If only everyone could wander the groves of Northern California, Italy, or Greece instead of traipsing the aisles of your local grocery. There’s a reason so many people enjoy the Mediterranean diet and a reason it works — olive oil. When you add olive oil to your diet every day, you’re supporting your health and well-being in the best way.

So, what exactly are the health benefits of a little extra virgin olive oil every day? Read on and you’ll see.

The Benefits Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How is olive oil made? In most cases, it’s just the juice of pressed, whole olives. If minimally processed, the flavor, aroma, and nutrients found in the oil of the olive are preserved. Interestingly, no other vegetable oil can be consumed right as its made.

Olive oil is full of good-for-you monounsaturated fatty acids. It’s also chock full of antioxidative polyphenols. These nutritional properties make olive oil a go-to for choice for those focusing on nutritional health. Here are a few other nutritional benefits to olive oil consumption—

• A plethora of dietary nutrients, essential vitamins, and minerals
• Rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (aka good fats) but low in saturated fat (aka bad fats)
• Contains antioxidants to help fight oxidative stress
• Full of good-for-you oleic acid to help support your heart
• Promotes healthy cholesterol

Oleic Acid for Better Health

The primary fatty acid in olive oil is oleic acid and it can work magic for your health. Here’s how:

Reduced insulin resistance is super important in terms of preventing metabolic health issues. According to one study, daily olive oil consumption has a positive impact on insulin resistance. The same study states that eating olive oil could also support healthy blood sugar levels.

How Can You Up Your Olive Oil Game?

• Drink it — It may sound odd, but many people enjoy drinking olive oil. However, if drinking a shot of olive oil doesn’t sound good to you, no worries. There are a ton of other ways you can incorporate olive oil into your diet.
• Cook with it — One of the best thing about extra virgin olive oil is that it can stand up to high heat. Also, it tastes fabulous as a butter substitute. Plus, it will give your dish an earthy, mildly spicy flavor. While it tastes decadent like butter, it’s far healthier for you.
• Bake with it — If you like to bake, try replacing butter in your recipes with olive oil. Olive oil is especially tasty in fresh-baked loaves of bread or cake. Hosting a brunch or afternoon tea? Try adding an extra virgin olive oil lemon and rosemary cake to the menu — your guests will leave looking for the next invitation to your home.
• Use it for sauce/dressing — Drizzle a little high-quality extra virgin olive oil over grilled veggies, rice, wild-caught fish, or nice cool salad greens. It’s also great on baked sweet potatoes. And if you use an olive oil base for your dressings, you’ll end up counting fewer calories than cream-based or sugary dressings.

Olive Oil: Get Into It

So, the question remains: how will you get your daily intake of extra virgin olive oil? Again, you can bake it into your morning muffins, dress your hearty vegetable salads with it, use it as a sauce for your favorite chicken dinner, or pour yourself a shot and drink up.

Enjoy adding more olive oil to your diet. Your body will thank you for taking the extra step in supporting your health.