I've been reminded by this article by Fresh Pressed Olive Oil.com that I need to dig deeper into how people choose the olive oil they eat, if there is unremitting inflammation. The person may be consuming fake olive oil.Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is probably the number one fake food out there. And the fake stuff has oils that are in the omega 6 category and I recommend reducing the omega 6's in an anti inflammatory diet. Some people may be keeping their omega 6 oil levels up without knowing it when they eat and make foods from just any old EVOO. Here is what I wrote about the evidence for the rampant adulteration of EVOO found in North American stores and some suggestions for finding the real thing.
Scientists at UC Davis found that 69% of the imported extra virgin olive oils they tested were fake, adulterated, stale, or so subpar that they failed to meet international and USDA standards for being labeled “extra virgin.”
From freshpressedoliveoil.com:
This Is Outrageous!
This [amount of fraud] is an outrageous shame because authentic extra virgin olive oil—the real stuff—is so healthy for you. Medical science has determined that it is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. For example:
Scientific studies have shown that authentic extra-virgin olive oil lowers “bad” cholesterol and cuts your risk of heart disease and stroke. It helps protect against cancer, especially cancer of the breast, prostate, and colon. It’s a godsend for arthritis sufferers because it can cool inflammation and ease joint pain without any side effects.
It has also been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of diabetes, and may even help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. If you want to avoid osteoporosis, it’s outstanding because it enables the calcium in your food to be better absorbed into your bones. Finally, it’s loaded with some of the most powerful disease-fighting antioxidants and polyphenols known to science, which fortify your immune system and help it protect every organ of your body against disease.
Way back in the fourth century BC, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was way ahead of his time. He loved his Greek olive oil and considered it beneficial for over 60 therapeutic uses, hailing it as “the great therapeutic.”
This Is Outrageous!
This [amount of fraud] is an outrageous shame because authentic extra virgin olive oil—the real stuff—is so healthy for you. Medical science has determined that it is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. For example:
Scientific studies have shown that authentic extra-virgin olive oil lowers “bad” cholesterol and cuts your risk of heart disease and stroke. It helps protect against cancer, especially cancer of the breast, prostate, and colon. It’s a godsend for arthritis sufferers because it can cool inflammation and ease joint pain without any side effects.
It has also been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of diabetes, and may even help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. If you want to avoid osteoporosis, it’s outstanding because it enables the calcium in your food to be better absorbed into your bones. Finally, it’s loaded with some of the most powerful disease-fighting antioxidants and polyphenols known to science, which fortify your immune system and help it protect every organ of your body against disease.
Way back in the fourth century BC, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was way ahead of his time. He loved his Greek olive oil and considered it beneficial for over 60 therapeutic uses, hailing it as “the great therapeutic.”
Read the whole article to find out how to avoid the second issue with buying EVOO and that is how to tell when it was bottled. It is best to consume the EVOO by six months of it being bottled.
There is another three ways to buy authentic EVOO.
One is to check the Consumer Reports which has a list of EVOO products that were found to be authentic, found at the first link above.
The other is to find a source of single estate (family farm) EVOO at your local farmer's market or ethnic shop. You have to ask questions until you are satisfied it is the real thing.
One last word. In the US, there appears to be only one certified label for EVOO and it is for Californian olive oil, so look for the seal with California Olive Oil Council ( COOC).
After going to all this trouble to find the real extra virgin olive oil, treat it gently to maintain its health benefits. Please don't apply high heat to it. If you are sauteing or frying use an oil like coconut oil that withstands higher heat and does not lose its goodness, and pour some olive oil over the meat, fish, eggs or veges as you are serving it.
To Your Health
Dr. Barbara
After going to all this trouble to find the real extra virgin olive oil, treat it gently to maintain its health benefits. Please don't apply high heat to it. If you are sauteing or frying use an oil like coconut oil that withstands higher heat and does not lose its goodness, and pour some olive oil over the meat, fish, eggs or veges as you are serving it.
To Your Health
Dr. Barbara
Thank you for this post - I had read about extra-virgin olive oil fraud both from Consumers Reports and from your blog, but since the type we were using wasn't listed I didn't pursue it further. This post served as a reminder to research that which we had... and I'm glad I did! I discovered the company that imported it was convicted of fraud in 2010 (http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2010/03/19/huh-olive-oil-frauds/)! The olive oil was being mixed with sunflower oil which I've been trying to avoid! So thank you, for this reminder, which has motivated me to look for another source.
ReplyDeleteDear Linda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for work at finding the truth. I learned something too. The oils used to adulterate the EVOO can be GMO's as in the brand you were using.
GMO"S are suspected to cause bowel inflammation not unlike celiac disease, (Dr. Seneff and others work) and all the good work of eating a clean diet free of grains, sugar, and oats and corn, gets undone.
Who knew it was so hard to get clean food.
Dr. Barbara