Over the decades, Grandma’s remedies such as a spoonful of codfish oil each morning has been replaced with supplements and visits to the doctor for drugs to improve symptoms of illness. Now, I am beginning to think many people are finding their way back to Grandma’s remedies.
Since GringoCool launched “Cold Pressed Elixir“, an organic extra virgin olive oil, as the owner/operator I have been coming in contact with many people who want to tell me about essential oils. The moment they hear “extra virgin olive oil”, I believe they think that I will be open to listening to the health benefits of natural remedies such as essential oils. And I do enjoy listening and learning.
Essential Oils
Earlier this year, I had a problem with a shoulder. A friend referred me to a physical therapist in Seville, near where I live. So I went to see Peggy the physical therapist. One of things she said to me that struck home is – and I am paraphrasing … “the things we eat, drink, and the air we breath have the largest impact on our health. They are the inputs, so to speak”. I have heard this many times, but for some reason I paid more attention, specifically to the idea that using essential oils in the home can create a healthier atmosphere – as in air that we breath. Our lungs and our digestive system are the entry points.
Alright,… I may be a bit of a sucker – essential oils are not cheap. But I do believe in prevention instead of remedying problems. I am starting to learn a little bit about essential oils, and while I am sure they are the solution to everything, I am beginning to read more about them, and will try one to see if it will help conquer the fungus on my toenails (sorry for sharing that).
A friend of mine suggested that one of the main reasons that the pharmaceutical industry is working so hard to disqualify essential oils and other natural treatments is that they can not be patented. ?? Which makes sense in the profit oriented world we live in. The pharmaceuticals cannot corner the market on naturally occurring oils and herbs.
Barefoot Doctors
In my humble opinion, the use of drugs to improve health is way out of hand. I recognize that drugs are very important and can save people’s live and improve their health,… but still I think drugs are way over prescribed and depended upon for quick solutions to serious problems. Many times, drugs treat the symptoms and not the underlying problems.
In the US, the health care system is focused on remedying health problems and not so much on preventing health problems. Sure, there is a lot of literature and articles about what is good for you and what is bad for you, but in general, the doctors and hospitals are dedicating to fixing health problems with drugs and interventions. And a sad truth is the industry is structured so that people save all their life and then in the last years of their lives, the accumulated savings are paid to health care facilities (which is another topic).
In many less developed countries that do not have the systems or wealth for fielding a sophisticated health care structure, “bare foot doctors” are encouraged, especially in rural areas. I have read several articles about barefoot doctors in China and also Cuba, and I remember reading that they focus on preventing of illnesses. Once there is a serious problem, they do not have the drugs or the instruments to remedy the patient, so they focus pretty much on prevention. Which makes a lot of sense.
For a couple of articles about barefoot doctors, here is a link to an NPR article about China, and here is an article from the Doctus Project blog about Cuba.
Mediterranean Diet & Olive Juice
When I was about 8 years old, my Grandma promised me a football uniform if I ate an egg everyday day. My Dad laughed when I told him. It didn’t happen. At Grandma sleep overs, we always ate warm milk-toast for breakfast. My Grandma was not too structured in what sort of food she prepared, but it was always fresh. Since the 1970s, there has been a lot of research in what constitutes a good diet and the Mediterranean diet has a lot of fans. An article at the Mayo Clinic website lays out the bones of a Mediterranean diet.
- Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
- Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
Mediterranean Diet Pyramid - Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
- Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
- Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
- Enjoying meals with family and friends
- Drinking red wine in moderation (optional)
- Getting plenty of exercise
It is easier to follow the Mediterranean diet in Spain than in the U.S. Mostly because so much of the food in the U.S. supermarkets has been processed, pre-cooked and packaged to one degree or another. In Spain, most of the small town supermarkets sell food closer to the point of production (less processing and less packaging). Frozen food is not real popular in Spain.
Another advantage of Spain is the easy access to high quality extra virgin olive oil. I tell many of my friends that olive oil is a juice – and that surprises them. But if you think about it for a little bit, it makes sense that olive oil is better for you than butter.
After living in Spain for 8 years, olive oil is a very important part of my diet, and I won’t go back. Of course, there are limits to using olive oil. For example, I used olive oil for a brownie batch once and it was awful! You really do need butter and corn oil for the baking of sweets.
But for many types of food preparation, basting of vegetables and meat, as well as salads and vegetables, using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter is low hanging fruit. It is easy to do and it offers a new palate of tasty flavors for your life. Everyone should experiment with salad dressings using extra virgin olive oils at least.
According to articles in the The Olive Oil Times, the daily consumption of extra virgin olive oil reduces heart disease, strokes, diabetes, skin cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis and even depression. But again, olive oil is a fruit juice. A very healthy fruit juice. almost an elixir. Definitely up for being labeled as a Grandmother’s remedy.
Well this blog post is a little bit of a meander. I started out writing about essential oils and ended up with olive oil, …. surprise, surprise. I will finish by saying if you live in the States and are looking for a top quality, Spanish 100% organic extra virgin olive oil, look no further than www.gringocool.com. We are very proud of our selection of olive oil that we bottle at an mill near Cordoba and bring straight to your doorstep. We are the source – no middlemen. We offer 16.9 fluid ounce bottles in boxes of 1 or 2. We also sell on amazon.com.
Thanks for reading and have a great day. – Steve
