Olive oil

[Normanski]

Hi all if you are interested in diet and olive oil in particular you should google.pritikin olive oil. It's most revealing I've given up olive oil. Let us know what you think? Normanski

[Bertiedette]

A very interesting article...I think that we all keep any oil to a minimum because of the calories...But not the miracle oil that we think it is regarding our heart health. Fruit ,vegatables ,pulses everything else in moderation seems to be the only way to go.

[jeanjeannie50]

It all makes me want to scream, so now they're saying that olive oil isn't as healthy as first thought and the countries that use it a lot are healthier because of the fruit and veg they eat and not that oil!

As I started reading it I felt a little pleased with myself because I've just this week or two started cooking with coconut oil, but then further in the write up I saw that this wasn't so good either and there was a link to enlighten readers about that. It wasn't so long ago that we were told that rapeseed oil was the most wonderful thing to cook with and then that was disproved! Disheartened I just couldn't bring myself to read any more of the article and think from now on I'll decide what's good for me.

Jean

[Hidden in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Ive had the same thoughts Jean. My integrative doc is big on olive oil. Here in the US there was a lot of bad news re olive oil fakes... so you never know what you are really getting. My own personal belief is sticking mostly with the foods that are closest to their original intent, ie veggies and fruit, cant go too wrong. I don’t often follow my beliefs in real life but I’m 75% better than I was a few years back🤣🤣

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Hidden]

I agree with your belief Hoski.

Honestly, these experts don't know a thing. I've also read this morning that statins don't agree with everyone! Well folk have been saying that for years and trying to put up with the pain they can cause! Honestly, who can we trust other than our lovely group here!

[Hidden in reply to jeanjeannie50]

💜💜💜

[paolina in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Just think how many research students are being kept busy to do all these researches about things that we all thought was commen sense (or good old Yorkshire gumption). All paid for by the big companies I would think.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to paolina]

It certainly does make you think, but what if the students came back with the opposite to what the Companies wanted to hear!

[Hidden in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Then the students didn't do the research correctly, of course!!!

Cynical me believes many companies paying big money to hospitals and with the goal of making even more money if they get the right results already know what they want their research to demonstrate going into the project. At least in the US.

I once had a job in a hospital that was involved in a Big Pharma double blind study for a new drug. Our job was to document patients' responses, take histories, collect info on side effects, monitor vital signs, etc.

It was an eye-opener. The Pharma employees who gathered our patient data seemed more or less interested in our findings depending on what they showed-esp about side effects. After that experience I began to trust Big Pharma drug literature less as the whole process seemed less precise and honest that my previous beliefs about drug research.

At meetings to share our findings the company sometimes seemed to doubt we had collected our info correctly esp if certain side effects that patients reported seemed unexpected or strange to them.

It was an interesting experience.

[wilsond in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Exactly my thoughts this morning!! Ref statins....sigh!!!!

[Hidden in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I trust info here the most.

[Spoiler in reply to jeanjeannie50]

my father and husband did horrible on statins. What gets me is their levels were barely elevated! Then here we go with barely able to climb our stairs. Dad was 80, why statins anyway when they pulled the rug from under him. I told him no way. We all, it seems have to be our common sense advocate. Look at the drugs first.....

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Spoiler]

My ex had dreadful leg pains on statins, he kept trying different makes but they didn't help. He had a couple of stents in his heart, so was too afraid to stop taking them.

Are your dad and husband off them now?

Jean

[Spoiler in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Yes, both are off them and have been for quite a few years. My poor Dad one Saturday was sitting in a tub of water thinking he was going to have to go to ER. His tummy was all swelled out, having difficulty urinating and bowel issues. I called the Dr on call and we discontinued them. Crazy how it affected his muscles, but maybe because he was 81? He had 5 bypasses, but his total cholesterol was only 217. Triglycerides was what was very high at over 600.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I've heard this too Hoski- about olive oil being adulturated with cheaper omega 6 oils. I've gone off olive oil for the most part as I don't know who to trust on this subject.

I pulled up a list last year of "bad olive oils" and was disappointed to see that many of what I thought were good imported Italian (expensive) oils are not what they are represented to be.

At this point I have very little faith in american food. I don't have any good answers about the healthiest foods to buy here. I buy clean, whole foods, organic for some things but even organic isn't very trustworthy here anymore. Definitions about what organic really means in terms of additives and pesticides seem to be sliding down a slippery slope.

Part of my problem is I don't trust US nutritional labels to be honest, fair, and complete. And it seems like every few months some healthy foods-greens, fruits, etc are recalled because they are contaminated with e. coli, listeria, or whatever. One thing I NEVER buy anymore and won't eat if served in someone else's home is pre-cut fruit or veggies. Food-borne illness waiting to happen IMO.😡

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I agree. I don’t worry about the quality of our “ good” foods here any more as it is out of my control. I just try to do my best. When my diet in my home health days was hamburgers, fries and Diet Coke, I figure my body is thanking me for the changes I’ve made. Now I drink water, no soda. We have our own well here, tastes really good. I don’t even like the taste of colas now and seem to be losing my taste for red meats. Interesting how nature works

[Bagrat]

Best you can afford,freshest and not interfered with. Added to this mix a little bit of fatalism keeps you sane. When its your time you will die. In the meantime, laugh or at least smile, speak to strangers and do a good deed each day. Oh and if you fall from grace don't sweat it, eat cake!!

[Hidden in reply to Bagrat]

👍🏻

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Bagrat]

Well said Bagrat.

[Hidden in reply to Bagrat]

I came back to this post accidentally, or was it fate!! Out of all medical “ evidence”, I think your advice here exceeds all others! I’m going to screen shot this and save it for “ those days” when I need reminding. Thankyou for your wisdom. I agree 100%. Bagrat.

[MarkS]

I would take the article quoted with a pinch of salt (oops that might not be good for you!). The source of the article, Pritikin, is an organisation selling special diets and very expensive resort stays.

Instead I think it's better to look at the research and come to your own conclusions, such as this trial:

nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/N...

which showed that in groups taking a Med diet with olive oil, a med diet with nuts and a low fat diet, the adjusted death rates (people did not always stick to the right diet) after 4.8 years were reduced by 31% in the olive oil group and 28% in the nut group compared with the low fat group.

In this study:

medscape.com/viewarticle/70...

The individual components of the Med diet were analysed and moderate wine drinking and olive oil were both associated with reduced mortality.

But as it says in the 2nd article, it's the overall combination of different foods in the Med diet that has the post beneficial effect.

Cheers!

Mark

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to MarkS]

Thank you for that research Mark, you're forgiven for saying the 'S' word, but did you know that a little salt is good for us now? I've even heard our lovely Dr Sanjay Gupta say so!

However, it's still the same old thing, one person says something is good then another pooh-pooh's it, or vice versa. I've made my decision and from now on I'm going to be consuming what I think is best for me healthwise and very much as Bagrat has suggested.

Jean

[Madscientist16]

The Pritikin diet has been around for decades. It is an ultra low fat diet. Unless your doctor specifically recommends you do it, most nutritionists believe that it is too severe on the reduction of fat that over long term could cause other health problems.