Posty: 1374
Dołączył(a): 3 wrz 2008, o 13:10
Lokalizacja: Kraków
Tłuszcze w diecie wegańskiej
Oliwa z oliwek
O oliwie z oliwek, oczywiście tej z pierwszego tłoczenia, pisze Virginia Messina w swojej kolumnie na examiner.com.
Virginia Messina jest dyplomowaną dietetyczką, współtwórczynią Stanowiska American Dietetic Association na temat diet wegetariańskich z 2003r i recenzentką aktualizacji tego stanowiska z 2009r. Pisze ciekawie, rozsądnie o diecie wegańskiej również na swojej stronie internetowej the vegan r.d.
O oliwie z oliwek, oczywiście tej z pierwszego tłoczenia, pisze Virginia Messina w swojej kolumnie na examiner.com.
Virginia Messina jest dyplomowaną dietetyczką, współtwórczynią Stanowiska American Dietetic Association na temat diet wegetariańskich z 2003r i recenzentką aktualizacji tego stanowiska z 2009r. Pisze ciekawie, rozsądnie o diecie wegańskiej również na swojej stronie internetowej the vegan r.d.
Olive oil is a healthy addition to vegan diets
Vegan diets are often lower in fat than diets of meat-eaters, and they are almost always much lower in saturated fat. But a trend to eliminate all higher-fat foods and vegetable oils from plant-based menus could cause you to miss out on some dietary benefits. Extra virgin olive oil, in particular, can play a role in diets that support optimal health.
Extra virgin olive oil is produced from the first pressing of olives—which are fruits—using a method that preserves their nutrient and phytochemical content. Olive oil has long been a part of many cultural diets. Around the Mediterranean Sea, people have been consuming it since before 4000 B.C. In more recent times, traditional Mediterranean diets have been linked to lower risk for chronic disease.
Consumption of olive oil may be part of the explanation for the lower heart disease risk in these populations, largely because of its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids. Replacing saturated fats in the diet with monounsaturated fats lowers bad LDL-cholesterol while maintaining higher levels of the good HDL-cholesterol.
But newer research suggests that other compounds in olive oil may be responsible for some of the health benefits. Olive oil contains the antioxidant vitamin E and also provides at least 36 different phenolics, which are plant compounds with protective biologic effects.
One of these is oleocanthal, the organic compound that provides olive oil’s “peppery bite” to the back of the throat. Because it has anti-inflammatory properties, oleocanthal may protect against both heart disease and cancer. Consumption of olive oil has also been shown to reduce the tendency of blood to clot—which raises risk for a heart attack—following fatty meals. Phenolic compounds in olive oil may also reduce oxidation of harmful LDL-cholesterol which could lower risk for heart disease (although not all studies support this.) Diets that include more monounsaturated fats are also associated with lower blood pressure.
Women with a higher intake of olive oil appear to have a lower risk for breast cancer, which may be due to a phenolic compound in olive oil that has been shown to suppress breast cancer genes.
Research from Italy suggests that olive oil is also protective against cancers of the digestive tract. Some health experts speculate that people who eat olive oil end up eating more vegetables—since olive oil makes them taste so good. But olive oil has been shown to increase levels of an enzyme that regulates cell growth in the colon, therefore reducing cancer risk, and research suggests that it is protective at any level of fruit and vegetable consumption.
Olive oil: A healthy food for vegans but not a magic bullet
You aren’t likely to reap much benefit by adding olive oil to an unhealthy diet. But small amounts of olive oil, especially when it replaces other fats, can fit into any well-balanced healthy vegan diet. It can make it easier for people to transition to more plant-based meals, too, since olive oil has been appreciated for centuries not for its health attributes, but for its culinary appeal. And olive oil could be helpful to those who choose plant-based diets for weight control. In one study, women on an olive-oil-enriched diet lost more weight than those on a lower-fat diet. The women found the diet more satisfying and palatable as well as more economical.
Including olive oil in healthy vegan diets
To get the most from olive oil, choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil since plain olive oil is lower in phenolic compounds. Since all oils should be used in moderation, a little bit of oil olive goes a long way, which makes it worth paying more for quality. Cooking can destroy some of the phenolics in olive oil, so the best way to use it is in salad dressings or drizzled over cooked vegetables. An additional bonus: fat improves the absorption of some vitamins from vegetables.