TPV Podcast, Episode 326: The Olive Oil-cast!

This might come as a surprise, but olive oil is one of the best fats for your gut microbiome so Sarah and Stacy are dedicating the entire hour to magical oil! They’re are breaking down all the science behind what makes olive oil so great, its variety of impressive health benefits, which type of olive oil is best, and why you should be using olive oil in all of your cooking (including cakes)!

Click here to listen in iTunes

or download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player below

If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes!

The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 326: The Olive Oil-cast!

- (0:00) Intro
- (0:40) News and views
  - Big news! Stacy’s family has a new addition: an 8 week old Boston Terrier puppy! Since she snorts like a pig, they’ve named her Penelope (after the movie).
    - Stacy is glad they waited til now to get a pet because the boys (particularly Cole and Finn) are at the perfect age where they can responsibly look after a pet.
- (8:30) Today’s topic: Olive Oil!
  - In researching her upcoming new microbiome-focused book, Sarah has discovered a lot of cool, exciting information about olive oil!
    - Side note:
      - Book title and pre-order dates will be announced soon-ish
      - This isn’t a specifically ‘Paleo’ book, but since it’s about gut health, there’s a lot of overlap
  - A big thanks to our episode sponsor, Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club!
    - Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club is a monthly subscription that sends the highest quality olive oil right to your door.
    - All oils are hand-selected by club founder, T.J. Robinson, aka the Olive Oil Hunter and one of the world’s leading authorities on olive oil.
    - We’ve got a special, limited offer for our listeners: $1 for a $39 bottle when you sign up for a membership! Take advantage of this offer before they run out: freshpressedoliveoil.com/thepaleoview
- (18:41) The science behind what makes olive oil so great
  - What’s in olive oil that makes it so healthy?
    - Olive oil is very unique in terms of fatty acid composition. Olive oil is up to 83% oleic acid, which is responsible for many of the cardiovascular benefits.
    - It’s also very high in vitamin E, particularly the most important form of vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol.
    - It also has a least 30 types of phenolic compounds which are anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, potentially anti-tumor. These phenolic compounds are the big difference between a cheap olive oil and a high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
  - Olive oil health benefits
    - It can lower markers of inflammation like C-reactive protein.
      - In rheumatoid arthritis, olive oil supplementation can reduce joint pain and swelling. In fact, olive oil and fish oil can mediate the effects of arthritis.
    - It can lower risk of cardiovascular disease
    - Increase microbial diversity in the microbiome
    - It can lower blood pressure
    - Lower LDL cholesterol
    - Improves blood vessel health
    - Decreases risk of stroke
    - Early evidence suggests it can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s
    - Studies show olive oil-rich diets may aid weight loss
      - Improved blood sugar regulation and improved insulin sensitivity
      - These studies an mainly done within the context of the Mediterranean Diet
- (29:48) Olive oil and the gut microbiome
  - There’s a variety of animal studies looking at high-fat diets and whether the type of fat matters. The short answer? It does.
    - Palm oil, butter oil, and safflower oil reduce gut diversity and increase “unhealthy” gut bacteria.
    - Your microbiome is one of the biggest drivers of your health.
    - Olive oil is the second best type of fat for supporting Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus and microbial diversity in the gut. The best is fish oil, but it’s not great for cooking.
  - Studies show refined olive oil doesn’t have these effects as extra virgin olive oil. The phytochemical content of extra virgin olive oil is key in mediating the microbiome benefits.
  - Sarah is fascinated by all this information because she wasn’t expecting there to be another fat other than fish oil that was almost equally as beneficial for the microbiome.
    - The caveat is that Sarah hasn’t seen any papers on avocado oil at this point so the jury’s still out on that one. She’ll let you know when she finds something!
  - Stacy raises the point that our gut microbiomes don’t love high fat diets because our gut bacteria needs carbs to thrive (because it’s what they eat) so when you limit carbs, you limit food for your gut bacteria, which can limit diversity.
    - Though coconut oil has benefits, it’s not the best option for your gut microbiome.
    - Stacy has found when she limits saturated fats, especially since she doesn’t have a gallbladder, her body functions better, especially in the digestive category.
- (48:46) Olive oil as a cooking fat
  - Studies show olive oil is remarkably stable under heat exposure.
    - One study showed it took 24 hours of frying before it created enough oxidized fats to be considered harmful.
    - Another study showed after 36 hours of heating it still retained most of its vitamin E content.
  - The phenolic compounds help to stabilize the fats and make them more resistant to oxidation.
    - Olive oil has a similar effect in the body and makes our LDL cholesterol harder to oxidize.
    - A high quality extra virgin olive oil can have a smoke point of 410 degrees F. But it must be a high quality, phenolic compound rich olive oil like those from Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club.
  - Two simple home tests to make sure your olive oil is high quality:
    - It doesn’t smoke at temperatures of up to 410 degrees F.
    - It causes you to want to cough when ingested (that’s because of the high phenolic compound content!).
  - Other tips for choosing a high-quality olive oil
    - Look for a harvest date on the bottle versus a “best by” date. The fresher the olive oil, the better it is for you. Ideally, it has been harvested within the past year.
    - Olive oils should always be in a dark glass bottle. Not clear. Not plastic.
    - Imported olive oils are more likely to be deceptively labeled and can even be cut with soybean oil, canola oil, etc.
    - Look for local, estate olive oils.
  - Sarah goes through olive oil ten times faster than she does any other cooking in her home these days!
    - Stacy prefers to use olive oil in more savory cooking because she finds it has a strong, distinct flavor.
    - However, Sarah loves olive oil for cake recipes! She finds it makes a very moist cake with a large crumb, which is helpful for grain-free cake recipes. Look for some of these recipes in her upcoming book or on her blog.

- Get your questions in! We want to hear from you! And there’s no end to questions we can answer and topics we can address!
- Engage on social media! That’s how we get feedback!
- Thank you for listening

Resources

Olive Oil Redemption: Yes, It’s a Great Cooking Oil!

3 Reasons Why Olive Oil is Amazing

Which Fats Should You Eat?

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake Recipe