How to Buy and Cook with Olive Oil

The Greeks have promoted olive oil forever. Homer, the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, referred to olive oil as “liquid gold.” Hippocrates, a physician known as the father of Western medicine, called it “the great healer” and prescribed it as a therapy for more than 60 different medical conditions.

It’s no coincidence that Mediterranean populations tend to live longer and suffer less heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes than North Americans and northern Europeans. This observation has inspired great interest in the Mediterranean diet, particularly olive oil, one of its main components, polyphenols.

There are hundreds of studies that show olive oil consumption will reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improve blood sugar levels, and fight cancer.

Mary M. Flynn, PhD, RD, a Brown University professor and dietician at the Miriam Hospital in Rhode Island, explains that: “Studies done in animals and in test tubes have shown that the phenols in olive oil have amazing health benefits, such as selectively killing cancer cells, decreasing inflammation, and inhibiting tumor growth.”

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the type of olive oil that tends to be richest in polyphenols.

The polyphenols in extra-virgin olive oil also have many anti-inflammatory properties, similar to the drug Ibuprofen. This anti-inflammatory activity is significant since many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and arthritis, are associated with chronic inflammation. High-phenolic EVOO has also been shown to reduce the blood clotting and narrowing of arteries that can lead to cardiovascular diseases, and one of the key components, oleocanthal, has even killed cancer cells in test tubes, without harming healthy cells.

Bottom line………..consuming extra-virgin olive oil is good for you!

Buying and Cooking with Olive Oil

The first-time olives are pressed to produce oil, that product is called extra-virgin olive oil, which has the highest concentration polyphenols and the most health benefit. The second pressing is called virgin olive oil, still acceptable but less beneficial.

It’s better to buy olive oil in dark colored glass bottles as the light can damage it. Avoid buying olive oil that comes in a plastic bottle, as the chemicals in plastic leak into the oil. Try to buy olive oil that is less than a year old, as it will have the greatest antioxidant activity. (Look for the “pressed on” or “harvested on” date on the bottle.) Ideally, look for some form of certification, such as the California Olive Oil Council, to ensure that you are getting the real thing.

Do not use olive oil for high-heat cooking. The smoke point for extra-virgin olive oil is only 400 degrees F. High-heat obliterates its nutrients and even turns it into an unhealthy fat. It also destroys the taste—making it bitter, another reason why it’s a waste of money to ruin your good oil with high heat. You can cook with extra-virgin olive oil at low or medium heat, but not high heat, and you can use it when baking if you stay under 395 degrees F. Of course, it is fantastic when used with salads or dressings. On occasion, when you need high heat, use avocado oil, almond oil, or ghee.