by Barbara Minton
See all TBYIL articles by Barbara Minton
(The Best Years in Life) Experts far and wide proclaim the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil. One of the reasons they point to is the fact that extra virgin olive oil is much less processed than oils made from vegetable seeds. Extra virgin olive oil is expensive compared to seed oils, but the extra cost is clearly worth it when you consider those tremendous benefits. Unfortunately, when you buy a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, that is not necessarily what you get.
Olive oil is a mainstay in the best diet on earth
The health and therapeutic benefits of olive oil were first mentioned by Hippocrates, who declared that food was the best and only medicine worth using. Olive oil is one of the foundations of the Mediterranean diet, the only diet that has been proven to reduce the risk of death from all causes. Olive oil is one reason Mediterranean women have such glowing complexions and beautiful hair. And it is one reason Mediterranean men have such gorgeous muscles.
Olive oil is rich in antioxidants that discourage artery clogging and chronic diseases involving the cardiovascular system. A study done in Greece involving more than 1900 people found that using olive oil exclusively cut their risk of coronary heart disease almost in half. Those who consumed two tablespoons of olive oil daily for one week showed less oxidation of LDL cholesterol and higher blood levels of antioxidant compounds. Another recent study has shown olive oil to be effective against HER-2 positive breast cancer. People who use olive oil regularly have lower rates of atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer and asthma.
Dietary fats fall into three categories:
*Saturated fat which comes from animals, coconuts and palm trees
*Polyunsaturated fat that comes from seeds, nuts and vegetable oil
*Monounsaturated fats which come from olives and safflower oil
Most of the benefits of olive oil do not derive from its being a monounsaturated fat, but rather from the high levels of polyphenols it contains.
The great olive oil scam
True extra virgin olive oil is nothing but the oil that comes from the first pressing of olives. This is why it contains such a high level of polyphenols, antioxidants and nutrients. True extra virgin olive oil is not refined in any way with chemical solvents or high heat. Its taste and smell should resemble that of fresh olives with no overtones of anything else. It should smell inviting and exciting, not musty or rancid. The oil from subsequent pressings contains only what is left over. This is why extra virgin olive oil commands a higher price.
Unfortunately the tantalizing thought of that higher price motivates many olive oil distributers to adulterate their oil. Some even go so far as to adulterate oil from second or third pressings, which is sold simply as olive oil. So there is a good chance that when you choose a bottle of extra virgin olive oil or one labeled simply as olive oil, you are not getting what you think you are getting, and you are not getting what you are paying for.
In 2010, the University of California at Davis published an extensive report on the fraudulent labeling of extra virgin olive oil. Several common brands sold in the U.S. were found to be adulterated with lower quality oils. These included:
Pompeian
Star
Filippo Berio
Bertolli
Colavita
Newman's Own
Safeway
Rachel Ray
Whole Foods
Mazzola
Mezzetta
Carapelli
Brands found to be accurately labeled as extra virgin olive oil include:
Kirkland Organic
Corto Olive
California Olive Ranch
McEvoy Ranch Organic
Extra Virginity: The Sublime and scandalous World of Olive Oil is a book by Tom Mueller that chronicles how resellers have added lower-priced, lower-grade oils and artificial coloring to extra virgin olive oil, and passed the adulterated product along the supply chain. One producer told Mueller that at least 50 percent of the olive oil sold in the U.S. is adulterated.
Extra virgin olive oil that has been adulterated loses the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties you are buying it for, according to Mueller. When you buy unadulterated oil, you get a cocktail of more than 200 highly beneficial compounds. This explains why extra virgin olive oil is credited with producing many of the benefits to be had from eating the Mediterranean diet. Adulterated oil that is mixed with oil from subsequent pressings and/or some sort of vegetable oil, will have free radicals and impurities rather than the expected beneficial compounds.
Mueller points out that many bottles of oil labeled as olive oil actually contain no olive oil at all. And he notes that only about 4 out of every 10 bottles of olive oil that say they come from Italy are actually Italian olive oil. This is because any producer can send any kind of oil to Italy to have it bottled. He calls it legalized fraud.
How can you avoid getting scammed?
Never buy olive oil unless the bottle clearly states it is 100 % extra virgin olive oil. This is no assurance you won't get scammed, but it cuts down your odds considerably, as does buying olive oil labeled as organic. Take it home and smell it and taste it. If it smells like olives and is wonderfully inviting, it is the real thing. If it does not, take the bottle and your receipt back to where you bought and ask for a refund. Buy another brand and try it, until you get one that tastes like it should.
Beware of buying olive oil that says it is extra light. Any oil with this label will have undergone considerable processing and will have little of the taste and health benefits you want. The name extra light is there to fool you into thinking it's low in fat, but all olive oil contains the same amount of fat. There is no regulation, certification or standard for oil that is labeled in this fashion, and you could be getting anything.
See also:
The Mediterranean Diet Reviewed
For more information:
About the Author:
Barbara is a school psychologist and the author of Dividend Capture, a book on personal finance. She is a breast cancer survivor using bioidentical hormone therapy, and a passionate advocate of natural health with hundreds of articles on many aspects of health and wellness. She is the editor and publisher of AlignLife's Health Secrets Newsletter.
See other articles by the Barbara Minton here:
AlignLife: http://alignlife.com/author/bminton/
Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/author358.htmlPosted By: Dquixote1217 [Send E-Mail]
Date: Thursday, 7-Nov-2013 17:07:15
by Barbara Minton
(The Best Years in Life) Antioxidant-rich olive oil has been widely touted by health experts for years - in great part because it is a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet that has been proven to reduce the risk of death from virtually all causes. When it comes to olive oil, the only kind that is truly healthy is true extra virgin olive oil which is pure olive oil that has been processed much less than less expensive and often less healthy seed oils. The catch for consumers is that when you purchase a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, chances are great that you may not be getting what you think.
Read More:
See also:
"The Mediterranean Diet Reviewed"
The Omega Diet
(The Mediterranean Diet)
The Omega Diet, by Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos and Jo Robinson, which was previously published under the titles "The Omega Plan" and "The Aphrodite Diet", is the most genuine and credible of a number of "Mediterranean diets" that have been on the bookshelves in recent years that espouse Mediterranean foods and lifestyle for weight loss and health.
The book explains how the people on the Greek island of Crete have a 5,000 year history even to the present day of longer life spans and better overall health than most other Mediterranean societies, even though the diets are very similar to those other Mediterranean diets. Scientific examination found the "missing link" that made the health and longevity of the people of Crete superior was that their food choices contained a significantly higher proportion of Omega 3 Fatty Acids in them than other communities. It also demonstrated that the ratio of Omega 6 Fatty Acids to Omega 3 Fatty Acids was a vital factor in health and longevity.
Whereas the developed Western World today has an Omega 6 Fatty Acid to Omega 3 Fatty Acid ratio upwards of 12:1 (measured as high as 40:1 in some Westerners who do not eat fish and live mostly on processed foods), the traditional diet of Crete had less Omega 6 and more Omega 3 Fatty Acids - in a ratio of around 4:1.
As an point of comparison, a number of other researchers, such as those who have examined Paleolithic diets, have come to similar conclusions, though they vary in their conclusions as to what constitutes the optimum ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 Fatty Acids. The conclusions range from 1:1 through to 3:1. By comparison, The Crete diet espoused by Dr. Simopoulos in "The Omega Diet" looks a little conservative and easier to achieve at 1:4, though along with the others still stands in major contrast to the miniscule Omega 3 levels in Western diets today.
It is also noted that the modern Western diet has changed enormously over even the past century. One hundred years ago, Omega 3 Fatty Acids were far more common in Western diets. Since then, there has been enormous growth in the grain and seed "edible oils" industry which has replaced Omega 3 Fatty Acid intake with greater Omega 6 intake, along with the additional detrimental trans-fatty oils (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils - an unnatural industrial production method of adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats to thicken them and extend their shelf life.)
The many health benefits of Omega 3 oils are discussed in "The Omega Diet". These range from improvements in heart health, brain function, treatment of many mental disorders, inflammatory conditions, cancer prevention, and more. Sources of Omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils, flaxseeds, green leafy vegetables and various nuts and other foods are explained.
Although "The Omega Diet" is predominantly and primarily concerned with overall health rather than weight loss (for which I commend it - weight loss should always be treated as a benefit derived from overall health and lifestyle improvements rather than merely a stand-alone goal), it presents convincing research that shows that Omega 3 oils have significant weight loss benefits.
Animal studies in mice have proven that diets heavy in Omega 6 oils or saturated fats promote insulin resistance and diabetes. The same caloric value of fish oil (an Omega 3 oil) prevented these conditions, and produced mice with significantly lower body weights than those fed Soya-bean, lard or safflower oil diets.
The weaknesses and inconsistencies in the diet are:
An over-emphasis and probable inaccurate evidence in support of Canola Oil (also known as Rapeseed Oil);
A fruit and grain content of the diet that seems excessive and has potential long term detrimental effects from the excesses of starches and fructose (fruit sugars).
I must point out that my criticisms may be seen by others as being just as subjective and open to debate as the points of which I am critical.
In regards to Canola Oil:
It is simply untrue that this was a part of the Crete or Mediterranean diet for the past 5,000 years. Canola is a 1980's "edible oils industry" invention, being a hybridized version of rapeseed. Even from the hybrid seed, to produce Canola Oil requires considerable artificial industrial processing including leaching with other chemicals, bleaching and partial hydrogenation.
While Dr. Simopoulos correctly identifies some of the health dangers of the hydrogenation process in modern edible oils and warns against them, she fails to point out that her strongly favored Canola Oil is itself partly hydrogenated.
The book claims that Canola Oil is high in Omega 3 fatty acids. While it is true that it does contain some Omega 3 fatty acids (and more than many other common edible plant oils) and in a favorable Omega 6 to 3 ratio of roughly 2:1, it fails to point out that neither of these essential oils are the predominant fatty acid found within Canola Oil. Around 63% of Canola Oil is Omega 9 - a non-essential monounsaturated fat also found in a similar proportion in Olive Oil.
Most natural health practitioners and a growing body of research now point to Canola Oil as being one of the more dangerous oils which should not be consumed by humans. Even the small level of Omega 3 Fatty Acids it contains is tainted, maybe even contaminated, by the partial hydrogenation process designed to give the product an enhanced shelf life and therefore better marketability.
Despite these criticisms, I recommend "The Omega Diet" for its ground-breaking revelations about the deficit of Omega 3 in the modern Western diet, the excess levels of Omega 6, its explanation of how fats (generally) are necessary in human biology and health and how low fat diets are an erroneous idea, and producing substantial evidence for a better and healthier way to attain health and longevity - and even weight loss.
The book, though, should be read with an eye out for the weaknesses mentioned above, and would best be read in conjunction with either of the other two popular books the discuss the role of Omega 3 Fatty Acids in human health and nutrition. (These are displayed in the column to the right.)
I also strongly advise that familiarity with "The Paleo Diet" (also reviewed on this website) will go a long way towards understanding some of the concepts of "The Omega Diet" and also prepare you with some of the extra knowledge you need to identify some of its clear biases and inconsistencies.http://www.tbyil.com/Mediterranean_Diet.htm
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