AELIA 4 LIFE https://aelia4life.com Hellenic Premium Products Mon, 02 Apr 2018 18:47:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 The Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Syndrome https://aelia4life.com/hello-world/ Thu, 01 Mar 2018 07:42:04 +0000 http://aelia4life.com/?p=1

The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet have been cited in numerous studies, and now with a new large study confirming that it protects from metabolic syndrome we have yet another reason to adopt this style of eating. But why is this latest study important? We asked Dr. Antonis Pothoulakis, an interventional cardiologist at the Iasis Clinic in Chania, Crete to comment.

Pothoulakis explained that the metabolic syndrome is a combination of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and high blood sugar. “Metabolic syndrome is connected to the obesity epidemic of our time, a big belly poisons our metabolism and a poisoned metabolism can result in type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, stroke, or sudden death,” he says.

The new study included data from almost 535,000 people, with the conclusion that a Mediterranean style diet, which includes consumption of monounsaturated fats mainly in the form of olive oil, daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and low-fat dairy products, weekly consumption of fish, poultry, legumes, and a relatively low consumption of red meat, may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.

the-mediterranean-diet-and-metabolic-syndrome

Pothoulakis noted that following the Mediterranean diet led to a small but statistically significant reduction of metabolic syndrome and improvement in all its individual components (waist circumference, blood pressure, high blood sugar, low HDL and high triglycerides).
SEE MORE: Olive Oil Health Benefits“As these are average figures it means that some individuals following the Mediterranean diet could get larger improvements and some less or no improvement. But considering the enormity of the obesity and metabolic syndrome problem, it is definitely worthwhile adopting the diet and olive oil, with their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties,” he stressed.

Pothoulakis believes that the latest findings are great news for both the Mediterranean diet and olive oil. “The studies selected were of very good quality and the researchers used much “harder”, that is scientifically more accurate, end-points such as waist circumference, blood pressure and blood sugar,” he noted.

However, Pothoulakis pointed out, the Mediterranean diet and olive oil use alone cannot protect us against heart attacks and stroke. “We also need to modify the other two, very important lifestyle behaviors; smoking and exercise, as well as implement early and aggressive treatment of high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and high blood sugar,” he says.

 

www.oliveoiltimes.com

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Greek Honey in Wooden bowl https://aelia4life.com/new-producers/ Wed, 28 Feb 2018 11:09:47 +0000 http://www.aelia4life.com/preview/roxima/?p=46

Greece has a long history of bee-keeping and there are more beehives per acre in Greece than any other country in Europe, so it comes as no surprise that Greek honey is considered the best in the world.

A wide biodiversity of flora combined with the Aegean summer sun is what helps produce this unique golden nectar.

Greek honey

Honey is the first traditional sweetener used by Greeks since antiquity. In fact, honey along with olives and grapes formed the beginnings of Greek gastronomy. Greek honey is one of the most nutritional, natural foods, filled with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Honey contains anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal substances and has also been used for centuries as a treatment for sore throats and coughs, minor burns, cuts and other bacterial infections.

Studies show that honey is one of the easiest foods to digest and is known for its cancer-fighting properties (rich in phenolic compounds) and also aids in the prevention of osteoporosis.

The honey from Greece is considered to be some of the finest on a global scale due to the unlimited summer sun, the biodiversity of the Greek countryside plus the rich variety of Greek flora, which includes over 850 species found nowhere else in the world.  Scientists and botanists consider Greece a country with the richest flora in the Mediterranean basin, (more than 7,500 different species of herbs, plants, wild flowers and trees).

Greek honeys are richer in aromatic substances, compared to other honeys produced in other countries; they have less humidity, which means they are denser and richer.

Combine all these facts together and you can start to understand why Greek honey has a top position in the world market.

Greek honey
Bee Wax

Basic Types Of Greek Honey

THYME: Thyme honey is the most revered Greek honey mainly because thyme-fed bees produce less honey, making it rarer and more expensive. Thyme honey is light in colour, with an intense herbal aroma, and tends to crystallise after about 6 to 18 months, depending on storage conditions and temperature. Produced in spring, when thyme flowers, the most famous types are from Crete and Kythera.

PINE: About 65% of all Greek honey is pine honey. Its mahogany colour highlights its rich mineral content, which includes potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, and sodium. It does not crystallise easily. Pine honey has the highest percentage of antioxidants of all Greek honey.

BLOSSOM: From wild flowers and orange blossoms, it has a delicious aroma that is more delicate than other honeys. It can crystallise more easily.

HEATHER: Produced in early autumn, after the first rains, if it is warm enough for heather to blossom. Dark, reddish colour and very thick, almost solid, it has a spreadable texture. It tends to crystallise in about three months.

CHESTNUT: Very different type, with a very faint, pleasant bitterness, it is one of the rarest Greek honeys.

FIR: The only PDO Greek honey, from Vytina in the Peloponnese. It is considered one of the rarest and best and almost never crystallises.

Greek honey

Regions in Greece Where Honey is Produced:

Honey is produced almost everywhere in Greece, however some places that stand out include-

  • Crete and Kythera are renowned for their thyme honey.
  • Vytina, in the Peloponnese highlands around Tripoli, is renowned for its fir honey.
  • In Halkidiki, about 30% of all Greek honey is produced.
  • The Dodecanese is a major commercial producer.
  • Epirus is home to some of the most unusual honey, especially bittersweet chestnut honey.

greekcitytimes.com

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The best olive oil in the world does not exist https://aelia4life.com/new-markets/ Tue, 27 Feb 2018 11:09:26 +0000 http://www.aelia4life.com/preview/roxima/?p=44 That might be surprising from someone who organizes the New York International Olive Oil Competition. I’ll explain.

Crafting a high-quality olive oil is an extremely difficult task. Every producer who manages to do so deserves to be recognized without unjustified hierarchies.

There are some olive oil guides that rank oils with a score, taking their cues from wine guides and their score-happy indices.

The olive oil with the highest score — say, one that earns a score of 99 — is said to be the “best olive oil in the world,” or “EVOO of the year.”

Over the years managing the NYIOOC, if one thing was clear to me, it was this: one judge’s 99 was another judge’s 95. One panel’s 92 was another panel’s 96.

They are all great olive oils. But the difference between a ‘blow-your-mind’ EVOO and a ‘freakishly good’ EVOO is an abstract notion that dwells in the depths of an individual taster’s preferences and there is too little consensus among judges and panels on oils they rank at the highest levels to proclaim that the 98 is really ‘better’ than the one that scored 97 or 96.

Olive oil

Crafting a high-quality olive oil is an extremely difficult task. Every producer who manages to do so deserves to be recognized without unjustified hierarchies.

Each year I see the scores of the world’s largest olive oil competition, and each year I decline to make them public because I know that an oil that achieved a score of 82 deserves the same recognition as one that scored an 88.

I know that the same panel can taste an oil first thing in the morning and give it a score of 78, and then give the same oil a score of 74 later in the day.

So here’s the thing: There are good olive oils, and there are great olive oils. And even the line between ‘good’ and ‘great’ can be a fuzzy one.

In New York, we average the judges’ scores and bestow a Gold Award to those with scores of 80 or higher — a Silver Award for those with scores between 65 and 79.99; no award for the 448 brands in the 2017 NYIOOC that scored below 65.

Does a producer who managed to craft an oil with a score of 79.75 (Silver) deserve as much recognition as one who earned a score of 80.15 (Gold)? Absolutely. And that is why we celebrate and publicize every award winner with the same appreciation. These are great oils. The one that would be best to pour over your brussels sprouts is your call.

Likewise, I have never felt completely comfortable with our Best in Class selection, which pits the highest-scoring oils from each category against each other in a simple vote by the full panel of judges.

For example, we will line up every Northern Hemisphere organic monovarietal that scored over 95. The judges will taste them all at their own pace and cast a vote for the one they think is the best among them.

Even here, there can be considerable disagreement. And did an oil that scored a 93 deserve to be in the running? Yes, and it might have won. Don’t be surprised if I eventually do away with the Best in Class at NYIOOC.

There are even some websites out there that scan the world’s olive oil competitions to see which brands won the most awards to ultimately declare the “World’s Best Olive Oil.”

The premise is that the producer who won awards at the most competitions is necessarily ‘better’ than the producer who entered just one competition and earned a Best in Class. A more accurate name for the brand singled out on these websites would be ‘World’s Winningest Olive Oil.’

We need truth and clarity in the olive oil category, not confusion. “World’s Best Olive Oil” misleads people into thinking you can actually determine for everyone that one producer’s exceptional olive oil is better than another producer’s exceptional olive oil.

I will accept an expert’s view that an olive oil is great. I will not accept a declaration that it is the best.

In New York, we call every oil that wins an award “among the best in the world.”

One of the world’s best,” okay.

The world’s best?” In my book, that’s just more misinformation.

 

www.oliveoiltimes.com

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100+ Customizer Options https://aelia4life.com/100-customizer-options/ Wed, 02 Nov 2016 12:38:28 +0000 http://www.aelia4life.com/preview/roxima/?p=35 cityDeep v shabby chic mlkshk, put a bird on it DIY ennui farm-to-table. Stumptown craft beer retro, chartreuse before they sold out biodiesel fashion axe humblebrag farm-to-table heirloom. Etsy bushwick waistcoat, helvetica normcore pop-up literally VHS franzen tumblr intelligentsia. Authentic retro pinterest, aesthetic fap asymmetrical semiotics plaid microdosing flexitarian offal pour-over echo park church-key. Organic sriracha yuccie, leggings artisan etsy drinking vinegar. Fanny pack locavore selfies, truffaut hoodie cronut pabst gastropub hashtag put a bird on it authentic microdosing leggings green juice taxidermy. Waistcoat cold-pressed banjo, occupy thundercats before they sold out truffaut offal. Deep v shabby chic mlkshk, put a bird on it DIY ennui farm-to-table. Stumptown craft beer retro, chartreuse before they sold out biodiesel fashion axe humblebrag farm-to-table heirloom. Etsy bushwick waistcoat, helvetica normcore pop-up literally VHS franzen tumblr intelligentsia. Authentic retro pinterest, aesthetic fap asymmetrical semiotics plaid microdosing flexitarian offal pour-over echo park church-key. Organic sriracha yuccie, leggings artisan etsy drinking vinegar. Fanny pack locavore selfies, truffaut hoodie cronut pabst gastropub hashtag put a bird on it authentic microdosing leggings green juice taxidermy. Waistcoat cold-pressed banjo, occupy thundercats before they sold out truffaut offal.

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Fantastic Business Theme https://aelia4life.com/fantastic-business-theme/ Wed, 02 Nov 2016 12:38:11 +0000 http://www.aelia4life.com/preview/roxima/?p=33 cityDeep v shabby chic mlkshk, put a bird on it DIY ennui farm-to-table. Stumptown craft beer retro, chartreuse before they sold out biodiesel fashion axe humblebrag farm-to-table heirloom. Etsy bushwick waistcoat, helvetica normcore pop-up literally VHS franzen tumblr intelligentsia. Authentic retro pinterest, aesthetic fap asymmetrical semiotics plaid microdosing flexitarian offal pour-over echo park church-key. Organic sriracha yuccie, leggings artisan etsy drinking vinegar. Fanny pack locavore selfies, truffaut hoodie cronut pabst gastropub hashtag put a bird on it authentic microdosing leggings green juice taxidermy. Waistcoat cold-pressed banjo, occupy thundercats before they sold out truffaut offal. Deep v shabby chic mlkshk, put a bird on it DIY ennui farm-to-table. Stumptown craft beer retro, chartreuse before they sold out biodiesel fashion axe humblebrag farm-to-table heirloom. Etsy bushwick waistcoat, helvetica normcore pop-up literally VHS franzen tumblr intelligentsia. Authentic retro pinterest, aesthetic fap asymmetrical semiotics plaid microdosing flexitarian offal pour-over echo park church-key. Organic sriracha yuccie, leggings artisan etsy drinking vinegar. Fanny pack locavore selfies, truffaut hoodie cronut pabst gastropub hashtag put a bird on it authentic microdosing leggings green juice taxidermy. Waistcoat cold-pressed banjo, occupy thundercats before they sold out truffaut offal.

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Brand new business theme https://aelia4life.com/brand-new-business-theme-roxima/ Wed, 02 Nov 2016 12:35:11 +0000 http://www.aelia4life.com/preview/roxima/?p=28 cityDeep v shabby chic mlkshk, put a bird on it DIY ennui farm-to-table. Stumptown craft beer retro, chartreuse before they sold out biodiesel fashion axe humblebrag farm-to-table heirloom. Etsy bushwick waistcoat, helvetica normcore pop-up literally VHS franzen tumblr intelligentsia. Authentic retro pinterest, aesthetic fap asymmetrical semiotics plaid microdosing flexitarian offal pour-over echo park church-key. Organic sriracha yuccie, leggings artisan etsy drinking vinegar. Fanny pack locavore selfies, truffaut hoodie cronut pabst gastropub hashtag put a bird on it authentic microdosing leggings green juice taxidermy. Waistcoat cold-pressed banjo, occupy thundercats before they sold out truffaut offal. Deep v shabby chic mlkshk, put a bird on it DIY ennui farm-to-table. Stumptown craft beer retro, chartreuse before they sold out biodiesel fashion axe humblebrag farm-to-table heirloom. Etsy bushwick waistcoat, helvetica normcore pop-up literally VHS franzen tumblr intelligentsia. Authentic retro pinterest, aesthetic fap asymmetrical semiotics plaid microdosing flexitarian offal pour-over echo park church-key. Organic sriracha yuccie, leggings artisan etsy drinking vinegar. Fanny pack locavore selfies, truffaut hoodie cronut pabst gastropub hashtag put a bird on it authentic microdosing leggings green juice taxidermy. Waistcoat cold-pressed banjo, occupy thundercats before they sold out truffaut offal.

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