
99. Remove sap or tar from your skin – Apply olive oil to the sticky spot, then rub gently until
the residue is removed. Wipe the oil off your hands.
100. Remove stickers - Saturate the sticker with olive oil, then gently peel it
off the surface.
101. Remove chewing gum from skin or
non-porous surfaces – Rub the gum gently with olive
oil. It might also help you pass chewing gum you have swallowed, but consult a
doctor if you have swallowed more than a piece or two.
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