What's In Your Olive Oil?

Note: Image courtesy of Your Food’s Roots via Facebook.

Virgin Olive Oil? Organic Olive Oil? Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Believe it or not, not all olive oil is the same. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for Zooey Deschanel, I would not have known the differences. My dieting was heavily influenced by a post I saw back in ~2018, when New Girl (TV Show) was a hit. Facebook post can be viewed here. But geeeesh the more aware you are of what you put in your body, makes you doubt what even is healthy? 

Organic extra virgin olive oil isn’t just “fancier” olive oil. It’s a completely different product. It’s made by mechanically pressing fresh olives, without heat or chemicals, which helps preserve the oil’s natural antioxidants, "polyphenols", and flavor compounds. Which I know, are fancier words, but basically antioxidants, especially polyphenols, are what help protect the body from everyday environmental stress, while natural flavor compounds are a sign the oil is fresh, nutrient-rich, and still intact. Something you lose when an oil is overly processed, hence, why Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is top tier.  

Regular olive oil, on the other hand, is often refined to fix defects in lower-quality oils, a process that strips away many of those beneficial nutrients and leaves behind a more neutral taste. Research led by nutrition scientist María Isabel Covas has shown that the high polyphenol content found in extra virgin olive oil is directly linked to its anti-inflammatory and heart-protective benefits. These specific properties largely missing in refined oils (Covas et al.).

In short, the difference shows up not only in taste, but in what the oil actually does for your body. So don't only change your diet, but think about the olive oil you use on your skin!