Important, New Information about Olive Oil for the summer season
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Extra-virgin olive oil is a good monounsaturated fat that is also well-known for its health benefits.
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It's a staple in healthful diets such as Mediterranean-style diets.
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However, it's important to realize it is not good for cooking.
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It should really only be used cold, typically drizzled on salads and other food.
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Due to its chemical structure and a large amount of unsaturated fats, cooking makes extra-virgin olive oil very susceptible to oxidative damage.
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However extra-virgin olive oil has a significant draw-back even when used cold – it's still extremely perishable!
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As it turns out, extra-virgin olive oil contains chlorophyll that accelerates decomposition and makes the oil go rancid rather quickly.
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Use almost tasteless, semi-refined olive oil rather than extra-virgin olive oil for this reason.
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If you're like most people, you're probably leaving your bottle of olive oil right on the counter, opening and closing it multiple times a week.
.
Remember, any time the oil is exposed to air and/or light, it oxidizes, and as it turns out, the chlorophyll in extra virgin olive oil accelerates the oxidation of the unsaturated fats.
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Clearly, consuming spoiled oil (of any kind) will likely do more harm than good.
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Treating it with the same care as you would other sensitive omega-3 oils:
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Keep in a cool, dark place
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Purchase smaller bottles rather than larger to ensure freshness
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Immediately replace the cap after each pour
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To help protect extra virgin olive oil from oxidation, put one drop of astaxanthin into the bottle.
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You can purchase astaxanthin, which is an extremely potent antioxidant, in soft gel capsules.
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Just prick it with a pin and squeeze the capsule into the oil.
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The beautiful thing about using astaxanthin instead of another antioxidant such as vitamin E, is that it is naturally red, whereas vitamin E is colorless, so you can tell the oil still has astaxanthin in it by its color.
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As the olive oil starts to pale in color, you know it's time to throw it away.
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You can also use one drop of lutein in your olive oil.
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Lutein imparts an orange color and will also protect against oxidation.
.
Again, once the orange color fades, your oil is no longer protected against rancidity and should be thrown away.
.
This method is yet another reason for buying small bottles.
.
If you have a large bottle, you may be tempted to keep it even though it has begun to oxidize.
.
Extra-virgin olive oil is a good monounsaturated fat that is also well-known for its health benefits.
.
It's a staple in healthful diets such as Mediterranean-style diets.
.
However, it's important to realize it is not good for cooking.
.
It should really only be used cold, typically drizzled on salads and other food.
.
Due to its chemical structure and a large amount of unsaturated fats, cooking makes extra-virgin olive oil very susceptible to oxidative damage.
.
However extra-virgin olive oil has a significant draw-back even when used cold – it's still extremely perishable!
.
As it turns out, extra-virgin olive oil contains chlorophyll that accelerates decomposition and makes the oil go rancid rather quickly.
.
Use almost tasteless, semi-refined olive oil rather than extra-virgin olive oil for this reason.
.
If you're like most people, you're probably leaving your bottle of olive oil right on the counter, opening and closing it multiple times a week.
.
Remember, any time the oil is exposed to air and/or light, it oxidizes, and as it turns out, the chlorophyll in extra virgin olive oil accelerates the oxidation of the unsaturated fats.
.
Clearly, consuming spoiled oil (of any kind) will likely do more harm than good.
.
Treating it with the same care as you would other sensitive omega-3 oils:
.
Keep in a cool, dark place
.
Purchase smaller bottles rather than larger to ensure freshness
.
Immediately replace the cap after each pour
.
To help protect extra virgin olive oil from oxidation, put one drop of astaxanthin into the bottle.
.
You can purchase astaxanthin, which is an extremely potent antioxidant, in soft gel capsules.
.
Just prick it with a pin and squeeze the capsule into the oil.
.
The beautiful thing about using astaxanthin instead of another antioxidant such as vitamin E, is that it is naturally red, whereas vitamin E is colorless, so you can tell the oil still has astaxanthin in it by its color.
.
As the olive oil starts to pale in color, you know it's time to throw it away.
.
You can also use one drop of lutein in your olive oil.
.
Lutein imparts an orange color and will also protect against oxidation.
.
Again, once the orange color fades, your oil is no longer protected against rancidity and should be thrown away.
.
This method is yet another reason for buying small bottles.
.
If you have a large bottle, you may be tempted to keep it even though it has begun to oxidize.
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