PrimeTime Magazine PrimeTime Spring 2018

The foundation of the Mediterranean diet Bill McArthur, Liquid Gold Olive Oils & Vinegars (submitted by the Senior's Information Center) Mary Flynn, PhD is a research dietitian, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Brown University and the Author of The Pink Ribbon Diet. In it, she makes a simple, powerful point: “The right fats, in the right amounts, are crucial to optimizing health and benef icial to shedding pounds. The right fats are healthy fats and only extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) can improve health”. How can you tell that you’re getting high quality EVOO and the natural goodness it delivers? EVOO is the foundation of the Mediterranean diet. Together with seafood, vegetables and whole grains, this diet has been associated with lower levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL). Studies of more than 1.5 million healthy adults showed the diet also reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. It lowers the incidence of cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Second, look for a wonderful aroma. If it smells fresh, verdant, and leads you to want to discover more, you are starting down the right path. If it smells like solvent, or like an old musty sweater, or even if it is completely odorless, chances are you are smelling a fake. The key to EVOO is the “E”. It is Extra Virgin Olive oil that contains the robust array of polyphenol antioxidants that are the key to the goodness of this natural fruit. High quality EVOO contains a “phenol density” of anywhere from 150 meq/kg of oil to a high of over 700 meq/kg. By comparison, low quality oil has virtually none. First, look for information – like polyphenol density, or fatty acid content or the type of olive the juice has been milled from. No information should be a concern. Good information means someone cares enough to share it. Finally, sip and slurp it around your mouth. If your palate picks up flavour - a fruitiness, perhaps or traces of herbs or a grassy, freshly mowed lawn, then you’re experiencing a high quality EVOO. If it tastes or feels greasy, or if those bad smells lead to equally unpleasant tastes, then you know you have either a fake or old, rancid oil. You can often feel the phenolic antioxidants in a high quality EVOO. Of the hundreds of phenols present, a couple of them stand out. Oleocanthal is the phenol that triggers the peppery, throat-catching flourish as this glorious juice slides down your throat. It is a phenolic compound similar to ibuprofen, making it nature’s anti-inflamatory. Oleuropein is the phenol that delivers the inherent bitterness in the juice that comes from freshly picked olives. It is also the phenol that is tied to lower levels of LDL cholesterol. 1-866-227-3092 Elderly loved ones depend on you for care? FREDERICTON • WOODSTOCK MONCTON • SAINT JOHN We can help. We make the process of arranging home care simple by taking care of all the details. Spend quality time with your elderly loved ones, and let our experts at Bayshore provide personalized home care services. We go above and beyond to deliver a positive experience to the lives of individuals in our communities. SPRING/PRINTEMPS 2018 PrimeTime 29

PrimeTime Magazine PrimeTime Spring 2018 | Page 29