If you know me well, you know one of the highlights of my week is the Farmer's Market in Boulder, Colorado.  Getting my weekly supply of seasonal dark leafy greens and fresh vegetables from local farmer's like Red Wagon Organics for my smoothies and juices and occasionally some of Plowshares organic bacon for my husband is an adventure and something we enjoy doing together on Saturday mornings!

A couple of weeks ago, I ran into Jake Burgart with Olea Estates olive oil, one of my favorite new finds at the local Boulder Farmer's Market.  I bought a bottle right away and was back for more the very next week!  (Yes, I eat that much olive oil!)  Not only was it absolutely pure and delicious but organic extra virgin olive oil is loaded with health benefits!

You can read all about the Chronis family tradition in Greece here.  Even now, they are one of the only few producers that certify our olive oil every year with both the European Regulations for Biological Products and with the USDA for Organic Products. You can taste and see the quality of pure first press olive oil, when you open a bottle of Olea. The deep green color, the thick consistency, the pure aroma, the exquisite taste, all contribute to separate Olea from other olive oils that I've tried.

Jake Burgart and friend at the Olea Estates Olive oil booth in Boulder on Saturday

"At Olea we do not produce anything but only our extra-virgin olive oil obtained by first press of our ripe and selected olives at temperatures under 27C. We do not blend refined oils and we use no other method of altering our olive quality, taste or color. We do not filter our olive oil, but we do guarantee uniform clarity and no cloudiness. See how we do it. Olea Olive Oil has the true, rich flavor of olive oil and all associated nutrients and is obtained by a strictly controlled and long lasting process, especially for the food connoisseur."

But perhaps the best thing is you can enjoy it freely with a guilt-free conscious as there are so many health effects of a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil!

Here's just a few of the latest studies on health benefits of olive oil:

• A Mediterranean diet rich in virgin olive oil is associated with reduced weight gain.

• Mediterranean Meal with Olive Oil Keeps Blood Sugar Levels Lower than with Corn Oil

• Consumption of olive Oil Polyphenols Decrease LDL Concentrations in healthy men.

• Consumption of olive oil may decrease breast cancer risk.

• Olive Oil Polyphenols Reduce Bad Cholesterol and Plaque Formation

• Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil may reduce risk of metabolic syndrome.

• Dietary unsaponifiable fraction from extra virgin olive oil supplementation heals ulcerative colitis in mice.

• The Protective Effect of the Mediterranean Diet: Focus on Cancer and Cardiovascular Risk

• Antioxidant and anti-atherogenic activities of olive oil phenolics.

• Mediterranean Diet rich in olive oil may have protective effect in multiple sclerosis.

• A mixture of honey, olive oil, and beeswax for the management of hemorrhoids and anal fissures.

So be sure to stop by and tell Jake "hello" from Dr. Jill and get some of this new delicious crop of olives.  Who knows?  You just might run into me there next weekend ;-)

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