What Makes Olive Oil Virgin, Extra-virgin, Organic Or Not?
May 30, 2011
The merits of extra virgin olive oil have been talked about everywhere, from Oprah to the Sunday paper. But when you go to the store to buy it, the range of products and prices is astounding. How do you choose?
Let me make it easy for you. Here is the explanation of what makes olive oil extra virgin or not.
First we have to consider the quality of the olive itself. If the olive is picked while still green, the oil will be bitter. Using an olive that is too ripe will result in a rancid tasting oil. Great care is used in choosing olives that are ready to become oil. The words “hand picked olives” on the label indicate that great care was used.
Organic means that the olives are certified to have been grown without the use of pesticides, an important point.
Extra-virgin olive oil is produced by the old-fashioned way of slowly grinding the olives into a paste, allowing the oil to form naturally, and not letting any heat build up in the process. Too much heat will produce an oxidized oil that loses its health giving vitality. Extra-virgin olive oil must be cold processed and cannot be adulterated with any refined oils. I agree that this olive oil has a superior taste.
Virgin olive oil is slightly more acid with a less pronounced taste. Some literature says that it is the second pressing of those olives. There may be a little bit of heat building up as the process continues.
The second way to produce olive oil is by using a centrifuge process which is considered to produce an olive oil of lesser quality because it can result in a build up of heat.
Refined olive oil has been chemically treated to neutralize those “strong” tastes. This can result in a taste-less oily product that most olive oil lovers avoid.
Labels that read “100% Pure olive oil” or “Made from refined olive oils” or “Light olive oil” indicate that this product was made from inferior oils or chemically processed.
The best olive oil labels should include these phrases like “from hand-picked olives” or “first cold pressed” or “organic” to insure the most nutritious and delicious oil.
One of my favorite things is to taste test the olive oils at Whole Foods Market. A few drops can be dripped onto small pieces of bread for a quick taste test. The best olive oil should please your taste buds. If it burns your throat, that oil is not for you. It might be rancid or there could be other personal concerns. I avoid clear bottles or plastic bottles and choose oil in dark green or brown glass bottles to insure freshness.
If you love the taste of it, do not choke when you see the price. Really great nutritious olive oil should taste absolutely delicious! You just need a little bit daily on your toast or salad to reap the nutritional rewards.
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From Martha Rather – The Holistic Cookie – Enjoy Nutritious Time-tested Recipes Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martha_Rather |
Which Olive Oil is Healthiest?
April 12, 2011
By now, everyone knows that olive oil is healthy. We may not know why or in what way, but we know that if we’re going to be eating it for our health, we want to choose the one that is healthiest. Here’s what you need to know about the potential health benefits and which oil is healthiest.
All oil from olives is composed of monounsaturated fat, which is the best kind of fat to eat. If your only criteria for the relative ‘healthiness’ is monounsaturated fat composition, then any grade will do. From the lowest grade (pomace) to the highest (extra virgin), all contain monounsaturated fat and will serve your needs.
But if we don’t stop there, if we seek to exploit the oil’s potential to increase health in several ways, then the differences become apparent. As far as relative ‘healthiness’ is concerned, one cannot judge by grade. An extra virgin oil is not necessarily healthier than plain virgin. The ‘virginity’ is based on basically one criterion: the acid level. The lower oleic acid, the higher grading the oil attains, with extra virgin oils having lower than 1%. But the acid content is irrelevant to the health benefits. Aside from being composed of monounsaturated fats, it can also contain phytochemicals which contribute health benefits.
Phytochemical is a catch-all term meaning non-nutritive plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties. Non-nutritive means they are not carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a powerful effect on our health. One phytochemical in fresh oils that has proven health benefits is oleocanthol.
Oleocanthol has been shown to have a mild painkilling effect, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory. While one cannot replace their painkillers with olive oil, daily intake of oil containing oleocanthol can, over time, limit damage caused by chronic inflammation. Therefore, the answer to the question ‘which olive oil is healthiest’ is this: the healthiest one has the highest level of oleocanthol.
Unfortunately, oleocanthol levels are not listed on labels. But we can tell whether an oil contains oleocanthol by tasting. Oleocanthol is the component responsible for the peppery bite, and produces a stinging sensation in the throat. This bite is why it combines so well with bread or cheese, because they produce a nice contrast of sensations.
Those same phytochemicals are suspected to be responsible for the oil’s known effect to reduce blood pressure and increase HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol. HDL is the good cholesterol and raising HDL levels reduces risk of heart attack and stroke.
In addition to all of that, blood vessels in people who consume oil with high polyphenol (a group of phytochemicals) levels are shown to have more ‘elastic’ blood vessels, which is good for overall heart health and circulation.
Lastly, consumption of this natural oil together with tomatoes has been shown to protect against sunburn and decrease wrinkles. The exact action is unknown, but researchers suspect that the phytochemicals in fresh oil from olives are responsible. Long term consumption reduced sunburn tendency by 30% and increases ‘pro-collagen’ in the skin. Loss of collagen is responsible for the development of wrinkles.
So, what’s the downside? All oils are made of fat and highly calorie dense. While fat is part of a healthy diet, a high fat diet can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. So, one must replace the unhealthy fats with healthy fats rather than just adding more fat to the diet to really gain all the benefits. Some good suggestions are to reduce meat intake, eat vegetables and bread with oil instead of butter, and reduce use of dairy products.
If you’re looking for maximum benefit from your food, choosing the EVOO that is healthiest is a great step.
| After several episodes of being served tasteless oils in ‘high end’ restaurants, Christine Ellis was surprised to learn that olive oil can have distinctive flavor. She spent 2 years touring and toiling in the olive groves and presses of Crete, and came away with the desire to educate the palates of others who’ve never had a decent olive oil in their lives. She’s the author of Olive Oil Reviews, where she tastes and dishes on olive oils available in the US.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Ellis |
Why Use Virgin Olive Oil in Your Dishes?
March 14, 2011
Olive oil has been known as the ‘liquid gold from the gods’ and the oil surely deserves the name since it has a lot to offer and it does cost quite a bit as well. A lot of people have asked themselves why others use virgin olive oil in cooking. Actually, there are numerous reasons why people do and despite the fact that it’s a bit more expensive than the regular vegetable oil people usually use, the quality and benefits overweigh the difference in the price tags.
Richer Flavors
Aside from the known fact that using virgin olive oil in cooking is a lot healthier than using the regular vegetable oil since virgin olive oil doesn’t contain any refined oil, you’ll also get tons of other improvements on your cooking as well. For one thing, compared to the regular vegetable oil, virgin olive oil doesn’t lose its quality quickly. When used in frying, oils tend to lose its natural flavor the longer it is used. Virgin olive oil does not burn too easily as opposed to vegetable oil which decomposes a bit more quickly. Using the proposed virgin olive oil in your cooking will let you cook with the full flavor of the oil longer since it doesn’t give out much gaseous fumes. Since it doesn’t decompose that easily, you’ll more likely to receive the full nutrients and flavor the oil gives out. The end product of your cooking will then be a richly flavored dish that’s even healthier to boot. Also, if you can manage to get your hands on some extra virgin olive oil, it’ll be perfect to use on some salad dressings, dips for bread and such.
Enhancing Flavors
Apart from the overall better quality of virgin olive oil compared to the regular vegetable ones, you’ll also be able to infuse herbs and spices to it since it is the perfect oil for infusing flavors, thus making things a lot more interesting. You’ll be able to add different flavors to your dishes and turn them into special cuisines. Take frying for example. Once you’ve gotten your hands on garlic infused virgin olive oil, you’ll be able to turn even the simplest fried fish or meat to a special meal with great ease. You can even give your cakes some natural flavor to them by using lemon infused virgin olive oil or turn your pasta into extra special once you use chili infused virgin olive oil. In short, you’ll be able to make some major improvements on your dishes if you use virgin olive oil on them.
Using virgin olive oil on your dishes has some really noticeable differences in regards to the resulting dish’s flavor and nutritional values. Overall, although virgin olive oil is more expensive than the common vegetable oil, it is definitely a good choice to use as a replacement for the latter considering it is healthier, tastier, and that you could even add some more flavor to the mix. It is no wonder why a lot of people who love to cook can’t let their kitchens run out of virgin olive oil.
Usual Questions in Storing Olive Oil
December 6, 2010
Using olive oil for your cooking needs is becoming highly popular right now, especially since more and more people are becoming aware of the need for a healthier lifestyle. Now, if you are going to begin using olive oil for all your cooking needs, then you would save a huge sum of money if you purchase by the bulk. However, before you go and make a purchase, you should at least know how to properly store your bottles of olive oil. This way, you really do get to save some extra cash, especially since quality is lost the moment you open a bottle of olive oil. Here are the usual questions asked when it comes to properly storing olive oil.
What is the appropriate container for the olive oil?
It is wiser to store olive oil in a glass container, preferably those that are made of tinted glass. This way, the light is kept out. Light, as we all know, is one of the “natural enemies” of oil, together with heat and air, as they hasten up the oxidation process and produce a rancid and unpleasant aftertaste. You could also make use of a stainless steel container or containers made from nonreactive metal. The one thing though that you have to keep in mind when it comes to choosing your olive oil container is that you should never use containers that were made or contain either iron or copper. These metals react with oil and can form harmful and very toxic elements. You should also know that plastic containers will not make a good storage container for your olive oil as oils tend to absorb some of the harmful substances that plastic containers contain.
Always keep the lid of the olive oil container tightly shut so as to prevent air from getting inside and speeding up the oxidation process.
Can I store olive oil in the refrigerator?
Yes, you most certainly can. Storing your olive oil in the refrigerator is, in fact, the best way to store and preserve the quality of your olive oil if you do not have any cellar or basement where you can keep the olive oil away from heat and light.
If you are not regularly using your olive oil, then it is best that you keep it in the freezer to keep its quality as well as retain its aroma and flavor. Freezing the olive oil also preserves the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and other healthy components usually found in an olive oil.
However, if you are regularly using olive oil, then it is best to keep a small container of olive oil with its lid tightly shut in your kitchen cabinet; you just have to make sure that the cabinet is cool and can protect it from light and air.
is olive oil taken orally good for health?
August 30, 2010
i take in a table spoon of olive oil every day…. just wanted to know what could possibly be its benefits as i have just started a week ago.
The greatest exponent of monounsaturated fat is olive oil, and it is a prime component of the Mediterranean Diet. Olive oil is a natural juice which preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and properties of the olive fruit.
Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is – freshly pressed from the fruit.
The beneficial health effects of olive oil are due to both its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative substances. Studies have shown that olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while raising HDL (the “good” cholesterol) levels. No other naturally produced oil has as large an amount of monounsaturated as olive oil -mainly oleic acid.
Olive oil is very well tolerated by the stomach.
In fact, olive oil’s protective function has a beneficial effect on ulcers and gastritis. Olive oil activates the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones much more naturally than prescribed drugs. Consequently, it lowers the incidence of gallstone formation.
Studies have shown that people who consumed 25 milliliters (mL) – about 2 tablespoons – of virgin olive oil daily for 1 week showed less oxidation of LDL cholesterol and higher levels of antioxidant compounds, particularly phenols, in the blood.
But while all Types Of Olive Oil are sources of monounsaturated fat, EXTRA VIRGIN olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives, contains higher levels of antioxidants, particularly vitamin E and phenols, because it is less processed.
Olive oil is clearly one of the good oils, one of the healing fats. Most people do quite well with it since it does not upset the critical omega 6 to omega 3 ratio and most of the fatty acids in olive oil are actually an omega-9 oil which is monounsaturated.
Spanish researchers suggest that including olive oil in your diet may also offer benefits in terms of colon cancer prevention . Their study results showed that rats fed diet supplemented with olive oil had a lower risk of colon cancer than those fed safflower oil-supplemented diets. In fact, the rats that received olive oil had colon cancer rates almost as low as those fed fish oil, which several studies have already linked to a reduction in colon cancer risk.
you can take upto two teaspoon .you may also use for skin as messaging oil.
