More and more research shows that polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil can provide health benefits to all the family, including children.
Updated January 12th 2022
It’s Never Too Young To Incorporate Polyphenols In To Your Diet
Did you know that the health boosting polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil can benefit your family from birth to later life? Although health-boosting polyphenols are included in many supplements, introducing your family to the Mediterranean Diet from a young age is a great way to arm your loved ones against a range of health risk factors later in life.
Morocco Gold’s 2021 Harvest, now available to purchase online, is more jam packed full of these wonderful polyphenol superpowers than ever before which means even more reason to consider incorporating the best extra virgin olive oil into your diet. This year, our Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a low acidity of 0.2% and the highest ever levels of polyphenols seen in our high-quality oil to date.
According to NutraIngredients.com, a 2020 study showed that incorporating polyphenols and omega 3 oils may benefit brain function (including working memory and blood flow to the brain) of children under four years of age. The Polyphenols found in Morocco Gold has also been scientifically linked to helping children deal with the symptoms of attention deficit disorders.
We loved a report in Mom Junction which lists seven great reasons why a high quality olive oil can benefit our children. These include promoting brain development, providing a rich source of vitamins and reduced risk of obesity.
By introducing your children to the flavour of olive oil at a young age, you are setting them on a good path to makBut with children often being a picky bunch, we wanted to give you some ideas of how to use extra virgin olive oil as a quick addition to your everyday family meals, treats and snacks.
1/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Ice-Cream
And we all know that encouraging our children to eat their vegetables is not always as straightforward as we would like so why not try drizzling some Morocco Gold on their ice cream? It’s bound to go down a treat and tastes delicious!
Ok, so this one may take a bit more persuasion to encourage the younger members of your family to swap their favourite chocolate sauce or sprinkles for a drizzle of olive oil, but trust us on this one.
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over your ice cream really helps bring out the flavour in the ice cream and adds to the creamy texture. One to try out for sure! Who’d have thought it!
2/ Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil On Your Popcorn
A big bowl of freshly made popcorn never seems to go out of fashion with children of all ages (and plenty of adults too!). As long as it’s air-popped and lightly seasoned, popcorn is a whole grain and high fibre snack – making it a good choice for lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Did you know that popcorn contains more fibre per serving than whole-wheat bread?
Speaking to heart.org, Maya Vadiveloo, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island said: “When prepared well, popcorn actually is a pretty good snack. It’s stable. It’s inexpensive. It’s fairly tasty. For people who might be struggling to eat adequate fruits or vegetables or other whole grains, it’s a low-risk snack to start.”
So, what better way to set it off with a healthy drizzle of the best extra virgin olive oil such as Morocco Gold?
3/ Fry Your Eggs in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Whatever way you cook them, eggs are often and quick and easy hit with children at any time of the day. A very good source of inexpensive, high quality protein, eggs are also rich sources of selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals including zinc, iron and copper. Contrary to some popular myths, extra virgin olive oil can be used for frying food and can add a unique flavour to your favourite foods. By opting for extra virgin olive as an alternative to butter and other fats when preparing your eggs, you are also making a great health choice. Olive Oil is one of the richest sources of monounsaturated fatty acids which are important for helping to prevent health issues such as cardiovascular disease or stroke.
One serving or 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil contains the following:
- 120 calories
- 10 grams of monounsaturated fat
- 2 grams of saturated fat
- 2 grams of polyunsaturated fat
- 1.9 milligrams of vitamin E (10 percent of Daily Value)
- 8.1 micrograms of vitamin K (10 percent of DV)
4/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil As a Replacement For Butter In Baking
That bottle of extra virgin olive oil sitting on your pantry shelf can revolutionize your favourite baked treats. While often thought of for salad dressings, marinades and sautéing, your extra virgin olive oil can also be used as a valuable alternative to butter or other fat in your baked recipes.
Why Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Baking?
The value of incorporating extra virgin olive oil as a substitute in your baking is mainly twofold. First, you can enhance the overall flavour profile of your recipe, depending on the variety of extra virgin olive oil you use. Each extra virgin olive oil carries a unique flavour profile that deepens the complexity of your dish. Because the flavour can be so accentuated in baked goods, it is important to use high-quality extra virgin olive oil such as Morocco Gold.
A second reason for using extra virgin olive oil in your baked treats is the health benefits that come along. Extra virgin olive oil has no shortage of benefits for your health and wellness. This monounsaturated fat helps keep your cholesterol in check as well as offering a host of antioxidants that are essential for healthy living. Incorporating a more monounsaturated or polyunsaturated source of fat rather than just saturated fats. Compared to vegetable oils, extra virgin olive oil is free from chemicals and other impurities that compromise both the nutrients and flavour of the ingredient.
5/ Add A Drizzle Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil To Their Favourite Salad
We have left the more obvious choice for last but, as we all know it can sometimes be tricky to encourage children to eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables. So why not get them involved in choosing their own ingredients for a perfect summer salad – and naming it too! Just don’t forget the finishing touch – you’ve guessed it – a drizzle of the best olive oil you can find will give your salad some of the best health properties going. That’s something the whole family will thank you for longer term.
What are the long-term benefits of a polyphenol-rich Mediterranean diet?
Many studies show that people who have polyphenol-rich diets – consuming more than 650 milligrams per day – have lower death risks than those who get less than 500 milligrams per day.
Daily consumption of a high-quality evoo is one of the best ways to ensure you benefit from the superpowers of polyphenol compounds. A recent article in Webmd.com, summarised the top five ways that polyphenols protect your body as follows:
- Improving Heart Health
By managing blood pressure levels and keeping your blood vessels healthy and flexible, in turn promoting good circulation. Polyphenols also help reduce chronic inflammation, another risk factor for heart disease.
- Lowering Your Diabetes Risk
By reducing and helping to control your blood sugar levels. Polyphenols also stimulate your body’s release of insulin, a hormone that signals your body to use sugars efficiently. These effects can lower your insulin resistance — a condition where your body doesn’t respond properly to the hormone.
Maintaining low insulin resistance and healthy blood sugar levels reduces your risk of conditions like obesity and diabetes.
- Anticancer Properties
Polyphenols’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects could lower your risk of cancer. Studies show that polyphenols may even block tumour growth and kill active cancer cells.
- Raising Immunity
Research shows that polyphenols can activate your immune system to fight off infection and disease. Polyphenols also promote good bacteria growth in your gut and limit harmful bacteria.
This effect supports good digestion, but a healthy balance of bacteria is also essential to strong immune system function.
Which Extra Virgin Olive Oil is Best for Polyphenols?
We know we may be biased but we have very good reason to claim that Morocco Gold is one of the best choices you can make to boost your intake of polyphenols through extra virgin olive oil.
The high polyphenol content of Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil is dependent on three factors. First is the variety of the olive, secondly the climate and terroir of the growing region and thirdly the actual time in the growing season that the crop is harvested.
Morocco Gold is pressed from the Picholine Marocaine, the only type of olive to go into Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil. Oil from this variety is renowned for its high polyphenol count, oxidative stability and longevity.
Thirdly, our olives are picked when the fruit is young and green. As the olives age on the tree, the colour of the olive changes to red and then black, the size of the olive increases thus producing more oil, but the polyphenol level decreases. There is a great deal of expertise within the farming community where we source our oil to ensure that the harvest is collected at the optimum time to maximise the polyphenol level in Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil.
Morocco Gold’s 2021 Harvest.
Now available to purchase online, is more jam packed full of these wonderful polyphenol superpowers than ever before which means even more reason to consider incorporating the best extra virgin olive oil into your diet.
This year, our Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a low acidity of 0.2% and the highest ever levels of polyphenols seen in our high-quality oil to date.
And, as an added incentive, if you refer a friend to Morocco Gold you can receive 10% off your next order.
