Properly Learn How To Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil The Right Way
April 19, 2020
Given the supermarket shelves are saturated in olive oil brands, there is often a confusion between Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pure Olive Oil, Light Olive Oil and a variety of other variants.
To simplify this matter, it is very good to understand that Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the first round of oil pressed out of olives and this has the best flavour and many health benefits, as compared to the subsequent extractions of petroleum. As a consequence, that's the reason it is also the most expensive variant of olive oil.
Typically, a excellent extra virgin olive oil brand is going to be dark golden in color, have a grassy aroma to it and will be sold in a tinted glass bottle. This oil is unrefined, retains the flavour of olives and has the least free oleic acid content (<1%). The next in line is virgin olive oil, similar to extra virgin but has an oleic acid content of >1%, a less intense colour and flavour. Virgin olive oils are rarely sold at the supermarkets nowadays.
What is sold as 'pure' Olive Oilor just'Olive Oil' is generally a blend of virgin olive oil and refined olive oil, as a result, available at a lesser price (oleic acid content is 3-4percent ). In addition, this mix is suited to cooking at low temperatures, generally an all-purpose oil. The other commonly sold variant is a'Light Olive Oil' that is pale yellow like any other refined vegetable oil.
This retains very few health properties or antioxidants. The LIGHT word within this term can be misleading. It stands for the light colour and not for a reduced calorie oil. The calories in Light Olive Oil are same as that of any other oil.
Benefits Of Using Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
There's something about the rich color and flavor of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, that not one of the other olive oils come close, especially once you eat it raw in salads. Just by itself it adds a boost of freshness and flavour, only to be enhanced from the other ingredients that you add to it.
A certain element in Extra Virgin Olive Oil called hydroxytyrosol prevents oxidation in the lining of the arteries, thereby protecting cardiovascular health.
The larger percentage of monounsaturated fats from olive oil helps reduce bad cholesterol and it is also said to decrease blood pressure.
Furthermore, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is said to have a higher dose of antioxidants (phytonutrients) than non-virgin olive oils, thereby having stronger anti-inflammatory properties. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a good source of vitamin E, and it is a potent antioxidant by itself.
