Why your olive oil might not be as healthy as you think

We have all heard of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which includes antioxidant packed, heart healthy olive oil. But is your olive oil up to Mediterranean standards? Unfortunately, the answer is probably no.  Here’s why.

Fresh extra virgin olive oil, such as that found in the traditional Mediterranean diet is unoxidised.  This means, as well as tasting great, it’s packed with natural antioxidants such as polyphenols, vitamin E and squalene.  There is no doubt diets full of a wide range of natural extracts from fruits and vegetables, including olives, contributes towards good health.

Unfortunately, countries that export their olive oil here to NZ don’t send their top quality oils, they keep them for themselves. Some of the olive oil we receive here is blended or refined to remove oxidised components and poor flavour of degraded oil.  Flip over your bottle and look at the ingredients list – a number I looked at had “refined olive oil” on the list.

To add to this, many brands of olive oil are packaged in clear/light coloured bottles that allow light to penetrate, further degrading the oil.

So while any supermarket blend of olive oil will still contain the heart healthy monounsatured fats, it won’t contain the high levels of antioxidants found in fresh, extra virgin oil.  In Australia, a grading system has been developed so buyers know the grade of oil they are buying. Unfortunately for us here in NZ, we don’t have that benefit.   The good news is though, here in NZ we produce many fine olive oils.  Look for one certified by Olives New Zealand. These will have a low acidity, low levels of oxidation and have the high levels of antioxidants that the Mediterranean diet is known for.

Reference:

Are all olive oils the same? How a new Australian standard will help consumers understand by Dr Laurence Eyres, Chairman of NZ Institute of Chemistry Oils and Fats Specialist Group. Found here