Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Really Better For You?
People genuinely want to know whether or not extra virgin olive oil is really better for you than ordinary olive oil. The good news is yes, extra virgin olive oil has been shown to be more health beneficial than oil labeled as ‘pure’.
The most important thing to remember about extra virgin olive oil is that it’s labeled that way because the olives are pressed quickly after picking, most within 48 hours. This has a huge effect on the quality of the oil. Olives that are pressed 72 hours or longer after being picked quickly lose flavor and the anti-oxidants that create that good health benefit.
Another thing to remember is that just because your olive oil is labeled ‘pure’ olive oil doesn’t mean it will have the same quality as oil labeled as extra virgin, or EVOO. To obtain the most benefits oil needs to be also labeled as first cold pressed. This means that the oil came from the first pressing.
Some oils may come from consecutive pressings and or pressed under steam. This dilutes the quality of the oil and thus, the ingredients that make olive oil such a great benefit to ones health.
Extra virgin olive oil is the top of the line oil. It’s pure with no mixings from herbs or other oils. It’s not uncommon for a producer to mix oil from flax, sunflowers, macadamias and other nuts. This oil can not be labeled as extra virgin olive oil by industry standards, although some have tried sneaking it past inspectors over the years.
So if you’re wanting to get the most health benefits from olive oil, consider buying a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, first cold pressed. Also look for a date on the bottle. Not all producers will put a date on their bottles, so seek out those that do.