Did you know that the olive oil you are using might be fake – Despite the label on your bottle?

Olive Oil has become the most popular oil used in kitchens around the world.  Go to any health food store and you will find shelf upon shelf of different brands of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

As you will find out, olive oil is big business and where there is money to be earned, there are people willing to scam the system…and you…just to line their own pockets.

Pure olive oil has a long history of being very healing to the body.  Much of what you find on the store shelves is not healing, in fact, it has ingredients that are known health robbers.

For thousands of years, olives have been a delicacy and olive oil has been a dietary staple.  The sad thing is, for just about that long, people have been trying to dilute it or pass it off with lesser quality oils.

In fact, around 24 BC in Syria, there are written accounts of court appointed officials that had to inspect the olive oil making facilities to make sure that the olive oil was pure and not cut with any other oils.

Today’s studies have revealed that most extra virgin olive oils (especially cheap ones) are cut with vegetable oils, canola oils, and seed oils or made from olives that are labeled not fit for human consumption.

Benefits of Olive Oil And Olive Oil Uses

Olive oil is not just good for your heart, but reduces your risk of heart attacks and strokes, lowers blood pressure and high cholesterol, reduces inflammations, eases joint aches and pains, protects against cancer and also helps your body burn fat from your stomach, hips and thighs.

Extra virgin olive oil is amazing as a moisturizer for your skin and is incredible as a hair mask to repair dry, brittle hair.

My favorite use for olive oil happens to be for liver cleanses.  The properties in olive oil make flushing the liver a cinch while helping it to regenerate.

Olive oil has been known as Lorenzo’s oil.  If you haven’t watched the movie on this, I urge you to rent it.

How Does Fake Olive Oil Make It To Our Pantry?

The reality is that olive oil is hard to regulate as much of it comes from other countries.  But that doesn’t mean that buying California olive oil is any better.

Here is the United States we face corrupt agencies that inspect food, government regulations that slip through the cracks and the ever hot topic of truth in labeling.  It’s unfortunate and it’s also a reality.

Here is a short list of popular brands that failed the authentic olive oil test:

• Filippo Berio
• Bertolli
• Carapelli
• Pompeian
• Mazzola

What’s In A Name?

Cold-pressed olive oil really doesn’t mean anything.  It sounds impressive but it is based on outdated pressing processes.  Most olive oil is made with a cold pressed, not heated process.

Regions don’t hold much weight either.  If you think you are buying a superior olive oil because it is made in Italy, you may be surprised to know that many olives and olive oils are shipped to Spain, Italy and Greece because the costs are much cheaper in other countries.  So how do they get to put the country on the label?  If it was bottled in a certain country, they can put made in…

The bottom line is don’t believe labels.

Dangers Of Fake Olive Oil

Allergies are a growing concern with fake olive oil.  People with nut allergies can find themselves in trouble if their fake olive oil is cut with peanut or hazelnut oil.

The health harming Omega 6s.  Safflower, sunflower, canola, and soybean oil are typical cheap oils used in the making of olive oil.  These are high in Omega 6s which leads to inflammation and oxidized blood lipids (fat).

When heated, these oils have also shown to cause cancer.

This lends to cardiovascular problems and a whole host of issues that arise when the body has a systemic inflammation.

How To Choose Real Olive Oil

Look for oil in dark bottles versus clear bottles.  If olive oil is real, it will break down pretty quickly in the presence of light.  Rancid oil is not good for your body.

Watch for an IOC labeling.  While this will not 100% insure quality, it is a step in the right direction because the IOC has strict requirements for olive oil.

You may read about the refrigerator method of telling the authenticity of an oil, but like olive oil, several other oils will become solid or semi solid when exposed to cooler temperature.

Look for a harvest date.  On bottles you should find a harvest date and an expiration date.  An expiration date is usually 2 years from the bottled date.  You want the oil as fresh as possible.  You should consume your olive oil no longer than 18 months from harvest.

There is also the burn method.  Olive oil is typically flammable.

What Are You Paying For?

True olive oil generally is more expensive.  Although Trader Joe’s sometimes has pure olive oil that is under $15.  It doesn’t stay on store shelves long.

It take over 10 pounds of olives to make 1 quart of olive oil.

10+ pounds of olives to make one quart of olive oil.

With true olive oil, you are paying for purity.  Most of the true olive oil farmers are small farms.  They regulations and cost of production are very high for them.  They don’t have a big profit margin to work within.

It’s All In The Taste

Once you taste real olive oil you don’t forget it.

The taste is peppery and pungent.  It will leave a slight burn in the back of your throat and make your eyes water a little.

A Short List Of The Good Olive Oil Types!

If you really want to develop your oil palate, I suggest you head on over to this website for the latest and greatest in olive oils from around the world.

Without further ado, these are some oils you can find in your local stores:

• O-Live
• Ottavo
• Sam’s Club- Ommagio  (my favorite)
• Lucini
• Costco- Kirkland Toscano (not the other Kirkland brands)
• Oleoestepa

Even if you find the brand above, look for the harvest date.  Anything over 18 months from harvest has lost its health properties.

Conclusion

Throw away the bad stuff and do your research on where you can find the pure olive oil in the stores closest to you.

There you have it.  Get a couple of good bottles of true extra virgin olive oil and some unfiltered coconut oil and you have some powerful medicine right there in your kitchen.

What brands do you have in your kitchen right now?  Do they meet the above criteria… or fail?