It is known that the Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the most beneficial foods for the body. Some of the many reasons why you should include it in your diet are because it has a great antioxidant value, strengths bones and improves heart health. Furthermore, we must highlight another reason – its unmistakable flavour.
As we find ourselves in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the properties and benefits of EVOO become more important for the correct functioning of our body. Since many of us have been spent over 30 days in isolation at home, without the necessary sun exposure, it is important to consume food that provides us with the essential nutrients.
What does EVOO provide us with during lockdown?
The Mediterranean diet, which Spanish people are so proud of, allows you to use extra virgin olive oil in almost any recipe (if not all), enabling us to take advantage of its benefits in every meal.
By introducing extra virgin olive oil in our meals, we also improve our cardiovascular health. Living a sedentary life requires us to pay more attention to what we eat. Avoiding fats, sugar, alcohol and consuming the right amount of polyphenols we need, will help our heart to work properly.
In addition, our skin takes also advantage of the extra virgin olive oil consumption. Enjoying the sun is essential for our health, and now that it is difficult for us to get the vitamin D we need from the sun, we should take advantage of the nutritional properties that olive oil offers.
EVOO as a natural shield to strengthen our immune system
As Alicia Aguilar and Anna Bach, professors at the Open University of Catalonia, point out in their most recent research: the most advisable nutritional choice during lockdown is foods that provide us with vitamin D, such as EVOO. In fact, its high antioxidant content makes it an essential supplement to strengthen our defences.
Due to EVOO’s ability to slow down cellular oxidation, it also been proven that its polyphenols also act as an antibacterial barrier against intestinal and respiratory infections. This is particularly crucial in these difficult times.
Are you eating more unhealthy food, and in general larger portions? Control your emotional hunger with EVOO
The stress caused by lockdown makes us forget about our health. We are not only referring to the lack of exercise and sleep, but also to the fact that we choose high-calorie or sugary foods in order to reduce our anxiety. Or simply because we don’t want to waste too much time cooking.
From QvExtra!, we encourage you to maintain a balanced diet with plenty of extra virgin olive oil (which is known for being a satiating food), and to avoid snacks between meals. The reason is very simple: since we now have a sedentary life and we don’t burn much fat, we can’t eat as much as we used to. Otherwise, when the end of lockdown comes, we might have gained weight.
Sources:
https://www.uoc.edu/portal/es/news/actualitat/2020/177-dieta-confinamiento.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224417305940
https://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-offarm-4-articulo-el-olivo-13096631
https://www.elpradopsicologos.es/blog/alimentacion-hambre-emocional/
