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Be HEART HEALTHY with
  

 
The Legend of the Olive
 
Legend says the olive was born through a contest. Two gods, Poseidon and Athena, competed in order to name the most glorious city in Greece. The challenge was to offer the Greeks the most beautiful and useful gift. Poseidon suggested the horse and Athena proposed the olive. Athena won, and the capital of Greece is still called Athens.
 
The Best Grades of Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the juice produced from the first, cold pressing of the olives.  It is not put through any additional physical or chemical processing.  The acidity level of this fine oil is never higher than 1%.  Cold pressing is obtaining the juice from the fruit using only cold pressure with no heat or solvents.
Olive oil is created from a blend of extra virgin and refined olive oils.  Refining is necessary to ensure consistent acidity, aroma, flavor and color.  The different in price between olive oils is often due to the quantity and quality of the extra virgin olive oil used in the blend.
 
Olive Oil's Nutritional Advantage
Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat (oleic acid) that seems to reduce the amount of LDL (low density lipoproteins) in our bodies. LDL carries cholesterol through our body's system for cell building needs, and in doing so leaves any excess cholesterol in arterial walls and other body tissues. Therefore, reducing the amounts of LDL we intake reduces cholesterol buildup in our bodies.

 

Olive Oil is higher in mono-unsaturated fat than any other vegetable oil, making it the best choice for heart healthy eating.

 

Grapeseed Oil - The Health Benefits
Grapeseed Oil is an excellent source of Omega 6 (linoleic acid) the essential acid that aids metabolism and lowers serum cholesterol. Low in saturated fat, grapeseed oil is also an excellent source of Vitamin E. How would you like to raise your HDL (high density lipoproteins) and lower your LDL (low density lipoproteins) without any obvious effort? To the best of current scientific knowledge, grapeseed oil, a high lineolic product is the only food known to raise HDL and lower LDL. Studies indicate that lineolic is sadly deficient in our diets -- Grapeseed oil is 76% lineolic acid.

 

Grapeseed Oil:

 

Grapeseed oil is the oil for the health conscious consumer. Grapeseed oil produced solely from top quality Italian grapes, has no cholesterol, it is high in polyunsaturated Vitamin E and flavor. In cooking grapeseed oil is smokeless and odorless.

 
Grapeseed oil has a light delicate flavor and can be substituted for any vegetable oil. It is fantastic on salads and vegetables, perfect for your favorite dressing and marinades. It fries foods crispy and dry. Use it in all cooking and baking.
 
How Balsamic Vinegar is Made
 
Balsamic vinegar is different from other wine vinegars because of the kind of grapes used. Only white, sugary Trebbiano grapes grown on the hills around Modena, in Italy, are selected.

For centuries, grapes have been harvested as late as possible to take advantage of every last touch of the warmth which nature so generously provides in this area. The grapes are then crushed and the must (grape juice) is run off as in ordinary wine making procedures. The vinegar maker is not allowed the slightest distraction, for the must cannot be allowed to ferment.

 

At the first sign of fermentation, the must is removed from the vats before sugar is transformed into alcohol. After this, it is filtered and run into a boiling vat where it will be brought to a slow boil over a fire and then allowed to simmer gently until the desired level of concentration is reached.

 
Once the cooked must has been removed from the boiling vat, it is filtered again and poured into the casks after cooling. This operation is called "topping up" which is done when the must is transferred from one cask to another in a decreasing progression. During the other months of the year, the vinegar needs only to be left alone and be to inspected by an expert eye from time to time.
 
The Mediterranean Pyramid Diet
Over 30 years ago, Ancel Keys, Ph.D. of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found in his now famous "Seven Countries Study" that villagers on the Greek island of Crete had 90% less heart disease than Americans. Cancer was also rare in this area. Several subsequent studies have supported these findings and led to varying diagrammatic representations of the Mediterranean diet.

 

 

 

Simply stated, the Mediterranean diet is based largely on grains, vegetables and fruits. However, it differs from the U.S. government Food Guide Pyramid which preceded it in several ways. The dietary pattern represented by the pyramid is closely tied to areas of olive cultivation in the Mediterranean region. Although the traditional diets of the Mediterranean countries vary considerably, they share the following common characteristics.