Chimichurri Aioli Recipe and the Gut Health Benefits of Olive Oil

There’s been a lot of research in recent years showing the relationship of gut health with overall health. The gut is thought to be as powerful a system as the brain—it’s sometimes called the second brain! Based on the level of diversity in its bacteria (called the gut microbiota), your gut can make you more or less susceptible to conditions like diabetes and heart disease. So, I was super excited to read about the ways in which extra virgin olive oil can enhance gut microbiota diversity. 

The Gut Health Benefits of Olive Oil

Research Review: “Extra-virgin olive oil and the gut-brain axis: influence on gut microbiota, mucosal immunity, and cardiometabolic and cognitive health,” Nutrition Reviews, December 2021.

What We Know: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is considered a functional food because it supports many aspects of health. It has a wide variety of healthful components, including monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, and bioactive phenolic compounds that, as the review reminds us, “individually and collectively, exert beneficial effects on cardiometabolic markers of health and act as neuroprotective agents through their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.” Simply put, those compounds boost heart, brain, and metabolic health in numerous ways.

The Benefits of Olive Oil in a Nutshell: Extra virgin olive oil boosts gut microbiota diversity, enhancing health while lowering inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, blood fats, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

The review goes on to state that “the gut microbiota and health of the intestinal environment are now considered important factors in the development of obesity, metabolic disease, and even certain neurodegenerative conditions via the gut-brain axis. Recently, data are emerging which demonstrate that the health-promoting benefits of EVOO may also extend to the gut microbiota.” 

For their review, the authors analyzed many recent studies on EVOO and the gut and found that EVOO reduces the abundance of bad bacteria, stimulates the growth of good bacteria, and increases the production of short-chain fatty acids, or SCFAs, which have a wide range of anti-inflammatory effects.

They also found that EVOO plays a role in the health of the intestinal mucosa, the mucous layer lining the digestive system (it’s actually part of the body’s immune system and acts as a protective barrier to invaders). The health of the intestinal mucosa seems to influence the body’s overall level of inflammation, and inflammation is at the root of many heart, metabolic, and brain diseases. As the review authors point out, “Western-style diets, low in dietary fiber and high in high pro-inflammatory fats, are associated with gut dysbiosis, increased gut permeability, systemic inflammation, and a variety of chronic diseases. Conversely, healthier dietary patterns like the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in dietary fiber, beneficial fatty acids, and polyphenolic compounds, are associated with greater gut microbial diversity, increased abundance of beneficial bacteria, and reduced levels of inflammation and risk of chronic diseases.” 

Among the many studies cited in the review is one on the effects of a Mediterranean diet on the gut microbiota of 612 elderly European participants. The study found that sticking to the diet for over 12 months led to “an increased abundance in several bacteria associated with improved cognition and was inversely associated with pro-inflammatory markers.” In general, people who get EVOO in their diet tend to have high numbers of many types of good bacteria—numbers that tend to be lower in people who eat a typical Western diet. 

The researchers also compared the results of many large-scale studies to find the optimal amount of olive oil to have every day for different health benefits. Here’s what they found: “At least 4 tablespoons per day is associated with a 30% lower risk of occurrence of cardiovascular events and improved cognitive function compared with a low-fat diet. In addition to using EVOO in [place] of saturated fats, the European Food Safety Authority also suggests a minimum daily intake of 20 g [about 1.5 tablespoons] of EVOO to assist in obtaining optimal cholesterol levels and protection of LDL [low-density lipoproteins] from oxidative damage. Although evidence in relation to the optimal amount of EVOO required to modulate the gut microbiota is still in its infancy, beneficial effects on the microbiota have been observed in two intervention studies at doses of 40 and 50 g/day (about 3 and 4 tablespoons, respectively).” 

Chimichurri Aioli

• Chimichurri Aioli

  This olive-oil based recipe turns chimichurri into an aioli, a highly flavored, garlicky mayonnaise. It’s great as a veggie dip, a condiment, and even a dressing for cold pasta salad.

  Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup best quality prepared mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, such as Vinaigre de Banyuls, plus more to taste 
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, or more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

  Directions

  Step 1

  Combine everything except the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until the garlic and herbs are finely chopped. 

  Step 2

  With the motor running, slowly drizzle the oil through the feed tube until the mixture is smooth. 

  Step 3

  Taste, adding more vinegar or salt as needed. If the mixture is too thick, add a few drops of water and process for a few seconds. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

  Yields about a 1/2 cup 

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Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Bacon Recipe, Spotlight on Strawberries, How to Properly Store Berries, Eating Whole Fruits and Counting Your Steps for Your Best Health

Salads were made for hot summer days when you want to keep cooking to a minimum. And there’s no better way to enhance your favorite greens with another hallmark of the season—fresh berries. The mix of sweet and savory is a true palate pleaser and really elevates the experience.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Bacon

• Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Bacon

  My wife, Meghan, and I enjoyed this simple salad on the first day of our first Chilean olive oil expedition, and we recreated it as soon as we returned home. For an equally delicious variation, substitute blueberries and chopped walnuts for the strawberries and almonds.

  Ingredients

  • 6 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 10 ounces fresh spinach, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 quart ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon honey or more to taste
  • Coarse kosher or sea salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds

  Directions

  Step 1

  Place the bacon in a cold skillet and bring the heat to medium. Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside. Arrange the spinach and strawberries in a large serving bowl.

  Step 2

  Make the dressing: Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to mix. Taste and add more honey or salt or pepper as needed. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad, tossing gently to mix. Top with the reserved bacon and the almonds.

  Yields 4 servings.

Healthy Ingredient Spotlight

Savoring Strawberries

I’m such a big fan of berries. Not only are they delicious, but the icing on the cake is that these fruits are nutrient powerhouses. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries seem to get all the attention for their phytonutrients—plant-based compounds that are essential for good health. But strawberries, too, have their fair share of anthocyanins, which give all berries their vivid colors. Strawberries also have fiber and vitamin C, one of their many antioxidants—a cup of berries has more C than an orange. Antioxidants help fight cell damage throughout the body. Choose strawberries with a uniform bright red color, a good indicator of their antioxidant content.

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Smart Storing

Whether you grow your own or get your berries at a farmer’s market, don’t wash them in advance. It’s very hard to dry them thoroughly enough to prevent excess moisture from encouraging mold or rot, even in the fridge. The University of Maine Extension suggests “dry cleaning” them by shaking, rubbing, or brushing off any garden dirt with either a clean, soft brush or a clean dry paper towel (do this while still outside if you’re harvesting your own). Discard any crushed or spoiled berries. Then place them, with their green tops still on, in a plastic bag or container to prevent contamination of other foods in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, gently rinse them under cool running water.

If you have such a bounty that you want to freeze some, then do wash them carefully in cold water and pat dry as thoroughly as possible without bruising them. Hull them (a grapefruit knife makes fast work of removing the stems) and freeze on a baking sheet—this prevents them from freezing in a clump. As soon as they’re frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag.

For Your Best Health

Whole Fruits

Diabetes is a growing global concern, with around half a billion people affected. It happens when your pancreas, which produces insulin in response to high levels of sugar in your blood, can’t produce enough to bring those levels down. We know a healthy lifestyle helps lower diabetes risk, and that includes following a smart diet. Research published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism offers a great step to take in that direction. “We found people who consumed around two servings of fruit per day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next five years than those who consumed less than half a serving of fruit per day,” said study author Nicola Bondonno, PhD, of the Edith Cowan University Institute for Nutrition Research in Perth, Australia. “We did not see the same patterns for fruit juice.”

The researchers noted a link between eating whole fruit and markers of insulin sensitivity—study participants who ate more fruit had to produce less insulin to lower blood glucose levels. “This is important because high levels of circulating insulin can damage blood vessels and are related not only to diabetes, but also to high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease,” explained Dr. Bondonno.

Fitness Flash

Every Step Counts

For optimum health, getting 10,000 steps a day has been the holy grail, but new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021 found that taking just 4,500 daily steps may help you live longer, whether you reach that goal through a concentrated effort or from small increments throughout the day.

Participants involved in the nine-year study wore a step-counting device so that the researchers could compare the effects of uninterrupted bouts of steps, such as walking for 10 minutes or longer, to occasional short spurts, such as climbing stairs and general activities like housework or just walking to or from a car.

“Technological advances made in recent decades have allowed researchers to measure short spurts of activity. Whereas, in the past we were limited to only measuring activities people could recall on a questionnaire,” said lead study author Christopher C. Moore, MS, a PhD student in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “With the help of wearable devices, more research is indicating that any type of movement is better than remaining sedentary.”

Of course, the effects of movement/exercise are cumulative. It’s important to note that there are further benefits gained from getting in 2,000 steps in uninterrupted increments, including for heart health as well as for longevity.

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