I no longer cook with vegetable oil. I have substituted it with olive oil because of the health benefits. Olive oil helps lower dangerous levels of LDL (the bad) cholesterol. I’ve read that it helps prevent blood clots, lowers blood pressure, prevents heart disease, and is even able to reduce cancer risk. In Mediterranean countries it has been a top healing food for thousands of years. But, in the United States, olive oil was just considered just another fat, no better than butter.

Then scientists began wondering how the people in Greece, Northern France, Spain, and Italy had such low rates of heart disease despite a high fat intake. When they looked more closely at the Mediterranean diet, they found out why; people in those countries have a high intake of monounsaturated fat, almost all of it coming from olive oil, whereas the Western diet is high in saturated fat. Since that discovery, olive oil has undergone a dramatic change of status, from a no-no to a health necessity. Olive oil’s antioxidant compounds protect against cancer. Although it is not yet known why, it appears to be especially protective against breast cancer. So, instead of reaching for the butter, reach for the olive oil.