• olive groves on hills
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Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou holding up pasta she made at a pasta making workshop

Why does olive oil help combat climate change? How can soil affect human well-being? What does marketing have to do with public health? These were just a few of the many questions considered by almost 100 participants from 15 countries at the 6th International Yale Symposium on Olive Oil and Health in Heraklion, Crete, Greece at the beginning of December.

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a plate piled high with brown melomakarona cookies, with angel decorations near the plate and a bit of Christmas tree in the background

Melomakarona, traditional Greek Christmas cookies, tend to be rich in olive oil and honey (with the beginning of their name coming from meli, the Greek word for honey). Dr. Eleni Melliou, president of the World Olive Center for Health in Athens, shared a version of her grandmother’s cookie recipe that uses super healthy high phenolic extra virgin olive oil.

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Ambassador Tsunis talking with Dr. Frank Hu

The final day of the 3rd Cretan Lifestyle Conference began with an impromptu address by Mr. George J. Tsunis, U.S. Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic (Greece), who suggested that the traditional version of the Mediterranean diet that Greek grandmothers have prepared for generations using real, unprocessed food from the earth can help improve our health.

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Bottles and tins of olive oil on store shelves

This is the revised edition of a list that should grow very long but still has a great deal of room to grow—and additions are welcome. It focuses on where to buy bottled and branded 100% Greek extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs), since these are high quality, healthy olive oils that have their flavor sealed into bottles where oxygen cannot harm its quality.

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Boiled greens with olive oil and lemon on a white plate

How should I use olive oil? Greeks don’t need to ask, since they consume more of this liquid gold per capita than anyone else in the world. To help those outside the major olive growing regions, Greek Liquid Gold asked Greek olive oil producers and company representatives, plus two prominent European chefs, about their favorite ways to eat olive oil.

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speakers and officials standing side by side in a row under a huge World Olive Day 2024 sign

The 30th anniversary of the official publication of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid was commemorated as part of World Olive Day on November 21, 2024. Honoring the pioneers and organizations that promoted this initiative three decades ago, this event brought leading public health experts to Madrid, Spain to share their insights about the Mediterranean diet.

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Dr. Frank Hu speaking at a podium

Growing up in China, Frank Hu followed a traditional Asian diet. Now the chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Hu researches the benefits of extra virgin olive oil and the traditional Mediterranean diet and enjoys a fusion of Asian and Mediterranean cuisines.

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Small bowls of olive oil and olives

Olive oil is good for us--so good that it is considered both a healthy food and a delicious medicine! There are so many articles about the scientific evidence for the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil that it’s hard to keep track of them. Here is an overview, followed by links to the best, clearest, most useful recent articles I’ve read.

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Cretan Lifestyle Conference participants entering a winery, with olive groves and hills in the background

Focused on the Mediterranean Tradition and its Modern Applications, the 3rd Cretan Lifestyle Conference gathered more than 75 researchers, students, and professionals from 12 countries and six continents to examine the health benefits of a traditional Greek diet and lifestyle. This multi-generational experiential event connected individuals aged 20 to 89.

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bottles of Greek extra virgin olive oil on supermarket shelves

Is olive oil expensive now? It depends on how you look at it. If you compare prices to a year or two ago, yes. If you consider the price per serving, the cost compared to other purchases, and extra virgin olive oil’s contributions to your food’s flavor and health benefits, no: we are not paying as much as this cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet is worth.

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A woman holding an olive oil bottle and looking confused next to a shelf full of olive oil bottles in a supermarket

The North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) is a not-for-profit trade group of olive oil marketers dedicated to promoting consumption of all types of olive oil by raising awareness of olive oil's benefits, such as flavor, health, culinary versatility, naturalness, and sustainability. It is the continent’s largest olive oil trade group.

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A bottle of ZOI extra virgin olive oil near glasses of pink smoothies

“ZOI” is the Greek word for life. ZOI Ultra is also the name of Laconiko’s healthiest extra virgin olive oil, which is ultra-rich in natural antioxidants that can help you live a longer, healthier life. ZOI Ultra is made from selected unripe Kalamon olives that are harvested early and treated with great care to yield the utmost health benefits and flavor.

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Dr. Magda Tsolaki given a presentation in front of an audience

At the Cretan Lifestyle Conference in Rethymno, Crete in November, Dr. Magda Tsolaki shared several types of evidence from a clinical trial to support her claim that extra virgin olive oil is “more promising than any drug being studied or any drug which already has been approved” for prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as being safe and ready to use.

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5 chefs standing in front of the arched doorway of a stone museum building

In certain upscale restaurants in Greece (some in five-star hotels), extra virgin olive oil is now being elevated to the level of fine wine. So at the 2nd International ELIA Lesvos Confest in Greece, chefs discussed recent trends in the use and presentation of olive oil in gastronomy, such as olive oil menus, olive oil bars, and even olive oil sommeliers.

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Kosterina extra virgin olive oil and flavored olive oil bottles and tin

Katerina Mountanos grew up flying back and forth between the USA and Greece. In her grandparents’ small Greek village, the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle absorbed her. As a mother cooking in her American kitchen, she missed the fresh, healthy, authentic flavors of Greece. So she created Kosterina, a company that brings the goodness of Greece to Americans.

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bottles of Greek olive oil on shelves in a shop

Businesses and organizations that work with bottled and branded 100% Greek extra virgin olive oil and/or related Greek products or services are invited to consider advertising and sponsorship options on greekliquidgold.com, as explained fully in the article. A range of choices is offered to fit any budget on a site read by consumers in 222 countries.

Major Sponsors

North American Olive Oil Association
Laconiko Olive Oil

Sponsors

World Olive Center for Health logo

Major Supporters

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