Olive Oil 101

Olive oil is rich in Omega-9 fatty acids. Omega-9's are truly non essential since your body manufactures them. However, getting your daily dose appears to assist in maintaining a healthy weight and managing blood fats, like LDLs [Low Density Lipo-proteins] and triglycerides. Roughly two tablespoons per day, for most women, would do the trick. Depending on how active you are, or your gender, you might need 4 or 5 tablespoons of oil each day.

OIL is NOT CREATED EQUALLY

Refined oils have been heated at extremely high temperatures. This process creates FREE RADICALS, "peroxides", which attack cells, and steal electrons, causing those cells to become unstable. This domino effect creates inflammation in your system, which is at the root of all diseases. However, EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL is unrefined. It is mechanically pressed. The first pressing is called "Extra Virgin" and is the most therapeutic in nature. Once you heat the oil, its therapeutic properties are destroyed.

TINTED BOTTLES

Olive oil in clear bottles is exposed to light in the store, creating more free radicals as it sits on the shelf. If you can't find any oil sold in green or brown tinted bottles, you can transfer it into bottles you have saved at home. It's important to store your extra virgin olive oil in a tinted bottle to prevent sun light from breaking down the oil, causing it to become rancid, more rapidly.

KEEP IT COOL

Generally, you want to keep most cold pressed oils, like flax, hemp, grapeseed, in the refrigerator to retain the shelf life. If you use Olive oil, often enough, you can keep it in a cool spot in your pantry if you prefer. Storing it in the fridge will solidify it a bit, and you'll have to take it out ...and leave it out for at least 15 minutes to get it back into it's liquid state.

POUR IT ON... DON'T FRY IT!

If you fry with olive oil, you'd be better off with organic butter or coconut oil. It's okay to have a pinch of saturated fat. 5% of the calories in your diet can come from saturated fats. The point is, these fats have high melting points. They will not create the free-radical chain reaction that happens when you fry with vegetable oils. The wiser option is to pour the olive oil over warm foods to retain its therapeutic properties, instead of frying.

So, the next time you see a health expert doing a demonstration on television, and he or she is frying with olive oil, you can be sure they aren't quite up to speed with current thinking in Nutrition Education.