Like me, you have probably heard Olive Oil is better than other oils. Once you get to the section in the store there is a million brands and types of Olive Oil, so which one do you choose? This post hopefully will help as I learned a ton in doing my research. If you don't know why Olive Oil is better please scroll down and I talk about Canola Oil, and Vegetable Oil. How to Choose an Olive Oil and Why
Chefdepot.net tells us the differences between Extra Virgin Olive Oil or EVOO for short, Olive Oil, Light Olive Oil and even Olive Oil blends. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. "Extra" is the highest grade for olive oil--the best you can buy. The virgin oil produced from the mechanical pressing described above may be called "extra" if it has less than 1% free oleic acid, and if it exhibits superior taste, color and aroma. Thus, the "extra" in extra virgin olive oil means "premium," or simply, "the best." Olive Oil. Ordinary "olive oil" is actually a blended oil product. Olive oil producers start with low quality virgin olive oils. For these oils to be fit for consumption, they must be refined using mechanical, thermal and/or chemical processes. The resulting "refined olive oil" is largely colorless and tasteless. Before the resulting product is sold as "olive oil," the producer blends into the refined olive oil a percentage of quality virgin olive oil to provide color and taste. "Light" or "Mild" Olive Oil. Light olive oil is a variation on ordinary olive oil. Producers of this product use a highly refined olive oil, and add less quality virgin oil than that typically used to blend olive oil. The only thing "light" about light olive oil is the taste and color; it has the same caloric and fat content as other oils. Olive-Pomace Oil. Olive-pomace oil is the residue oil that is extracted by chemical solvents from previously pressed olive mash. This oil must be highly-refined to remove chemical impurities. Like ordinary olive oil, refined olive-pomace oil is enriched with virgin olive oil prior to sale. Olive Oil Blends. Olive oil blends (e.g., canola oil enriched with some virgin olive oil) are sometimes used as a more economical substitute for olive oil (but not as a substitute for extra virgin olive oil). Because the production of good olive oil is labor intensive--the olives must essentially be picked by hand--the resulting product is more expensive than other vegetable oils. To offer a more economical product with some of the goodness of olive oil, some companies make olive oil blends. In an olive oil blend, the producer uses a base of a less expensive vegetable oil (e.g. canola oil) to which it adds a percentage (e.g. 25%) of virgin olive oil. These products have proven particularly attractive to restaurant and institutional purchasers where the small savings per tablespoon results in big savings due to the large volume they purchase. This same information is backed up by curezone.org and oliveiltimes.com both websites get into more detail on how to store it and even how to buy the fancy oils. My blogs are meant to be easy reads and I will always include other sources for additional information. Now I know to buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I will now save time shopping and actually buy something that is better for me. Multi-tasking I Love It!! Why Choose Olive Oil over Other Oils? Canola Oil What is Canola Oil? It is called Canola because in the 1960's Canadians figured out a way to breed the Rape plant differently. Before the 1960's the Rape plant would produce seeds that when crushed is toxic to humans. Due to the Canadians figuring this out, a new oil was created - Canola Oil. I also find it funny that Rapeseed was used in animal feed and then Mad Cow disease came about. Once Rapeseed Oil was removed from the feed, Mad Cow dissipated. Interesting huh? Find out more in this article. This Oil has been genetically modified in order to consume, even though there is less toxicity if you had the choice to choose a better option why wouldn't you? Read more about Canola Oil Here Vegetable Oil Vegetable Oil must be good because it comes from vegetables right? Well no, it is a modge podge of oils from different seeds, Rapeseed (or Canola), soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, and peanut to name a few. Then to make vegetable oil it goes through many processes as outlined in The Ugly Truth About Vegetable Oil Step 1: Find some “canola seeds.” Oh wait, they don’t exist. Canola oil is actually made from a hybrid version of the rapeseed… most likely genetically modified and heavily treated with pesticides. Step 2: Heat the rapeseeds at unnaturally high temperatures so that they oxidize and are rancid before you ever buy them. Step 3: Process with a petroleum solvent to extract the oils. Step 4: Heat some more and add some acid to remove any nasty wax solids that formed during the first processing. Step 5: Treat the oil with more chemicals to improve the color. Step 6: Deodorize the oil to mask the horrific smell from the chemical processing. Of course, if you want to take your vegetable oils one step further, just hydrogenated it until it becomes a solid. Now you have margarine and all its trans-fatty wonder. This alone is enough for me to not consume it, but for others the promotion of healthy fat in vegetable oil is why people buy it. In article mentioned above it also talks about the truth behind the supposed "good" in Vegetable Oil. Polyunsaturated Fat Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs). But did you know that the fat content of the human body is about 97% saturated and monounsaturated fat? Our body needs fat for rebuilding cells and hormone production. And it can only use what we give it. Polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable. They oxidize easily. These oxidized fats cause inflammation and mutation in cells. That oxidation is linked to all sorts of issues from cancer, heart disease, endrometriosis, PCOS, etc. PUFAs are bad news. Read more about PUFAS here. Omega 6 There’s a lot of hype about Omega-3’s and how healthy they are. But what often gets neglected is the fact that it’s more about the ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats that are critical to good health. Vegetable oils contain a very high concentration of Omega 6 fatty acids. These fatty acids oxidize easily. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce inflammation and protect against cancer. Unbalanced levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats have been linked to many types of cancers and a host of other problems. Most Americans have high levels of Omega-6 fatty acids and low levels of Omega-3’s. Consuming vegetable oil to increase Omega 3 levels is not the way. Doing so just creates a more unbalance in your body. Read more about Omega-3/Omega-6 unbalances here and here. I hope you found this post insightful, as knowledge is power. Please share this with friends and family, spread the truth about food and health. Cheers! Jenn
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