There is nothing quite like a food that creates space in your fast-paced lifestyle for savoring its exquisite flavor. The best organic olive oil is an oil that is wholly dedicated to Mother Nature and which has organoleptic and nutritional qualities that are connected with the essence of the earth.

What characteristics does an organic oil have?

• The herbicides, fertilizers and/or pesticides used in the olive groves are completely natural.

• The amount of water used for crops and throughout the production process is controlled in order to respect the earth’s resources.

• It is made in a way that is perfect for lovers of natural, healthy and flavorful nutrition.

How is the best organic olive oil made?

To create the best organic olive oil, respect for the olive tree begins from the very first moment. This means caring for the tree throughout its growth without altering its surrounding environment. This admiration for the tree can also be detected when harvesting the fruit and going through the subsequent olive oil extraction process.

In addition, this wonderful oil must have a harmonious and balanced flavor to perfectly combine it with any kind of recipe.

The slow rhythm with which it is made generates some moments for savoring it, unhurriedly, and brings back a revived feeling of creation. Masterpieces take time. The best organic olive oil is, without a doubt, Carapelli Organic, made in such a way that respect for the earth and love for great oil can be appreciated when it is tasted.

Mediterranean diet meal plan for beginners

There is a myth that trying to achieve a healthy and balanced diet means abandoning your sense of taste. Nevertheless, nothing could be further from the truth. This Mediterranean diet meal plan for beginners promotes unbeatable health and great taste.

Modifying your diet to achieve better health is one of life’s true treasures. To succeed you need to remember the foods that need to be consumed on a daily basis, the foods that you should eat occasionally, and those that you should save for very special occasions./p>

There are no forbidden foods in the Mediterranean diet meal plan for beginners there are no forbidden foods. The key thing is to modify certain eating habits in order to achieve a healthier life. Accompany this delicious diet with some exercise and you’ll soon see the change.

Sugar, candies, cakes, pastries, soft drinks and sugary juices should be saved for very special occasions.

Foods to consume less frequently

• Legumes and tubers. The recommended frequency for this type of food is three times a week.

• Fish. It’s okay to eat fish two to three times a week.

• White meat. Like fish, you can also eat chicken or turkey a few times a week.

• Eggs. Two to four servings during the week is the ideal amount.

• Red meat. This food is eaten more frequently than it should be: it is important to eat this type of meat just once a week.

• Cold cuts. That’s right, you can keep eating cold cuts! But, like red meat, reserve them for one day a week.

Which foods should you consume daily?

This diet contains a number of essential foods that, given their fantastic nutritional qualities, should be consumed every day.

• Extra virgin olive oil. The first step in transforming your health is to use this oil for dressing, cooking and even frying. Switch from butter and other vegetable oils to this ingredient, since the benefits it brings are truly wonderful. A Mediterranean diet meal plan for beginners calls for delicious recipes: that’s why you should use oils with great organoleptic qualities, such as Carapelli oils, so that you can taste the excellence of flavor and health.

• Cereals. Consuming oatmeal, bread, rice or pasta on a daily basis is also necessary.

• Fresh fruit and vegetables. Local and seasonal products guarantee exceptional quality in terms of their nutrients.

• Dairy products. It is also highly recommended to eat yogurt daily, or a little cheese or a glass of milk. Enjoying some natural yogurt with seasonal fruit between meals is essential if you want to follow the Mediterranean diet meal plan for beginners.

• Don’t forget to stay hydrated, drinking 1½-2 liters of water a day.

On a number of occasions, we have told you how stable extra virgin olive oil is and how it can be used at high temperatures. However, just like any food, it breaks down and burns when it reaches a certain temperature, which is known as the smoke point of olive oil.

Logic dictates that, in order to prevent oil from reaching this temperature, it is essential to cook over a medium to low heat. However, we know that slow cooking is not suitable for every recipe. This is the case with fried dishes, for example, which turn out terribly when cooked with oil that is warm rather than hot.

With this in mind, the safest method for avoiding the smoke point of olive oil —and one that can be applied to any recipe— is to use a kitchen thermometer. Measuring the temperature of the oil is essential for ensuring your dishes are full of nutrients, as well as being perfectly gourmet.

When cooking with extra virgin olive oil, you should make sure that the temperature doesn’t go above 200 ºC (390 °F). If this temperature is exceeded, the oil may begin to smoke, signaling that it has reached —and possibly gone over— the smoke point of olive oil.

The art of cooking relies on scientific methods to ensure masterful recipes. That’s why cooking with high-quality extra virgin olive oil, combined with tools like the kitchen thermometer, helps us create true symphonies for the palate.

What is cholesterol and how can we prevent it?

We often talk about cholesterol as if it were some sort of abstract thing. It isn’t though! And it’s crucial to understand everything about it if you want to achieve excellent health. That’s why we want to share with you today exactly what cholesterol is, what its function in the body is, and what the healthiest foods are that contain it.

Cholesterol is a lipid that plays a key role in the formation of membranes in the body’s cells. It also synthesizes some hormones and promotes good digestion, acting as a bile acid precursor.

Before we continue, however, it’s important for us to distinguish between two variants of cholesterol. One is formed by low density lipoproteins; the other by high density lipoproteins. The first is harmful to our health because it can inhibit blood flow and trigger problematic clots for our vital organs such as the heart and brain. High density cholesterol, on the other hand, achieves the opposite, benefitting the health of our bodies. To truly understand what cholesterol is, it’s essential to realize that these two varieties exist, with their very different results.

The importance of a good diet

Choosing foods with high density cholesterol provides several benefits to the body without there being any adverse health effects. In fact, the cardiovascular system is greatly benefited, as this type of cholesterol lowers the levels of harmful cholesterol.

What foods are beneficial for your health?

The food that most typically increases the levels of high density cholesterol is high quality extra virgin olive oil, such as oils from Carapelli. These oils have a plethora of healthy properties for our bodies. Moreover, when you taste these oils, ’what cholesterol is’ is the least of your worries, since the taste is intoxicating from the very first moment.

As well as extra virgin olive oil, other foods with high levels of healthy cholesterol include:

• vegetable fats in almonds, nuts and avocado,

• high fiber foods such as oatmeal,

• and fish containing omega 3, such as salmon, tuna, or mackerel.

Once it is clear what cholesterol is, we just need to create a diet containing foods that are healthy for our bodies. Choose the best products and you will soon discover how excellent health and unbeatable taste can come from the very same harvest.

This diet has a prestigious reputation around the world, even though it originates from a specific region which is shaped by the Mediterranean climate. Eating the foods of a Mediterranean diet not only boosts health, but also promotes the sense of taste and enjoyment.

1. Extra virgin olive oil

A premium EVOO, such as Carapelli oil, is the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet. This is because of its organoleptic qualities, of course, but also because of its numerous health benefits.

The versatility of the product makes it suitable for all kinds of recipes. For example, when it is used in a Caprese salad, with only four ingredients —tomato, mozzarella, basil and EVOO— it turns simplicity into a burst of flavor.

3. Vegetables

No healthy diet would exclude eating vegetables. Vegetables provide the body with a large amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber and fluid so that it functions properly. They are key foods of a Mediterranean diet.

One of our most gourmet recipes is Sicilian caponata, which consists mainly of eggplant and vegetables cooked with EVOO and served on a slice of bread. It is an antipasto that is truly characteristic of traditional Italy.

4. Seasonal fruit

Fruit must also be included in a healthy and balanced diet. In order to eat it fresh, it is essential to understand its relationship with each season of the year and know which fruit crops can be found in the closest region.

You can use fruit to make desserts such as panna cotta. The simplest thing, however, is to eat fresh fruit in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

5. Meat and fish

Protein is mainly included in the Mediterranean diet in the form of dairy products, fish and meat. Bear in mind, however, that you shouldn’t overdo it with this type of food if you want to have a balanced diet.

Beef carpaccio is a simple recipe, but one with a multitude of different flavors for the taste buds to enjoy. All you need is a cut of fresh beef, Parmesan cheese, arugula, lemon, EVOO, and salt and pepper to taste.

These are undoubtedly the 5 most important foods of a Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet ensures excellent cardiovascular health and this is due, above all, to its most characteristic ingredient: extra virgin olive oil.

Source: NCBI

Extra virgin olive oil nutrition facts

I’m sure you’ve repeatedly heard this oil described as ‘liquid gold’. In our opinion, there’s no better name for it. It’s not just about the color, but also about the quality and extra virgin olive oil nutrition facts. They are golden for our health.

EVOO is the juice of the olive and, as such, acquires the following nutritional values:

• It mainly consists of monounsaturated fatty acids, which make up 75% of its fat content. Polyunsaturated fats make up 10%, while saturated fats make up 15%. These percentages may vary slightly depending on the variety of olive that the oil is made from. No other oil, however, matches or exceeds these proportions, which provide excellent cardiovascular health.

• Another extra virgin olive oil nutrition fact is its energy value. One tablespoon contains approximately 135 calories. This calorie content is ideal, since this oil satisfies your appetite. This means your daily food portions will be lower and your calorie intake will decrease accordingly.

• Furthermore, it contains high levels of polyphenols and vitamin E, both of which are antioxidants that help to keep the body young, agile and energetic.

Don’t confuse extra virgin olive oil nutrition facts with those related to simple olive oil, since there is a marked difference in quality between the two. While the former has all the nutritional properties of liquid gold, the latter contains refined oil, which partly reduces the value of the oil.