EVOO Stands for Eat Very Outstanding Otamot, and …

You already know that every jar of Otamot is packed to the brim with 10 organic vegetables. But another key ingredient in this best-for-you sauce is extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO). Here’s why that ingredient choice matters and why it’s making your sauce even better. 


Extra-Virgin Olive Oil in Pasta Sauce

You can see right on the Nutrition Facts Panel printed on every jar of Otamot that you’re getting maximum nutrients in this healthy and delicious sauce. Each serving provides a good chunk of your daily requirement for many key vitamins and minerals. And there’s also something else important there, too. Clue: It’s the fat.  

Why does fat matter? Not only are unsaturated fats (the kind you’re getting from the extra-virgin olive oil in Otamot) a key nutrient for you on their own. But fat is a necessary component to help you better absorb many of the other vitamins. 

Fat is a necessary component to help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, E, and K, but it’s also important to help your body uptake more micronutrients like lycopene and beta-carotene, which have been shown to help prevent inflammation and heart disease.  


A Better Oil Than the Others Use  

Many lightly and heavily processed foods contain fat for a variety of reasons, including better taste, better texture, and longevity on the shelf. However, many mood manufacturers select low-quality fats, such as corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil and hydrogenated trans fats. These ingredients are cheap, but they are really bad for us. Because of the structure of these fats, they have a tendency to lead to deep body inflammation and raise LDL cholesterol, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease like stroke, blood clots, and heart attacks. 

While low-quality fats are bad for us, high-quality fats are actually the opposite. Diets that are lower in saturated and trans fats, but include a high amount of monounsaturated fats and antioxidants (pssst … that’s what you get in extra-virgin olive oil) have been linked to heart-protective benefits, such as lowered inflammation and reduced LDL cholesterol. And, because Otamot pasta sauce is a certified organic product, you can be sure that the EVOO used in this sauce is of the highest quality possible. 

Top Benefits of EVOO  

Extra-virgin olive oil has a lot going for it. Here are the top reasons you should consider using olive oil as your most-used cooking oil, dipping oil (even use it in place of butter on bread), and to make homemade dressings and sauces:  

  • Olive oil is made up predominantly (73%) of monounsaturated fat, which has proven benefits for lowering inflammation and heart disease risk
  • Monounsaturated fats are resistant to high heat, so olive oil is safe for home cooking, even high-heat stovetop sautéing, poaching, pan drying, and oven roasting, all methods which rarely exceed 405 degrees (the smoke point of olive oil)
  • Olive oil is high in antioxidants, which help prevent your blood cholesterol from oxidation, a condition that leads to heart disease 
  • Olive oil is not bland, like other oils can be. Instead, it adds terrific flavor to dishes, especially when drizzled onto veggies, salads, dips, and more just before serving. Some describe the taste as “floral” “grassy” “peppery” “bitter” and “buttery” 
  • Olive oil is a staple of the Mediterranean Diet, which has been called the healthiest diet in the world, many years on a row

Jessie Shafer is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, team member at The Real Food Dietitians, former magazine editor, and busy mom of two who chooses olive oil the most over any other cooking oil. 






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