To Get The Benefits Of Olive Oil, Fresh May Be Best

Medical researchers have been a fan of the Mediterranean diet. It is a diet that includes vegetables and grains as well as plenty of olive oil.

Olive oil is great for your heart. Olive oil is very healthy.

A large study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year. It involved Spanish researchers who had men and women aged 50, 60, and 70 who were at high risk of developing heart disease.

One group followed a low-fat diet while another group followed a Mediterranean diet that included nuts. A third group consumed almost four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil daily.

They could then compare the three diets to see if they were right or wrong.

Researchers discovered that a Mediterranean diet high in olive oil reduced the risk of strokes and heart attacks by 30%. Also, the nut group that was also consuming olive oil did well.

There are many benefits to extra-virgin olive oils. Olive oil has two main benefits: It is mostly unsaturated fat and extra-virgin olive oil contains a variety of beneficial plant compounds known as polyphenols.

It's often very low-grade oil, which doesn't provide the same health benefits as extra virgin.

A study revealed that 69% of the imports failed to meet quality standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sometimes the oil is too old. Imported olive oil is often shipped from one place to another and not properly stored by the time it reaches us. Even if the oil is not rancid, many of its heart-healthy compounds are degraded and have dissolved.

Extra-virgin olive oils are fresh-squeezed juices -- they're fruit juices -- so freshness is important.

Mueller claims that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration used olive oil imports to enforce quality and safety standards. These efforts have ceased.

What does this mean for those who are looking to get their hands on healthy food?

Oil is very fresh because the olives were quickly pressed. Extra-virgin olive oils are not wine. They do not get any better. It is always better than the day it was made.

As long as the olive oil has been properly stored, it will keep fresh for at least a few months. Some bottles have an expiration date.

However, oil will begin to slowly degrade as soon as it is exposed to oxygen and light.

There are a variety of factors that determine the speed at which oil can go bad: everything from the type of olives used to the way the oil is stored and produced.

However, oil generally does not last for more than four to six months after being opened.

The oils with the highest concentrations of heart-healthy substances tend to be pungent or peppery. The oil should sting your throat slightly if it contains beneficial polyphenols.

You will never be able to stop enjoying that bitterness and pungency after you've had it. It's an entirely different experience.

A healthy one, as well.