Everyone knows about olive oil and how it is so beneficial for your health. But often it is considered to be fancy and left alone for restaurants or special occasions. But what if we tell you that the virgin olive oil India loves in its continental dishes, can be used in so many different ways right at your home? And each and every day! Yes. You heard it right. Let’s see how you can do that.
In Your Food
As virgin and extra virgin olive oil are sensitive to heat, you must consume them in raw form only. Here are some ways you can enjoy it in your everyday meals.
Salads
To make a quick and scrumptious salad dressing just take some virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix them together vigorously. Now pour this over your salad veggies, toss them and enjoy.
Stir-fried Vegetables
The ideal way to use olive oil daily in your diet is to use it as a topping on your sauteed or steamed vegetables. You can also pan-fry your vegetables in refined pomace olive oil. As it spreads easily, add only a small amount of the oil to a pan. To this add chopped vegetables along with seasoning, and a dash of garlic and herbs, and you are done.
Herbed Rice
Steam cook rice with lots of herbs. Now fluff it a bit and toss it with extra virgin olive oil. It makes for a quick and simple yet delicious dish which you can have for a main course teamed with some daal, raita and sauteed vegetables.
Other Indian Dishes
And if you are not so keen on eating continental food every day of your life, that’s okay. You do not need to either. You can cook all your yummy Indian food right from soothing khichdi to gourmet chole bhature in olive oil! Just make sure you use pomace olive oil for cooking since it has a high smoking point. This simply means that you saute, bake, deep-fry and make just about anything in it without the fear of it burning or losing its nutrients.
For Haircare
Olive oil is a fantastic hair care product which you can find right in your kitchen. It helps to reduce hair fall and grow thicker lush hair. Just warm a little olive oil and apply it directly to your scalp and on the length of your hair. Now wrap your head with a towel that’s been dipped in hot water and squeezed. This will cause the steam from it to open up the pores of your scalp and let the oil penetrate deep into your skin and hair shaft. Leave this on for 15–20 minutes and then wash as usual.
You can also use a few drops of olive oil to condition your hair after shampooing. Simply mix a few drops of it with your hair conditioner and rinse off in 2 minutes. Your hair will feel softer and shinier.
For Skincare
Skin can greatly benefit from olive oil. Olive oil has antioxidants which fight free radicals to give you anti-ageing benefits. With regular use of olive oil in your skincare regime, you can see a visible decrease in fine lines and wrinkles. It also makes your skin plump and glowing. But before you go ahead and use olive oil for your skin, make sure you get only the best olive oil in India. It should be pure and high-quality to avoid harming the delicate facial skin.
To begin with, you can use olive oil as a cleanser by massaging some of it on your face to gently dissolve all the dirt, impurities and makeup. Then using a washcloth dipped in hot water and squeezed, clean it off. Another great way to use it is in the form of a face or body scrub by mixing some sugar or coffee grounds with it. But the simplest and the most effective way to use olive oil is by simply using it every day for massaging your face and neck before going to bed.
