Benefits of Olive oil
Nutritious Value
Olive oil katalogue
Marasca Bottle packaging

Health

Since ancient times olive oil has taken a special place in the eating habits of mankind. Hippokrates as well as other great physicians of that time such as Galinos and Dioscourides strongly believed in the beneficial effects of olive oil on health and recommended it for the therapy of various illnesses. Today, even many centuries later, olive oil continues to be an essential ingredient in our nutrition and has proved to be good for our health and to provide a long life span. According to research conducted on Crete, cases of heart diseases and even cancer range at a lower level on the island compared to other areas, which is due to the regular consumption of olive oil.

Benefits

Olive oil has proved to be beneficial in the following cases:
- prevention of cardiovascular diseases, reduction of the LDL-cholesterol, while the HDL cholesterol is stabilised or even increased,
- correct metabolism of the human organism, development of the brain and the bones of children; it also constitutes a source of vitamin E for children and adults, which, in combination with the monounsaturated fatty acids contained in the oil delays the process of aging
- absorption of vitamins due to the polyphenols it contains
- prevention of arteriosclerosis
- support of the function of the liver and prevention of the formation of stones in the bile duct
- diet for the treatment of diabetes
- strengthening of the organism against cancer
It is widely believed that olive oil is more fattening than seed-oils. However, it has been proved that the calorie values are equal in all oils, that is, 9KCAL/g. Furthermore we must point out that contrary to virgin olive oil, seed-oils are produced by means of a chemical process.

Nutritious Value

Its nutritious and therapeutic value was known in Greece as early as 6,000 years ago. Defner discovered the oldest oil mill in 4000 B.C. on the plateau of Methana. Apart from nutrition olive oil was used for various other purposes:
- It was flavoured with herbs (coriander, saffron, cardamom, mastic, cumin, fennel etc.), bottled in special urns of a few grams up to 12 liters and exported to all the Mediterranean countries.
- Athletes, who had been victorious in the games, were rewarded with urns containing up to 5,000 l of olive oil. The urns were especially ornamented, displaying the winner's athletic event.
- Athletes rubbed their bodies with it in order to make their muscles more flexible.
- The Hippocratic Code of Medicine contains more than 60 pharmacological applications of the olive oil.
- It was used in beauty care either pure or with fragrance, furthermore in oil lamps to light houses, temples and public buildings.
Therefore olive oil constitutes the fluid gold of Greece.