Worth its weight in goldA good olive oil has fantastic health benefits that make it unique and worth its weight in gold.The story begins in 1957, when scientist Ancel Keys discovered that people living on the island of Crete, in the Mediterranean Sea, had longer lives than any other European population. Even more exciting, their lives were relatively free from chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, age-related cognitive decline, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Keys believed the secret to this robust health lay in what he called "the Mediterranean Diet." A diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and omega 3 fats from fish, the Mediterranean Diet's centerpiece was pure, unrefined olive oil -- lots of it! In fact 35-40% of the calories in this diet came from healthy olive oil! As valuable as the rest of the Mediterranean diet was, it's since been determined that olive oil accounted for the lion's share of the diet's health benefits.Thousands of studie…