PICKING OLIVES AT LAKKIA
On 19 and 20 November we had students from Anatolia College help us pick olives. At the end of the day everyone made their own bottles of oil flavored with rosemary and garlic. On the Saturday students were from ACT – the American College of Thessaloniki – many of whom were on the college semester/year abroad program. Others had chosen to study at ACT because the cost of getting an excellent American education was much lower than studying in the United States.
On the Sunday students were from the IB program (International Baccalaureate) as part of CAS – Creativity, Action, Service. The bottles of olive oil they created were for sale at the Anatolia bazaar, with the proceeds going to charity.
Students were provided with a copy of this talk by David.
Introduction
Thank you for coming to our organic farm to help us pick olives. During your visit you will learn about the Mediterranean diet and the important role that olives and olive oil plays. You will see first hand why we believe so strongly in the slow food philosophy. You will join us for a fresh, nutritious salad lunch harvested from our garden during which we can discuss how diet and lifestyle affect your health, productivity, effectiveness and happiness. The information below is taken from books reviewed on our website www.slowlivinggreece.com under the blog section should you wish to conduct your own research. As you read these notes, please bear in mind the following two statements.
Of the 2.2 million deaths in America each year, 1.8 million are diet related
Sally Beare’s 50 Secrets of the World’s Longest Living People states that: “Scientists agree that we could be living to around 120 years if we achieved our maximum potential life spans, having more energy whatever age we are. It is never too late too start. Even those who are tired, ill, and getting on in years can become biologically younger, reverse the damage, keep disease away, and add years, if not decades, to their lives.” “Ancient wisdom, thousands of authoritative studies, and recent groundbreaking research all indicate that the answer lies, above all, in what we eat. The U.S. surgeon general recently said that of the 2.2 million deaths in America each year, 1.8 million are diet related.”
People today should be the most vigorous and competent the world has known
In B17 Metabolic Therapy in the Prevention and Control of Cancer Philip Day quotes Sir Robert McCarrison, Chairman of the Post-Graduate Medical Education Committee at Oxford University: “I know of nothing so potent in producing ill-health as improperly constituted food. It may therefore be taken as a law of life, infringement of which shall surely bring its own penalties, that the single greatest factor in the acquisition of health is perfectly constituted food. Given the will, we have the power to build in every nation a people more fit, more vigorous and competent; a people with longer and more productive lives, and with more physical and mental stamina than the world has ever known.”
The information below is taken from Olive Oil: Way of Long Life by Mediterraneo Editions
Olive oil is one of the ten most beneficial foods
A study carried out in Crete, the US, Japan, Italy, Dalmatia, Corfu and Holland showed that in Mediterranean areas there is a lower death rate from coronary disease – 38 per 100,000 in Crete; 462 per 100,000 in Italy and 773 per 100,000 in the US – and cases of cancer are much fewer – 17 per 100,000 in Crete; 622 per 100,000 in Italy and 384 per100,000 in the US. The difference was put down to dietary habits based mainly on the greater consumption of olive oil, vegetables, fruit, pulses and cereals. The Mediterranean diet has become a model for good nutrition.
The constituents of olive oil
The Mediterranean diet differs from the diet of the other countries in the study in that it includes a greater consumption of olive oil. Consequently the secret must lie in the constituents of olive oil and mainly in the oleic acid which is a monosaturated fatty acid reaching a proportion of 83%. Apart from the fatty substances, which also include linoleic and linolenic acid, olive oil contains vitamin E (3-30mg), minerals, etc. which as anti-oxidants help to protect cells from harm and consequently protect them from various diseases including cancer.
Lower rates of cancer
Women who consume olive oil reduce to 25% the chances of contracting breast or ovarian cancer. This explains the lower rate of cases in the Mediterranean in comparison to countries producing less oil. The same applies to cancer of the stomach, prostate and large intestine, which are all linked to dietary habits.
Lower rates of heart disease
Apart from cancer, olive oil helps to prevent heart disease. This explains yet again why the Mediterranean peoples who combine the consumption of oil with other dietary habits including dairy products, fruit, vegetables and pulses, have managed to protect themselves from heart disease to a greater extent than other nations.
Antioxidants help to prevent cancer
Olive oil is of particular benefit to the gastrointestinal tract as it is easily absorbed while at the same time it reduces gastric juices and the creation of satiety. The anti-oxidant substances and in particular vitamins C and E prevent stomach cancer.
Ulcers
Olive oil has been proved to be of benefit to people suffering from ulcers not only as it eases the pain but also as it often helps the ulcer to heal. Due to the vitamin A, olive oil helps to protect the skin, not only from solar radiation but also from other skin conditions.
Essential during childhood
Olive oil also makes a positive contribution to the normal development and protection of the central nervous system, the brain and the skeleton, and consequently its consumption is considered essential mainly during childhood and the later years, so as to ensure not only correct physical development, but also a healthy old age.
The Cretan diet
The tried and tested Cretan diet constitutes the basis of longevity. To quote Professor Serge Renaud “After 15 years of study, it has been shown that Crete has the lowest mortality rate…” and dietician Ancel Keys was impressed by the liberal, even excessive, consumption of olive oil in Crete. Consumption of olive oil in Greece amounts to 20 kilos per person per year.
Crete has the lowest mortality rate
Crete has the lowest mortality rate not only of the 7 countries in the study but world-wide; the secret of the Cretan’s longevity lies in their diet which has remained stable and unchanged since ancient times. It is based on the consumption of olive oil, pulses, fruit, vegetables, cheese, fish, and wine and to a less extent on meat.
Mortality rate from the “Seven Country Study”
(per 100,000 inhabitants) Serge Renaud: The Mediterranean Diet)
Country Coronary Cancer Mortality
Disease
Finland 972 613 2169
US 773 384 1575
Netherlands 636 781 11825
Italy 462 622 1874
Yugoslavia 242 394 1712
Corfu 202 338 1317
Japan 136 623 1766
Crete 38 17 855
The information below is taken from Olive Oil: The Secret of Good Health by Nikos and Maria Psilakis
Olive Oil and Its History
Greeks have based their diet on olive products for thousands of years, with olive oil used as the fat content in food. The development of a civilization can be seen through the people’s diet. Wheat, wine and olive oil are the main products of Greece. Excavations in Crete have uncovered olives aged 3500 years, but the olives looked fresh since they had retained their skins. People of that time not only cultivated olive trees but also scented their oil with herbs. In Crete a grave oath obliges every young man to plant at least one olive tree and to look after it until it has fully grown.
Olive oil ensured survival
Roman ships transported large quantities of olive oil to areas where the olive tree was not cultivated. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 A.D., the olive became the symbol of survival for the inhabitants of many agricultural areas. Living under extremely difficult conditions, these people found a relatively easy product which could be put to many uses and so ensured their survival.
During the Turkish occupation
During the Turkish occupation the olive trade was the cause of dynamic economic development in many areas. In the 18th century olive oil was exported to Marseilles, an important center for soap production.
Olive Oil as Food
Olive oil in Greece takes the place butter has in the English diet. Olive oil was essential in cooking cereal crops, vegetables and pulses, as it still is in traditional Greek cuisine. The amounts of uncooked oil that were consumed were not small. Many sweets in ancient times and even today’s traditional ones rely on olive oil.
Olive oil in the Cretan diet
Olives and olive oil play an important role in the Cretan diet. A foreign visitor has the impression that Cretan food literally floats in olive oil. The Cretan diet is believed to be the best example of a Mediterranean diet; Cretans have the lowest rate of heart diseases and cancer. The Cretans’ good health is thought to be due to their diet. The largest role in the Cretan diet is played by olive oil.
Cretan olive oil consumption
Shortly after the revolution of 1821, Robert Pashley calculated that each Cretan family consumed 350 litres of olive oil a year. Towards the end of the 1950s Anzel Keys organized a study of 7 countries and found that the Cretans, whose food floated in olive oil, had the best health in the world. Cancerous diseases were rare and cardiovascular diseases were almost unknown. A few years earlier a survey conducted by the Rockefeller Foundation observed, ‘Olives and olive oil make up a large part in the Cretan diet. A foreign visitor has the impression that Cretan food floats in oil. This product is unsparingly used in cooking. It is essential for salads, soups and vegetables’ and ‘The consumption of fat but, most importantly of all, olive oil is great. This level of olive oil consumption is characteristic of the Cretan diet, in fact, much greater than anywhere else in Greece.’ Studies by Eurostat showed consumption of olive oil at 31 liters per person annually on Crete, 25 in other Mediterranean countries and 185 grams per person per year in Germany.
The Olive and its Oil as a Medicine
Aelianus (3rd century AD) claimed ‘When an elephant is injured by many arrow heads, it eats olive tree flowers or oil and then whatever has hurt it can be removed. It is at once again strong.’ Olive oil was believed to be a cure for all wounds and this knowledge continued in popular medicine for many centuries. Doctors in ancient times and in the Byzantine world mention an array of prescriptions which use olive oil as a basic ingredient. In general we could say that there were hardly any illnesses that could not be cured with olive oil.
Storage of Olive Oil
Olive oil is sensitive to light oxidation and should be stored in glass bottles, dark in colour. If the bottle is transparent it should be kept in a dark place, the ideal temperature being 10-15° Celcius. Olive oil should not come into contact with metal, especially copper and iron as these metals speed up the process of acidic deterioration. Storage is allowed only in non-oxidising metal containers.
Cultivating the olive tree
Cultivating methods do not use a lot of fertilizers. The main chemical treatment is spraying olive trees to combat the olive tree’s worst enemy, dacus oleae. Many naturally cultivating olive producers have appeared in Greece and have been recognized internationally, providing an oil rich in organic characteristics.
Olive oil is easily digested
Olive oil is easily digested; only breast milk can be absorbed more easily by the human body. The make up of fat in breast milk is similar to that in olive oil. Olive oil should be used instead of any other fat on the market. It is the only one produced in a natural way and keeps its characteristics in tact.
Olive oil, the secret of good health
Research shows the great value of olive oil as a perfect food for man. Consumption of olive oil instead of other fats or oils, reduces the concentration of LDL cholesterol in the blood without decreasing the levels of HDL, the so-called ‘bad’ and ‘good’ cholesterol respectively. Olive oil reduces the level of triglycerides in the blood. A collection of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood can block the arteries which transport oxygen to the brain and heart. In general, olive oil protects against heart diseases. Olive oil reduces blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, thus decreasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Cancer
Recent studies have shown that olive oil consumption can slow down breast cancer and other types of cancer. A balanced diet with olive oil and vegetables can reduce the appearance of cancer by 75%. Olive oil in conjunction with a healthy diet (vegetables, little meat etc) protects against cancer of the stomach, makes the liver work better, and helps the liver to detoxify poisonous substances.
Osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes
Olive oil assists in the maintenance of bone density and protects against osteoporosis; Olive oil consumption reduces the chances of the appearance of rheumatoid arthritis by 75%, especially with a balanced diet and the consumption of more fish. Olive oil should be included in the treatment of diabetes.
Olive Oil in Frying
Recent studies have shown that olive oil is the most suitable oil for frying because it remains stable due to its antioxidization agents, even at high temperatures. Animal fats do not have anti-oxidative agents, so as a result, they are oxidized very quickly, with all the harmful effects to health of those who consume them. Seed oils spoil at a temperature of 170-180 Celsius, while olive oil – extra virgin olive oil – can stand temperatures over 200 Celsius, and possibly 230-250 Celsius. Recent studies have refuted one more myth – that fried food absorbs too much oil, becomes fattening and bad for health. Foods fried in olive oil absorb less fat in comparison to those fried in seed oils. Olive oil can be used several times for frying, so long as we fry similar things, otherwise the quality of the taste will be affected.
The information below is taken from Mediterranean Diet in Practice by Manos Kazamias.
A model diet
Now that science has proven that the return to a traditional way of nourishment in Mediterranean countries has had a direct impact on the improved level of people’s health, and assures the high quality of life everyone desires, an international re-education has begun into what is considered a model diet. Documented studies have proven why and how this diet must become the backbone for human nutritional habits all over the world.
Bread, olive oil and wine used by man for over 3,000 years
Centuries before Christ, in the areas surrounding the Mediterranean, wheat, olives and vineyards were cultivated, providing bread, olive oil and wine, the three most significant factors of Mediterranean Diet even today. Olive oil is the only oil which has been used by man for over 3,000 years and, according to all research, the protection of the good health of Mediterranean peoples is due to its consumption.
The basis for a Mediterranean Diet
The quality of calories we take in – and not only their quantity – is very important for our development and our high standard of living. Some foods have more nutrients than others, but it is their combination and proportion that makes a difference. All food groups must exist in such a proportion so as not to create nutrient deficiencies. The Mediterranean Nutritional Pyramid classifies the food groups which make up our daily diet. More and more governments give their residents directions based on this pyramid, as its relation to the population’s health has been proven.
Sugars and fats
The fewer foods we consume from this group, the healthier our diet becomes. It’s a good idea to consume them rarely.
Dairy products
Skimmed milk up to 1.5% fat, yoghurt with 1-2% fat as well as cheeses with a 7-8% fat content are very good choices among dairy products for inclusion in our daily diet, necessary in small quantities for the intake of calcium and vitamins, and consequently for the good of bone and teeth. Enjoy them in small quantities emphasizing half-skimmed milk and yoghurt as well as traditional cheeses low in fat, such as fresh unsalted myzithra cheese or katiki.
Meat-fish
It’s very good for you to eat fish twice a week and mostly rich oily fish like sardines. For the rest of the foods in this category, it’s good to select the leanest ones like skinless poultry or lean pork fillet or suckling veal in small quantities and of course legumes which are a very important part of Mediterranean Diet. Small daily quantities from this group with emphasis on fish and seafood and less on poultry, eggs and red meat will provide us with the necessary amino acids, while legumes as a source of plant protein are an excellent choice for at least twice a week.
Fruit and vegetables
The goal is to eat at least five equivalent fruit and vegetables a day. The best choices are fresh season fruit and vegetables, while smaller amounts of freshly squeezed juices and dry fruit may be calculated into daily equivalents. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Mainly green leafy vegetables and fruit which are consumed unpeeled are especially beneficial to our good health.
Cereals
Cereals are the basis for the Mediterranean Dietary pyramid. It’s good for them to make up to 60% of our daily calories, especially in their unrefined form which is rich in fibre, vitamins and trace elements. It is good for you to eat carbohydrates in large amounts. Included here are legumes, wholemeal bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, wheat.
The information below is taken from Olive and Olive Oil: Mediterranean Diet 100 Greek and Cypriot Recipes by Katerina Tsouchtidi:
A perfect balance
Olive oil is wonderfully nutritious, forming the basis for the renowned Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet is a combination of foods that are perfectly balanced, guaranteeing long life, health and a positive psychological outlook.
The elixir of life and longevity
Evidence from Greece today demonstrates the true blessing of olive oil for the prevention of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, breast and prostate cancer. Olive oil makes a great contribution to a long life. The olive oil of Greece is a natural juice and is one of the twelve most beneficial foodstuffs.
Fatty acids
All types of oil, plant and animal, contain different kinds of fatty acids. These are divided into saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Olive oil contains only monounsaturated fatty acids as well as oleic acid, a major component of olive oil with a content of up to 80%. It gives health and long life and is superior to any other type of oil. It is an irreplaceable food.
The 1947 study
In 1947 a group of scientists visited Crete. To their surprise, despite the fact that the region was devastated after the war, the health of the residents was significantly better than that of Britons or Americans. The Cretans had an average of fewer deaths from cardiovascular diseases and cancer and they lived longer.
The Seven Countries Study
Extensive scientific research was first carried out in the 1950s in seven countries (Finland, the United States, Holland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Japan and Greece) to determine which countries had less deaths from cancer and heart disease, and which factors could help prevent such diseases. One thousand people aged between 40 and 59 from each country participated in the study. Over a period of 15 years, the researchers’ attention was draw to one region of the Mediterranean, to Crete.
Lower rates of deaths from cancer and heart disease on Crete,
Not simply were there lower rates of deaths from cancer and heart disease on Crete, but life expectancy was also much higher. By country the death rate from heart disease was: Finland = 97.2%; Holland = 63.6%; Italy = 46.2%; Yugoslavia 34%; Greece = 20.2%; Crete = 3.8%. In the United States the death rate from heart disease had already reached 77.3%.
No deaths in Crete from cancer
Moreover, there were no deaths in Crete from cancer or other serious illnesses. The researches initially tried to explain the phenomenon in terms of the climate or the way of life of the residents of Crete. They soon came to the conclusion, however, that the long life of the Cretans was due to the significant quantity of olive oil that they consumed in comparison with other peoples, as well as the fruit and vegetables.
Cretans age well because they eat well
The conclusions were that the Cretans age well because they eat well. Recent reliable studies have also shown that among the peoples of the Mediterranean the Greeks have the most balanced diet. With basic ingredients of olive oil, fruit, vegetables, cereals, wine, fish, honey, and the wonderful herbs – produced with a high nutritious value – the Greek diet is a model for a healthy way of life, absolutely suited to the modern lifestyle.
Good and bad cholesterol
It has been proved that olive oil reduces the level of low-density lipoproteins, i.e. ‘bad’ cholesterol, and increases the level of high-density fatty proteins, i.e. ‘good’ cholesterol. This reduces the deposition of fats on the walls of the arteries, reducing clotting of blood vessels and the heart. More than any other natural produce, olive oil reduces cholesterol and so provides the heart with a wonderful protective shield.
Olive oil and cancer
The therapeutic qualities against cancer (especially breast cancer) that the regular consumption of olive oil provides are well known. Harvard Professor D. Trichopoulos calculates that the daily use of olive oil reduces the risk of breast cancer by around 25%. It is not by chance that among the women of Crete and Mani, where olive oil is consumed in great quantities, breast cancer and ovarian cancer are rare.
Olive oil and aging
The antioxidant substances contained in olive oil help us to age well. Chlorophyll contributes to cell growth and reinforces blood metabolism and strength. It plays a leading role in the development of the central nervous system.
The information below is taken from Olive Oil: Eat Better, Live Longer by Myrsini Lambraki:
Crete, the most important landmark in the history of the olive tree
There is little doubt that the small and lithe Minoans were the ones to take over the culture of the olive tree from other eastern Mediterranean peoples. It is here, where the climate is mild and the land fertile, where one of the most important civilizations in the world was developing, that the olive tree found its ideal home. Here it blossomed, giving its oil in plenty, revered and honoured as no other tree.
Climate, soil and men: the perfect balance
Fertile plains and high mountains are the two most striking elements in the Cretan landscape. Along the mountain chains, thousands of olive trees grow on rather poor soil; the olive tree is not demanding and willingly brings forth its fruit on all soils. Cretans love their olive trees as if they were members of the family. As in ancient times, the olive tree forms part of their lives, playing an important role not just in their diet, but in their civilization and in their art.
Robert Pashley
When Robert Pashley, an English traveler came to Crete in the first half of the 19th century, he was astonished at the consumption of olive oil: “I am told here, as in every other place where I have made enquiries, respecting the consumption of oil by each Cretan family, that it may be estimated at 4 okes (a little over 5 kilograms) a week, at least. A mother will hardly give bread to her children without pouring them out some oil into a dish, that they may moisten the staff of life, and render it more savory, before eating it. Oil is used on all kinds of vegetables, as well as in preparing every sort of meat and fish: in short it enters into every dish in Crete, and though all Greeks use a good deal of it, there is a much greater general consumption of it in this island than elsewhere.”
Scientific verification
A little more than a century later the American Rockfeller Institute carried out a research between 1948 and 1957 among the inhabitants of Crete, declaring in its report: “Cretan diet consists mainly of vegetarian products such as cereals, vegetables, fruit and olive oil… Olives and oil play an important part in the resistance of a Cretan constitution. A foreigner might find that Cretan food actually swims in oil: the consumption of olive oil is a distinctive attribute of the Cretan diet.”
Composition of olive oil
Vitamin E (3-30 mg)
Provitamin A (carotene)
Monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic) 56-83%
Polyunsaturated unfatty acid (linoleic) 3.5-20%
Polyunsaturated fatty acid (Linoleic) 0 –1.5%
Saturated fatty acids 8 – 23.5% 9 calories per gram
Olive oil: the healthiest of all fats
Fat used in food finds a healthy substitute in olive oil which is 77% monounsaturated fat and naturally cholesterol-free. Olive oil contains no salt, and one tablespoon provides 8%RDA for vitamin E. Olive oil is gluten-free. Gluten is found in wheat and rye, and to a lesser degree, in barley and oats, but not in 100% pure olive oil.
The strongest hearts in the world are the Cretan hearts
The Cretan diet has, over the last few years, been under scientific and medical study, and dietetics and statistics have proved that it ensures good health and longevity. The consumption of olive oil is the main reason for the low number of cardiac disorders among the inhabitants of the island.
Olive oil, cholesterol and coronary disease
Olive oil decreases unwanted cholesterol and limits arteriosclerosis, which is one of the main causes of death in industrial areas where butter and pork fat are used in cooking. Its monounsaturated oleic acid is as effective as its polyunsaturated fatty acids in decreasing the total amount of cholesterol in the blood and it has a positive effect on the HDL, the protective factor against coronary disease.
Olive oil and calories
Many people wonder whether olive oil has more calories than other cooking oils. The answer is: NO. Olive oil has 120 calories per tablespoon. Furthermore, its rich fragrance allows one to use less quantity of olive oil than one would of other less rich oils, thereby reducing the intake of calories even more.