What’s in Extra Virgin Olive oil and Why Does It Improve my Health?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil has been referred to as liquid gold for the myriad of health benefits it contains. Olive oil contains many different health aiding chemical components that impart these health benefits. In this blog, we will look at a few of them:

OLEIC ACID: Extra virgin olive oil contains high amounts of oleic acid. Oleic acid is a Monounsaturated fat. This is a very healthy fat for your body. Monounsaturated fats are easily digested by your digestive system as opposed to polyunsaturated fats which are more difficult for our bodies to break down and can contribute to inflammation in the digestive tract and body. Monounsaturated fat, contained in Oleic acid, is important in the prevention of coronary artery disease and stroke. Oleic acid also helps regulate lipid levels, lowering bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol.

PHENOLS: Extra virgin olive oil is full of phenols that impart many health benefits. Phenols provide brain health benefits, improve insulin sensitivity, fight inflammation, increase blood flow, fight free radical change and cancer. Let’s look at a few of the phenols found in olive oil:

Hydroxytyrosol– Is one of the phenols in olive oil that has a myriad of positive health benefits. Hydroxytyrosol affects cardiovascular disease, promotes dilation of blood vessels enhancing blood flow, and reduces endothelial dysfunction – all factors in cardiovascular disease. This phenol scavenges free radicals, reduces oxidative stress and modulates inflammatory response. Hydroxytyrosol has been studied as to its effect on breast cancer and those studies have shown its ability to kill breast cancer cells. More studies are being conducted.

Squalene: This phenol found in olive oil is very protective of the skin. Squalene is frequently found in cosmetics and is derived from shark liver but recent studies show high amounts of squalene in olive oil. In fact, the Spicy Olive now lists the amount of squalene in our Ultra Premium olive oils for our customers. Squalene is a tissue repairer, used in wound healing. This phenol has a chemopreventive effect on some types of cancers, is beneficial to heart disease and diabetes. Squalene prevents skin damage, has anti inflammatory properties and prevents atherosclerotic lesions. There are many studies being conducted on this phenol with more exciting benefits to be announced- stay tuned.

Oleocanthal: This is the most studied phenol in olive oil. Oleocanthal is not found in any other plant or food source, surprisingly not even in olives, only in extra virgin olive oil. Oleocanthal is a powerful anti inflammtory agent and produces the bitter, cough producing sensation in the back of the throat that many feel when they taste EVOO on it’s own. This is a great sensation because you know your olive oil is full of this healthy component. Oleocanthal works in your body the same way ibuprofen does to inhibit inflammation and pain. This phenol has been shown to have brain health benefits and cancer fighting properties.

Many of the phenols have similar health benefits and it is theorized that they have a synergistic effect working together to provide health benefits. This may be why olive oil is such a health miracle. Dr. Mary Flynn, olive oil researcher at Brown University, states “no other food comes close to extra virgin olive oil for the prevention and treatment of disease.”

FREE RADICAL FIGHTING AGENTS: Olive oil also contains vitamins and other agents that fight free radicals that benefit your health.

A Tocopherol- Vitamin E Olive oil has high amounts of Vitamin E and The Spicy Olive also lists Vitamin E levels on our fusti tags for our Ultra Premium olive oils. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that prevents cell damage caused by free radicals.This action slows the aging process and helps fight cancer formation.

Extra virgin olive is truly remarkable for the number of health benefits it imparts. That is the reason we advocate including 2 Tablespoons of olive oil a day for your health!

The Spicy Olive's Chilean Sea Bass

Ideas for a Cozy, Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner at Home from The Spicy Olive!

Check out our latest newsletter for recipes to make special Valentine’s Day dinner at home. The Spicy Olive’s Newsletter from Feb. 11,2021  features recipes for Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass, Marinated Beef Tenderloin and Creamy White Lasagna.  We also have wine pairings for the entrees and recipes for side dishes and salads to round out your romantic dinner! Click on this link! https://conta.cc/3dge3yX

8th Annual Holiday 101 at The Spicy Olive this Saturday! Nov. 16, 2019

This Saturday, stop by The Spicy Olive, West Chester, Hyde Park or Austin Landing, for Holiday 101!

We will have everything you need to get ready for the upcoming holiday season. Stock up on the olive oils and balsamic vinegars you need for festive cooking or start your Christmas shopping early, all olive oils and vinegars including gift sets are 10% off this Saturday, November 16th, 2019.

Food samples will be available, recipes as well as Holiday wine tasting at our West Chester store 2-6pm.

Great Wines to Taste 6/21-23 and 6/28-30 2018!

The first day of summer is here! Let’s celebrate with some delicious wines to taste at The Spicy Olive!

Our selections for the last two weeks of June are:

From New Zealand:

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc

Craggy Range Pinot Noir

From Austria:

Pannonica White (Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay

Pannonica Red (Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch and Pinot Noir)

Wine tastings from 4-7pm on Thursday and Friday and 3-6pm on Saturday. $1-3 per taste.

Stop in to try these lovely wines! Also next Thursday instead of a regular wine tasting we are having our Wine Experience! $35 per person for great summer food paired with great wines for hot weather entertaining!

Wine Experiences at The Spicy Olive !

Starting in June,  the 4th Thursday of each month , The Spicy Olive will host a wine experience with food pairings! Each Experience will have a theme:

June 28th: Perfect Wines for Porch Sipping and Summer Entertaining

July 27th: Wines for Summer BBQ’s

August 24th: Italian Wines and Food Pairings

September 28th: Great Wines for Tailgating and Fall

October 25th: Ghostly Gulps- Good wines & treats for Halloween

November 15th: Holiday Wines and Entertaining

The Wine Experiences are $35 per person and include 4 wines to taste, 3 food courses and recipes so you can prepare the food at home for your own celebrations!

The Spicy Olive’s Blackberry GInger Pork Tenderloin Finger Sandwiches

The Spicy Olive Blackberry Ginger Pork Loin Finger Sandwiches

1 cup The Spicy Olive’s Blackberry Ginger balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup The Spicy Olive’s Garlic olive oil

2 pork tenderloins

Place tenderloins in a zip lock bag and add the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Grill or bake in 350° oven until internal temperature of 165° is reached. Allow to rest and them slice. Place 1 piece of tenderloin on a mini slider bun with a drizzle of reduced Blackberry Ginger balsamic. A delicious appetizer that is filling!

Recipe from Fox 19 appearance

     Here is the recipe Melanie Cedargren of The Spicy Olive prepared on The Fox 19 Morning Show. This pasta dish is simply delicious but also very simple. You could make this a main dish with a salad and bread to round out the meal, or it can be a great side dish to accompany a grilled steak!                 

  The Spicy Olive’s Mushroom and Smoked Gouda Pasta


 1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Organic Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil
 1 package protabella mushrooms, sliced
 1/2 lb. bacon or pancetta, fried and crumbled
 1 lb. linguine, cooked to package instructions
 1/2 cup shredded, or crumbled smoked gouda cheese
    Heat the Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute. Add the cooked linguine, fried bacon or pancetta and gouda cheese and blend until cheese begins to melt and coat the pasta. To finish the dish, drizzle with additional Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil  and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The Spicy Olive Coming to Hyde Park

The Spicy Olive is happy to announce that our second store will be opening in Hyde Park Square in early summer 2013! We will be located at the corner of Erie Avenues and Michigan Avenues. We will feature the same great fresh olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars that our customers have come to love in West Chester. Customers can sample the 20 varieties of olive oils and 30 varieties of balsamic vinegars then we bottle their selections for purchase. At The Spicy Olive, we invite you to taste the difference fresh makes!

Northern Hemisphere Single Varietal Olive Oils

     The fresh olive oils from the Northern Hemisphere are now at The Spicy Olive! Freshness is so important to an olive oil. All the good things that make olive oil healthy for you dissipate and disappear over time. The polyphenols, anti-oxidants and anti inflammatory agents found in olive oil break down over time and exposure to light, heat and air. Think about that the next time you are in a grocery store looking at the rows of olive oil. The consumer has no idea when that olive oil was crushed, usually they don’t know the country of origin and many of the bottles of oil are in clear glass under the bright store lights, the polyphenols and other healthy components are no longer in that olive oil!

     Our Northern Hemisphere single varietals have just arrived from Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Greece and California! They were picked and crushed in November and December 2012. These are the freshest olive oils you can find! The olive oils list country of origin, crush date, polyphenol counts and other chemical indicators that you cannot find at your traditional grocery store. The Spicy Olive is committed to bringing the freshest, healthiest olive oils to our customers. You can taste each variety before purchase so you can find the perfect olive oil for your tastes! Come to The Spicy Olive and taste the difference fresh makes!

New Study Touting Benefits of Olive Oil








The New England Journal of Medicine released a study on February 25, 2013 showing dramatic reduction of cardiovascular events in people consuming a diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil. A total of 7447 persons were enrolled in this study (age range 55-80 years) . Among persons with high cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with fresh extra virgin olive oil reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events (30% reduction).