Explains what makes extra virgin olive oil the best olive oil there is around and why it is so good for you.
Updated July 28th 2024
Summary
- Extra virgin olive oil is the best olive oil you can find
- Extra virgin olive oil retains the true flavour of olives and has a lower level of oleic acid than other varieties.
- It has a higher concentration of natural vitamins and minerals found in olives.
- Extra virgin olive oil is the healthiest fat on earth
- Extra virgin olive oil delivers a wide range of health benefits
Contents
- Introduction
- What Constitutes Best Olive Oil
- Best Olive Oil Is High In Heath Enhancing Poyphenols
- Best Olive Oil Is The Healthiest Fat on Earth
- Best Olive Oil Delivers A Wide Range Of Health Benefits
Introduction
There’s a lot of confusion around the best cooking oils that you should use for your health. The supermarket shelves are stuffed with a huge variety of different kinds of oils, and within those, there are different types. Factors such as smoke point, flavor, and nutritional content can vary significantly between oils, making it difficult to choose the right one. Additionally, some oils are better suited for high-heat cooking, while others are ideal for dressings and low-heat preparations.
You have virgin oils, extra-virgin oils, cold-pressed oils and even blended oils! The word extra-virgin refers to ‘fine grade’ oil. There are different varieties of olive oil that are set apart not by the type of olive that is used, but the process used to extract the oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is obtained by crushing olives and extracting the fresh juice. It is unrefined and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra-virgin olive oil is made, it retains the true flavour of olives, and has a lower level of oleic acid than the other varieties. It has a higher concentration of natural vitamins and minerals found in olives.
Extra virgin olive oil is the first oil that comes out of cold pressing the olives. It has been subjected to zero processing and has no additives. It also contains no more than 0.8% of Oleic Acid and is able to retain all its polyphenol antioxidants.
Regular olive oil, on the other hand, is commercially produced and processed just like any other oil. It contains at least 3-4% of Oleic Acid. This type of olive oil undergoes refining and blending to remove impurities, resulting in a more neutral flavor and a lighter color.
What Constitutes Best Olive Oil
So here is a summary of what constitutes best olive oil.
Best Olive Oil Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
This means it is an olive oil of less than 0.8% acidity and has no taste defects. Extra virgin olive oil is known for its superior flavor, rich aroma, and high antioxidant content, making it the healthiest choice.
Best Olive Oil Is Single Estate:
This means that it is from one source and is not mixed or blended with other olive oils, even if they are extra virgin olive oil. Single estate olive oils often have a unique flavor profile, reflecting the specific terroir and cultivation methods of the estate.
Best Olive Oil Production:
The best extra virgin olive oils are produced when the olives are young and green. They are hand-picked and handled with care and attention throughout the harvesting process. The olives are pressed within 24 hours of picking at a temperature below 28ºC. This meticulous process ensures maximum freshness, flavor, and nutritional value, preserving the oil’s quality and aromatic properties.
Best Olive Oil Taste:
The taste characteristics of best extra virgin olive oils are:
Fruity: having pleasant fruit flavours characteristic of fresh ripe or green olives
Bitter: with a mostly pleasant acrid flavour sensation on the tongue
Pungent: giving a distinctive peppery sensation in the mouth and throat. This is a sign of abundant nutrients in good, fresh extra virgin olive oil.
Best Olive Oil Is High In Heath Enhancing Poyphenols:
Thanks to the recent spotlight on the Mediterranean Diet, extensive research has been done on the phytonutrient composition of extra virgin olive oil. What has been discovered is an extensive list of phytonutrients; one of the most praised is its polyphenols. The number of polyphenols found in extra virgin olive oil is truly amazing!
Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants capable of neutralizing harmful molecules in your body known as free radicals. Free radicals can cause damage to healthy cells as they move through your body. Antioxidants like those found in extra virgin olive oil help counteract free radicals, shielding the body from their detrimental effects.
The European Food Safety Agency has now approved health claims for extra virgin olive oils with a polyphenol content of more than 250mg / kg. The polyphenol content in Morocco Gold is well above this level.
The European Food Safety Agency has officially endorsed health claims for extra virgin olive oils containing over 250mg/kg of polyphenols. Morocco Gold exceeds this threshold, boasting a significantly higher polyphenol content. This high level of polyphenols not only enhances the oil’s health benefits but also contributes to its robust flavor and superior quality, making it an excellent choice for health-conscious consumers.
Best Olive Oil Is The Healthiest Fat on Earth:
Fats in the diet are highly controversial. You will see people arguing about animal fats, seed oils and almost everything in between. But one of the few fats that most people agree is healthy is extra virgin olive oil. This oil, part of the Mediterranean diet, is a traditional fat that has been a dietary staple for some of the world’s healthiest populations. There is now considerable scientific research behind the health effects of olive oil. These studies show that the fatty acids and antioxidants in it have some powerful health benefits.
Best Olive Oil Delivers A Wide Range Of Health Benefits:
The health benefits from best high-quality extra virgin olive oils include:
Extra virgin olive oil is probably the most extensively researched foodstuff on the planet – to really understand why it is so good for us. This means that the health benefits are evidence based and not the result of marketing ‘hype’.
Best Olive Oil Reduces Risk Of Cardiovascular Diseases
- Cardiovascular diseases are the top cause of death in the industrialised world. A host of studies have documented that arteriosclerosis is closely linked to eating habits, lifestyle and some aspects of economic development.
The lowest rates of death from coronary heart disease are currently recorded in the countries where olive oil is virtually the only fat consumed.
Professor Francisco Grande Covian
Best Olive Oil Has A Beneficial Effect On Ulcers And Gastritis
Olive oil reduces the risk of the flow or reflux of food and gastric juice up from the stomach to the oesophagus, the gastric content of the stomach is released more slowly and gradually into the duodenum, giving a greater sensation of “fullness”.
Best Olive Oil Maintains The Digestive Tract In Good Health.
Extra virgin olive oil produces a small amount of secretion by the pancreas, making this organ “work” little, but efficiently and enough to carry out all its digestive functions. It stimulates the absorption of various nutrients (calcium, Iron, magnesium, etc.). Olive oil, therefore, is a fat that is digested and absorbed really well. It has choice properties and a mild laxative effect that helps to combat constipation and bad breath.
Best Olive Oil Helps To Reduce Blood Pressure
One in every four adults is hypertensive. This increases the risk of early death because of the damage to the body’s arteries, especially the arteries that supply blood to the heart, kidneys, brain and eyes. Addition of extra virgin olive oil to a diet has a clear lowering effect on blood pressure. Regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil decreases both systolic (maximum) and diastolic (minimum) blood pressure.
Best Olive Oil Helps To Control Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol is a fatty substance contained in foods of animal origin. Diets containing a large amount of animal fats raise blood cholesterol level, which is one of the chief risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Extra virgin olive oil lowers the levels of total blood cholesterol. LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. At the same time, it does not alter the levels of HbL-cholesterol (and may even raise them), which plays a protective role and prevents the formation of fatty patches and recurrent heart disease.
Best Olive Oil Eases Or Prevents Diabetes
An extra virgin olive oil rich diet is not only a good alternative in the treatment of diabetes, it may also help to prevent or delay the onset of the disease. How it does so is by preventing insulin resistance lowering triglycerides and ensuring better blood sugar level control and lower blood pressure.
Best Olive Oil Lessens The Severity Of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a reduction in bone tissue mass that increases the risk of fractures. There are two types. Type I occurs in middle-aged, post-menopausal women and type II in the elderly. Olive oil appears to have a favourable effect on bone calcification, and bone mineralisation is better the more olive oil is consumed. It helps calcium absorption, thereby playing an important part during the period of growth and in the prevention of osteoporosis.
Best Olive Oil:
Is found in dark glass bottles that protects the olive oil against ultra-violet rays and thus extends shelf-life.
Best Olive Oil Storage:
If of a superior quality and stored correctly, in a cool dark place and away from direct sunlight, it can have a shelf life of up to 4 years
Best Olive Oil Availability:
Genuine extra virgin olive oil is extremely rare. Most olive oils, (even some that are badged as extra virgin), have been mixed, blended or processed in some way.
Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil satisfies all of the above criteria. It is produced from young, green olives that are hand-picked and cold-pressed within 24 hours. Bottled in dark glass to protect its quality, it boasts a high polyphenol content, superior taste, and is sourced from a single estate, ensuring purity and exceptional quality.
