What are your opinions on ingesting extra virgin olive oil daily? I’ve been reading only good things about it recently. I’d never realized just how many health benefits are claimed.
Well I’m Italian and live in Italy and as such I ate EVO all my life, and so did my family and everyone I know. I’m also a doctor.
While I don’t know about which health benefits you’re referring to (there are indeed many!), I can surely tell that there aren’t any downsides if you are healthy and consume it moderately for condiment and cooking (just don’t use it for frying, because it’s not the most suitable oil for that use).
Use it for cooking and making dressings, etc. rather than taking it as a supplement. Regardless of benefits it’s still a high calorie fat/oil. For example, toss some cut up veggies in a little bit of oil with some seasonings (a bit of salt, pepper, then paprika or cumin or oregano or parsley or whatever you like) and roast them as a side for your dinner or lunch.
Personally I use it as the only oil in my house and I’m still alive. I can’t claim any of the benefits but being alive without major health complications is a good start. I have many family members and friends that do the same thing, they are all alive and well too, so I guess it can’t hurt.