Not All Olive Oil is Created Equal

There are so many different brands and types of olive oil on the store shelves today that it can be absolutely mind-boggling to figure out which one to choose, but choose you must if you want to enjoy the taste and all the health benefits of consuming olive oil.  The trick is choosing an olive oil that tastes good and has the most health-promoting properties.  Not all olive oil is the same.  To help you figure out which to buy, let me share with you a few tips.  In addition, I will share some key information that you need to know on how to store and use olive oil appropriately.

Extra virgin olive oil is what you should be purchasing if you want a product with the best taste and the most nutritional value.  By definition, extra virgin olive oil is unrefined and comes from cold pressing olives.  Cold pressing sometimes referred to as first pressing is a process in which the olives are not heated over a certain temperature.  This process preserves nutrients as well as flavor.  In addition, you are best off if you can find a brand that says 100% extra virgin olive oil; otherwise, it is possible that only a small percentage of the olive oil in the bottle is extra virgin olive oil.  The balance could be light or pure olive oil.  Light and pure olive oils are refined and have been chemically treated to extract the last possible oil from the olives.  This process removes some of the heart-healthy components of the oil.  In addition, light and pure olive oils have inferior taste.

Choose olive oil that comes in a dark glass bottle so that light doesn't penetrate easily.  When olive oil is exposed to light, the olive oil can turn rancid more quickly than if it is stored in a dark container.  Heat and air can also cause olive oil to spoil.  As a result, keep olive oil in an enclosed container and store away from such heat sources as the stove, oven, or the surface on top of the refrigerator.  In addition, olive oil should be used within four months after purchasing or the beneficial heart-healthy antioxidant properties of the oil will be greatly reduced.

As extra insurance that you are buying a quality olive oil, purchase brands that have a seal of approval from the ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica e Ambientale or Ethical and Environmental Certification Institute), California Olive Oil Council or some other reputable regulatory body.  You are also more likely to be buying a quality product if the olive oil has the USDA Organic seal of approval.  As the price and demand of olive oil has increased, there has been an increase in the amount of adulterated olive oil being sold on the market.  Typically, the adulterated oil has a label that says extra virgin olive oil but the product has been diluted with cheaper oils of lesser quality.  To the best of my knowledge, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not routinely test imported olive oil for adulteration.

Olive oil is the number one heart-healthy oil that I recommend particularly if used at low temperatures.  It is high in monounsaturated fats which help to lower LDL or bad cholesterol while increasing HDL or good cholesterol.  In addition, the antioxidants in olive oil may help to prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing.  Another heart-healthy benefit of olive oil is its ability to reduce inflammation and possibly diabetes two important risk factors for heart disease.  What a wonderful heart-healthy super food it is.  To get the best quality olive oil may cost more money but in terms of its health benefits, olive oil is priceless.