Olive Oil Dangers
In part 1 and part 2 we talked about how heat makes and oil rancid. But oil becomes toxic also when it is exposed to light and air. In this blog we will talk about oils to use for cold dishes like salads and why I don’t like olive oil any longer.
Olive Oil in Restaurants – Don’t fall for it!
Rancid – Almost every restaurant you’ve ever eaten at the oil you use there is bad for you. Why? — They sit out on the table, in a see through glass bottle, with an open air top, those are 2 of the highest causes of rancidity.
Fake – oil in most restaurants is not actually olive oil, they are half olive and half GMO canola. Olive oil is too expensive, but you can check on yours where you decide to eat.
I’m not a big fan of Olive oil any longer, why?
– 70% being fake, made with cheap vegetable oils passed off as olive oil. According to Tom Mueller, the investigative author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, 70 percent of the extra virgin olive oil sold worldwide is watered down with other oils and enhancers. Authentication tests at UC Davis in 2011 tested 124 different samples and uncovered that two-thirds of common brands of extra virgin olive oil being sold in California were not virgin and many had other oils like GMO soybean oil and GMO canola oil added in.
– Most are rancid
– It is too expensive for the value it offers
I have 3 oils I prefer over olive oil (below) But if you only want to use olive oil, go with this check list:
- – Get a small bottle
- – With the darkest glass, (brown or green)
- – Wrap it in paper
- – Cover it right after you use it
- – To protect it from rancidity you can put a drop of astaxanthin in it.
- – Buy one with a harvest and expiration date on it.
- – Look for a seal from the International Olive Oil Council (IOC)
- – Be suspicious of any extra virgin olive oil that costs less than $10 a liter.
- – Anything labeled light, pure, or a blend isn’t virgin quality.
Olive Oil Brands to use:
These are my favorite four companies – They are all organic, certified by IOC, and have press dates:
- http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/product/bariani-unfiltered-olive-oil/healthy-fats-oils
- http://www.fandangooliveoil.com/product-category/olive-oils/
- https://www.freshpressedoliveoil.com/
- http://www.kasandrinos.com/
These are 3 my favorite Oils to Use for Cold Dishes, better than Olive Oil:
1. – Avocado oil –
It can protect against free radical damage, cellular degeneration, and inflammation. It can lower blood pressure, improve arthritis symptoms, lower cholesterol and boost nutrient absorption. Research has shown that, whether consumed or used topically, this oil can increase collagen in connective tissue, which is great for fragile or aging skin. (See my blog on oil cleansing here) It has even received prescription drug status in France because of its proven ability to counter the negative effects of arthritis! (2)
It has a great fatty acid profile and high in antioxidants and probably tastes far better than just about anything you’ve ever cooked with before.
Always get cold-pressed or unrefined avocado oil. Refrigerate and don’t ever store above a stove, extra heat can make rancid quickly.
Avocado oil links (click photos) :
2. – Organic Sunflower Oil –
High in oleic acids that is a rare oil that is produced from hybrid plants and have a similar composition to olive oil, namely high oleic acid small amounts of polyunsaturated fats with high monounsaturated fats and are more stable, these are less apt to being mixed with other oils or rancid like olive oil is.
It’s difficult to find truly cold-pressed versions of these and they are completely different sunflower oil then is sitting on the shelf in the supermarket, I have only found these online
High Oleic sunflower oil: perfect for salads and cold dishes
- · Contains a high level of monounsaturated fatty acids to promote heart health and total well-being*
- · Is low in polyunsaturated fats – contains only 0.5 g of polyunsaturated fats per 1 tbsp. serving
- · Contains healthy plant sterols*
- · Contains ZERO trans fats and cholesterol
- · Is Certified Organic and contains no GMOs
- · Has a mild, light, sweet taste that’s ideal as a gourmet salad oil
- · Contains more Vitamin E than olive oil
These 2 Organic Sunflower Oils is a special type of sunflower oil – one that is high in monounsaturated fatty acids and very low in unstable polyunsaturated fats. It is ideal for salads and other cold foods. (The sunflower oil in your supermarket is entirely a different product…Those are linoleic, partially hydrogenated oil: Very low in monounsaturated fats, High in polyunsaturated fats, Very high in omega-6 fatty acids – linoleic acid in particular. Making them bad for you in all departments mentioned. )
High oleic sunflower oil only contains about 5 percent omega-6s, one of the lowest of any of the culinary oils! (This is important to get a higher omega 3 to 6 ratio.)
And Oleic acid omega-9 fatty acid – a monounsaturated fat has been shown in studies to help support heart health and healthy triglyceride and cholesterol levels that are already in the normal range.*
Dr. Mercola Organic Sunflower Oil: (click photo for link)
- http://www.omeganutrition.com/sunflower-hi-oleic-org-32fl-oz-cosho032
3. – Coconut oil
Many people already know the many benefits of that.
I cook in it, use it in my hair, on my skin, oil pull, in salads, deodorant, toothpaste and more.
Oils to Never Use:
Stop using every other vegetable oil you know of especially soybean, cottonseed, safflower, canola and corn. These come already oxidized and have added preservatives and are terrible for you. If an oil is in a clear bottle, it’s been processed so much they are already rancid and have no nutrients.
As explained in Part 1 and part 2 they have been linked to all kinds of health problems and are the cause of many other digestive issues people have today, such as allergies to dairy, soy, nuts, gluten and more are because of the years and years of accumulating these oils in our blood, arteries and liver compromising our digestion.
In old days, people would grind oils and deliver them weekly because they knew how volatile these oils are going bad in a short time. 1 photon of light can make a chain reaction in the oil making it rancid and yet today oils have years of shelf life in a clear bottle. That’s good for their business and terrible for your health and lifestyle. These oils would normally smell and look bad but they bleach it and deodorize them.
More on Olive Oil:
Here are four signs of defective olive oil, as reported by The Olive Oil Times:9
- 1. Rancidity – Remember that rancid olive oil smells like crayons, tastes like rancid nuts, and has a greasy mouth feel. So beware of leaving your bottle of olive oil right on the counter, opening and closing it multiple times in a week. Any time it is exposed to air and/or light, it oxidizes. The chlorophyll in extra virgin olive oil speeds up the oxidation of the unsaturated fats.
Treat olive oil as you would other sensitive omega-3 oils by keeping it in a cool and dark place, purchasing smaller bottles instead of larger ones to ensure freshness, and immediately replacing the cap after each pour. - 2. Fusty oil – Your oil should not have a fermented smell to it, reminiscent of sweaty socks or swampy vegetation. See this quality on table olives – brown and mushy Kalamata-style olives show the flavor of fusty.
- 3. Moldy olives – If your olive oil tastes dusty or musty, it’s likely because it was made from moldy olives.
- 4. Wine or vinegar flavor – If it tastes like it has undertones of wine and vinegar, it’s probably because the olives underwent fermentation with oxygen, which leads to the sharp, unpleasant flavor.
Olive Oil Terms:
• Extra virgin, which is produced by cold pressing and does not use chemicals for refinement.
• Virgin olive oil, comes from a second pressing or riper olives but is still good quality.
• Light, pure, or blends are refined olive oil, which usually means they have been chemically processed and mixed with other low quality oils.
Mueller, says that Bad olives have free radicals and impurities, so consuming NON-Virgin olive oil can actually be bad for your health where consuming REAL Olive Oil has anti-inflammatory compounds, anti-oxidants and 200+ heart healthy ingredients.
Further tips for recognizing REAL Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
Also, Extra virgin olive oil solidifies when it’s cold. You can put it in the refrigerator and it should become cloudy and thicken. If it’s doesn’t then it’s not pure extra virgin.
