All About Olive Oil

We have a farm in the foothills of California and produce an award winning extra virgin olive oil. People  often ask us what is extra virgin and why is it better. Here are the facts.

Extra virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives using only the press. There is no extreme heat or the use of solvents. In addition the olives are pressed shortly after they are harvested. Our olives are hand picked. It takes all day to pick the crop. They are taken to the press that night and pressed the next morning.

Extra virgin olive oil has the lowest acidity and is the most flavorful. It is also the most expensive.

Virgin olive oil is the next grade down,. It does not qualify to be extra virgin usually because the acidity is too high or it does not pass the flavor test.

A product labeled 100% pure olive oil is the oil extracted from further pressing using heat and solvents. This is a lower quality oil and must be refined to remove impurities.

This description may not apply to olive oils imported into the United States. An import labeled extra virgin mosts likely is not extra virgin. In fact it may not even be pure olive oil. It may be olive oil diluted with cheaper grades of oil in order to make a less expensive product. This deception has been extensively reported in the American press.

Dirty Money

If you are a fan of crime movies you understand that the term dirty money refers to illicitly gained money that needs to be laundered. Well here is a different take on this subject. I am referring to all paper money that you handle.. Paper money harbors many types of bacteria. This can be a health problem that can lead to serious infections.  Remember your mother''s advice to wash your hands frequently. It is true in many ways.

The lead researcher in this study that analyzed the paper money advised people to routinely wash or disinfect their hands after handling paper money. Personally I think this is good advice on a subject that I had never considered  and I intend to follow it.

Mom;s advice was right on the money.

Can You Prevent Getting Alzheimer's

The question today is whether you can prevent developing Alzheimer's disease. The answer is a resounding no, but you can decrease the possibility of developing dementia. A recent study published in the JAMA correlated  risk factors for amyloid deposition in the brain with  the actual deposition of amyloid. The deposition of amyloid in the brain is responsible for Alzheimer's disease.

The risk factors were smoking,obesity, hypertension, diabetes and an elevated cholesterol. People who were obese at midlife were twice as likely to have elevated brain amyloid levels compared to those  who were of normal weight. Having two or more of the risk factors tripled the likelihood of developing brain amyloid deposition.

The findings can be summarized like this.. Alzheimer's dementia is a terrible disease. Some day there may be a treatment for it, but until then do everything you can to keep your brain healthy, and pay attention to these risk factors. For more information go to our blog at trienergeticsblog.com.

Here Is Another Reason To Exercise

There are many reasons to exercise, and there is no good reason not to exercise. However, here is a reason to exercise that you may not have thought of. Exercise now and continue to exercise in order to prevent the functional decline that occurs when you get older.

A large study done at Duke University documented the functional  in strength, endurance and balance that occurs from midlife on. To that list I would add mental. Your best weapon to fight the cognitive decline that many experience is exercise. Physical exercise for the body refreshes the brain and mental exercise strengthens it.

Remember the adage "Use it or lose it." This is as true now as it has been for years.