Olive Oil

My husband douses almost everything that he eats with olive oil (he's Greek). It's an astounding habit to watch and an easy one to pick up. I've taken to it myself, although I try to limit myself because olive oil, like all fats, is highly caloric and I, like many of us, could use to lose a few pounds. It seems the entire U.S. is changing its attitude toward olive oil, which was absent from most households 15 years ago. And that's good news for our health.

Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat that contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and can actually lower the risk of heart disease by decreasing the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood stream. Extra virgin and virgin olive oils also contain high levels of antioxidants, which may protect against cancer. Try saying that about butter.

Olive oil is sold most commonly as extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil and olive oil, and the types are determined by their extraction method and fatty acid content. Extra virgin and virgin olive oil are extracted using only mechanical or other physical means; there is no alteration to the oil. Olive oil (sometimes referred to as pure olive oil) is a mixture of refined virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil. The International Olive Oil Council (www.internationaloliveoil.org) strictly regulates labeling, so it's easy to rely on these labels.

Batches of olive oil vary greatly in flavor, depending on where the olives are grown and even the season they're picked. The oils get their flavor from the olives' free fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, sterols and pigments, and extra virgin olive oil contains the highest percentage of these. Due to its richer taste and higher price tag, extra virgin oil is generally used where its flavor will be most prominent, such as in salad dressings, as a dipping sauce for bread and simply poured over cooked foods. Virgin olive oil generally has a milder flavor than extra virgin, and pure olive oil has the blandest flavor. It's the least expensive type and used primarily for cooking and baking.