"It's the first study to specifically examine the effects of the diet centered around vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and a moderate amount of alcohol, with limited consumption of red meat, sweets and refined grains like white bread or white rice — on the brain's small blood vessels."
—The Mediterranean diet continues to be the 2008 Michael Phelps of healthy eating. And since we're being a little experimental this week, would anyone be interested in an olive oil-themed day? (Possibly inside a similarly health-, food-, or brains-themed week?) Recipes, stories, found photographs of olive oil-bottle estate jewelry? Recollections of Popeye? Let us know if you have something.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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What to Eat and Drink for the Rest of Your Life
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Popeye would.
@atipofthehat
Seriously, olive oil would be a great theme. It's an interesting subject, too.
Mmmm olive oil
YAY, olive oil - theme! I love it, Edith ;)
(Also,the brains-week-theme sounds pretty great. And a healthy-theme and, of course, FOOD!)
@Natalie Eve Brains-week-theme seconded!
I've been wanting to cook more Mediterranean-style food at home, although it's hard in the winter when no produce looks appealing. Does anyone have a recommendation for a comprehensive cookbook that goes beyond restaurant-style Greek dishes?
@wallsdonotfall I too am interested in a recommendation and will be watching this space.
@CheeseLouise Yes. I am making a comment for that very purpose.
@wallsdonotfall For a sort of Mediterranean-Middle Eastern hybrid I really recommend Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty! Really creative beautiful vegetarian dishes, with lots of olive oil, greek yogurt, that sort of thing. Some of the book is on Google Books and I think some of it is also taken from his cooking column from the Guardian, which is all online.
@thenotestaken Claudia Roden's New Book of Middle Eastern Cooking is really, really good. Everything I've made has been delicious and reliable. I've also tried a few from her other book, but I forget the name of it right now. In sum: Claudia Roden!
@wallsdonotfall I just got that book yesterday! (Yep, from my mom for Valentine's Day.) It looks amazing.
@thenotestaken I want to eat that eggplant dish on the front cover, although I don't see the recipe. But it looks simple enough to fake. So thank you for giving me tonight's dinner idea!
I haven't made anything from this yet, but the recipes in Maria Speck's "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals" look fantastic--I want to make a leek salad with haloumi and rye berries immediately. (I never know what to do with grains besides "put veggies on them," so those suggestions are important.) And it has great reviews on Amazon.
@thenotestaken Ooh, I've heard amazing things about Plenty! I totally need to buy it. I've made some really delicious stuff out of Arabesque, but some of it is definitely time consuming and more dinner party-y.
@wallsdonotfall I can also totally vouch for Plenty. I got it for Christmas and LOVE IT. there's a recipe with broiled eggplant and lentils that is to die for, plus roasted root vegetables with lemon caper vinaigrette--yesssss
another good one (although slightly more time consuming) is Moro: The Cookbook. Southern Spanish/Moroccan/Mediterranean deliciousness. Try the spinach w/ garbanzos! (also, it is totally okay to cut the amount of olive oil in that recipe down by like 2/3, the Spanish just looooove their olive oil)
So you've decided to start drinking more olive oil...
@parallel-lines
Women laughing alone with garnish?
@S. Elizabeth The dinner was built to last, the olive oil was just too extra-virginal.
Ask a bottle of olive oil?
@Awesomely Nonfunctional A 17th Century Guide to Omega-3s
@Awesomely Nonfunctional The league of ordinary olive oil.
Scandals of Classic Olive Presses?!
@parallel-lines SIGTCTLOOOOOIGTDMOO.
@Edith Zimmerman Somebody is going to create the league of ordinary olive oil or I'm going to drink my olive oil?
@Edith Zimmerman !!!!!!!!!!
@thenotestaken Nice! I was confounded by all the o's.
Guys, shaving your legs with olive oil is a game changer. I don't even have to put lotion on afterwards.
@hot dog princess BEST. IDEA. EVER.
@hot dog princess Whaaaat?!! -_-
So trying this.
@hot dog princess Or any oil for that matter. I picked up a little bottle of some shave oil blend at the co-op once, but coconut oil works just as well.
@NeverOddOrEven If both of those things were not so expensive I would try it. But it is actually way cheaper to use shaving cream.
@Megan Patterson@facebook Well when you consider how much else coconut or olive oil can be used for, and how little you need, it may even out. Or come out ahead as far as cost-per-use.
Then again I'm a lazy hippie who likes multi-use products and is afraid of weird chemicals, so it's worth it to me.
Also, I rarely shave.
@Megan Patterson@facebook I got a big jar of coconut oil from Whole Foods a few weeks ago for like $6, and it goes a long way. Way cheaper than shaving cream, and I use it for skin and hair and cooking too.
@Megan Patterson@facebook You make a good point, olive oil is expensive. I can justify the cost because a little bit goes a very long way (an $8 bottle of olive oil I bought just for beauty purposes has lasted me going on a year). Also I no longer have to buy lotion for my legs, and it works way better than the shaving cream I was using before!
@hot dog princess WHAT. Why have I never heard of this!
@thebestjasmine In Canada it's like $12+
@Megan Patterson@facebook Yeah, well, you guys get free health care!
Every other night I rub olive oil on my legs and feet, then put on leg warmers and go to bed. Soft legs!
@Slutface You just caused me to think of a greased up Courtney Stodden :(
@parallel-lines I'm going to assume her grease isn't olive oil.
@parallel-lines Isn't that redundant?
I studied abroad in Athens and shortly after getting there my friend and travel companion wanted to make the sex with the cute Aussie that had followed us from Paris. In looking for props they ended up with the bottle of olive oil that the apt came stocked with and rubbed it all over each other and then banged, it sounded pretty awesome. It also made my Ancient Greek Art and Architecture class really awesome as the prof was going on about how olive can be used for everything, including lubricant.
So yeah, I'd read about olive oil all day.
@boysplz TMI Ahoy: I have used it for this purpose and it works just fine.
Required safety post: Oil will dissolve latex, do not use oil or oil based lubricants if using latex protection. Stay vigilant, stay safe, and thank you for listening to this message.
@boysplz The tiny amount of "a clean person" that dwells deep in my soul prays they put a tarp down, because the oil based stain clean up would be a nightmare.
@parallel-lines A glurg of vinegar in the wash works well on oils.
You are reading my mind or possibly my grocery receipt because I just started using olive oil + castor oil as a facial cleanser/moisturizer. <3 u oily!
@dj pomegranate I love washing my face with oil almost as much as I love saying it. And I learned about it from a fellow commenter a while back.
@dj pomegranate Do you love when you massage the oil in long enough for little gritty things to come out of your pores? If this hasn't happened to you yet, just wait for it.
@vanillawaif This has not happened yet! I am so excited!
@vanillawaif This is a thing? I am doing this thing.
@Fig. 1 (formerly myfanwy) Here is how to do this thing.
Can someone write this up? Like really detailed instructions about what kind of oil (grocery store olive oil seems wrong, is it?), how much, how hard you massage it in, how long you massage it, how long it takes to get used to this method, and can really greasy acne prone Italians(me) use this method?
Edit: oh, haha, link is above me!
@Awesomely Nonfunctional Hey fellow greasy Ital, it made my skin less greasy. You just need to make sure you steam a couple times and get all the oil off.
Less greasy sounds amazeballs!
Um, has any one with moderate to severe acne tried this with good results? Like blackheads, white heads, and sometimes cystic acne?
(I can't edit) It also really helped my acne.
Really wish I could edit... sorry for so many replies.
I found I had far fewer whiteheads and blackheads. I've seen mixed stuff about it's effect on severe acne.
@NeenerNeener Thanks for replying! I am going to try it!
@Awesomely Nonfunctional The source I used was Crunchy Betty's blog; the entry was called The Nitty Gritty on the Oil Cleansing Method.
Full disclosure: I loved it but have taken a break from it after about six months or so. My skin was much more hydrated and less congested, but I am dealing with inflammatory acne caused by a hormonal imbalance and I am now just doing a more mild cleanser (by Nancy Boy, if anyone wants a nice mild cleanser!). A good friend of mine who is oily LOVES the OCM but also found it didn't work on her inflammatory/cystic stuff.
P.S. While it didn't cure me of acne, the stuff I did get seemed to be smaller and went away much more quickly than with harsh cleansers. If you ever want to talk about skin/acne, it's my favorite topic. I can't look at clear-skinned faces without a surge of envy (of their skin) and pity (for my own).
@Fig. 1 (formerly myfanwy) So, so satisfying. You can feel what seems like tiny grains of sand. When you look at your fingertips, there they are: these teeny, almost invisible pore-plugs.
@Awesomely Nonfunctional I have acne and washing with olive oil has been great for my face. My skin is actually less oily and I have fewer breakouts. Can't recommend it enough.
@NeenerNeener Do you do the whole washcloth thing? Do you change washcloths daily?
@laurel Yes and yes. I have like ten, so I can keep only doing laundry once a week.
I also just microwave water in a large glass measuring cup because it doesn't come out of the tap hot enough.
@everyone RE: Oil Cleansing
I've been doing this too, for about a month. I don't use olive oil. All the online stuff I've read, the people who use olive oil tend to be the ones complaining about their skin breaking out more. I use castor, grapeseed, and avocado oil.
Little gritty things coming out, yes that happened once. It's both gross and awesome all at the same time.
@NeenerNeener RE: microwaving, do you run back and forth between microwave and bathroom? Do the whole procedure in the kitchen? Have a microwave in your bathroom?
@Curiouser and curiouser That made me laugh. I just microwave two cups of water before and the procedure takes place in the bathroom.
I also didn't mention that I use a combo of almond oil and castor oil (with a couple drops of eucalyptus essential oil) since I've seen lots of oils mentioned elsewhere, but never almond. But I figure almonds, good for your skin, right? Vitamin E? Plus, I already had a huge thing of almond oil to use as a base with other essential oil mixtures.
Oh, and while we're on the topic of using laxatives (castor oil) for home beauty applications - epsom salt baths! Apparently epsom salt is like baking soda - it does everything.
@everyone using oil: how did you come up with ratios of almond:olive:castor:sunflower:whatever oil? For my first time ever last night I did 1/3 castor to 2/3 olive just because that is what my friend told me to do... Is it simply trial and error? Is there an oil rubric?
@dj pomegranate There's some suggestions near the bottom of that page I linked to. The more oily your skin is naturally, the more castor oil you use since that is the oil that does more of the drying. I have naturally oily skin and use the ratio you mention.
@dj pomegranate O.o I had no idea. NO IDEA. I need to look into this, seriously.
@dj pomegranate It's a little bit trial and error and a little bit of educated guesswork. The castor oil is the one you might have issues with if you're very dry. I was using 1/3 castor and 2/3 jojoba, but then changed it to 1/3 castor, 1/3 jojoba and 1/3 avocado oil because it's so dry in Michigan in the winter. I felt less chapped once I added in the avocado oil, but my friend who is oily wouldn't go NEAR that oil. She likes the grapeseed oil instead.
@dj pomegranate I use equal amounts of castor, grapeseed, and avocado. I started by using less castor because my skin was so dry, then had to increase it because I went from burning, flaky, dry skin to greasebomb oil slick in the course of about 3 days. So basically I seesawed too far in the other direction.
You'll probably have to experiment with the ratios. Start with that Crunch Betty link and the advice there.
I've never been so pleased with a face cleansing routine. I've been dealing with acne forever and this seems to be quite helpful.
@Curiouser and curiouser This is all super helpful! <3 !
@Curiouser and curiouser
Here is the Crunchy Betty link
http://www.crunchybetty.com/nitty-gritty-on-the-oil-cleansing-method
Huge thank you to the commenter who mentioned this ...oh, maybe 2 months ago? I don't know who you are, or what post it even was, but THANK YOU.
@NeenerNeener OMG, I have also been using sesame oil as a skin cleanser since I saw that comment! also am of Italian descent... :yay oil cleansing: I now purse my lips every time I pass the skin cleanser section in the supermarket with all its OIL FREE labels. YAY OIL.
@sevanetta Oh, meant to say: I feel like I've had way less / much smaller blackheads, and I noticed the difference in my skin the first time I used it (not tight and red), it was immediately softer and it's stayed like that. My skin can get VERY oil-slick and it's been a lot better (still gets oily during the day but not nearly as much). I just rub sesame oil onto my skin (bought a fancy organic one, $10AUD for 200ml, has lasted 6 months), wipe the majority off with a tissue, and then get in the shower and wipe the remainder off with a face washer (I usually use the washer for about a week, rinsing each day).
I just want to tell people all the time: oil! use oil on your skin! OIL OIL OIL. ALL THE OIL. ALL THE TIME.
I made chocolate chip cookies with olive oil recently. It was a decision born from lack of butter but they turned out rather tasty.
@pointy
I have replaced butter completely with o.o.
Olive oil yogurt cake! It is "healthy" and yum.
@cuminafterall That looks AMAZING. Can you use greek yoghurt or is that too thick?
@annepersand Apparently anything goes! Comments on the post mention using Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, creme fraiche, labneh...
@cuminafterall Totes doing this tonight!
@cuminafterall I've been experimenting with sweet and savory olive oil-yogurt cakes, muffins and breads lately and it's been something of a revelation? I've solved dry-assed cornbread forever.
Love olive oil. Hate olives.
@andrea disaster This.
@andrea disaster God yes. Olives make me gag. I can taste the olive on a leaf of lettuce after it's been picked off.
My gift, my curse.
@andrea disaster: I really wish I liked olives. They look great and there's lots of varieties. I just find their taste overpowering.
@Too Much Internet Same here. I wish I liked them. It'd make drinking martinis more appealing.
I mentioned on another thread how nice olive oil is the perfect gift for anyone. Even if people don't cook much, it's nice to have olive oil around. You can't really have too much of it. At the very least, the bottles look pretty.
If you want to personalize it more, add some recipes. I stand by olive oil as the quintessential all-situation present (unless that's what you got them for Christmas last year! I need a few more quintessential all-situation presents to throw into the mix).
@travelmugs Can't go wrong with some good cheese and baguette. Maybe throw in some wine if they drink. If they don't, a good cheese knife and board?
Even if they're vegan you could spring for the fancy nut cheeses. They're pretty good!
@travelmugs ahh this is a good idea! I shall buy the fanciest Kroger has!
@travelmugs Fancy salts are fun. I've been tossing truffle salt on everything lately. Fleur de sel is lovely too. I can't believe I'm talking about salt as if it were chocolate. Ok, yes I can.
Also, olive oil soap is the best. My boyfriend's dad always brings back a giant block from Turkey when he visits family each year, and shaves off chunks for friends and U.S. family to use. I haven't tried looking for this in the States, though, but I'm assuming it's made the trek over here, right?
@travelmugs DHC's olive oil cleanser is pretty great too. It's a super gentle, but thorough make-up remover/de-grossifier.
@travelmugs It's fairly easy to find here, and you can either get it plain at a health-food-type store or buy pretty scented soap from a local artisan. (Or you can make your own, but it is a project.)
ETA: If Hairpin Olive Oil Week happens, I volunteer an olive oil soap tutorial post!
Sometimes I make mediterrean food: I buy puff pastry, because I love it, it's amazing, phyllo dough constantly, and then I put feta cheese, the greatest, bestest cheese and also spinach, because, obviously, in it, and put it in the oven. Also does putting EVOO in a bowl, with a bunch of spices and feta cheese and eating it with some bread, count?
I'm an amaaaaaazing chef. Good to know this is toads Super Healthy. lalalalalalala.
FOOD WEEK PLEASE!!!
And if you swap out "moderate" and swap in "copious," then what? Are you still good?
@P.S. Please don't hate me I would also like to know.
As long as someone addresses the "extra-virgin" controversy, I'm game for all olive oil, all the time!
Three cheers for olive oil day! I have a flourless chocolate cake recipe that uses olive oil, sea salt, and Nutella (oil + nuts = practically Aegean, right?).
@SockHopBop TELL ME ABOUT THIS CAKE
@SockHopBop PLEASE SHARE.
@SockHopBop You absolutely cannot mention a cake like that without providing a recipe. I'm pretty sure it's a federal crime.
@wealhtheow Ahh better avoid the Feds! I made it up so it's a bit loosey-goosey, but here is the recipe:
http://lastwalkman.tumblr.com/post/17489494008/improvised-flourless-chocolate-cake#disqus_thread
I had olive oil ice cream last night. Definitely olive oil-y, surprisingly delicious!
@dotcommie: One of my regular customers brought me some olive oil ice cream the other day as a "surprise". I ate it, smiling, but it basically tasted like a greased pan? That was cold?
@dotcommie I liked it the one time I had it!
Whenever I use olive oil, I find myself singing to myself "EVOO Woman," to the tune of the almost eponymous ELO song.
@boyofdestiny Now I have Witchy Woman in my head, where it will stay all day. Thanks for indirectly causing that.
Ugh you guys, I have so much basmati rice to get through before I can act on all of this "brown rice is healthier" jazz and actually buy some. Oh well that's what I get for purchasing giant bags o' rice at the Thai grocery store
@Emmanuelle Cunt You can sew that rice into a pouch of fabric and then you have a hot/cold pack. Keep it in the freezer for cold, or microwave for 30 secs at a time for hot til you get the right temperature.
@Awesomely Nonfunctional Ooh, this is a pretty good idea!
@Emmanuelle Cunt :D
It's nice cause the shape conforms. I have one that is shaped like a U for wrapping around my neck.
@Emmanuelle Cunt Basmati, even white basmati, has a fairly low glycemic load compared to other rices. Brown rice is still better, but only slightly. In other words, it will take longer for your body to process it, so it will keep you fuller longer. Which is a good thing and we want that. Go ahead and finish your basmati and then get some brown basmati! I love that stuff.
@kayjay Damn, that's even better! I am so glad 'pinners know their Rice Facts, now I can make awesome crafts out of my giant bag of rice OR shove it all in my face with minimum guilt.
@Emmanuelle Cunt I suggest shoving it in your face about a half-cup at a time. It's still rice, after all. But let the shoving commence!
@Emmanuelle Cunt
Add lavender and it will smell lovely every time you heat it! I've had mine for many months and it still smells nice.
BRAAAAAAAAAINS WEEK.
I think Olive Oil week would be awesome! Maybe there could be a series of sort of Bulding Blocks of Food? So, olive oil, salt, potatoes, rice, wheat, maybe sesame oil...you see what I'm getting at? But, like, around the world.
Or maybe I should just read this book about salt like I've been meaning to.
I'm Mediterranean, and we eat our share of red meat. Who are these Mediterraneans that don't eat veal and stuff?
(Sorry if that sounds obnoxious. It's more genuine curiosity than anything.)