The more scientists discover the health benefits of olive oil, the more brands of olive oil one finds on supermarket shelves. With the wide array of attractive bottles and labels and many claiming to be 100 percent pure, it is easy for the consumer to get duped into spending money on an inferior olive oil.
Here are a few helpful hints for purchasing the best olive oil for your taste buds and your health.
1. Start with a label indicating that inside the bottle is 100 percent cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil.
2. Check the “use by” dates. Olive oil stays fresh for a maximum of one year to 18 months from harvest (depending on how it is stored). Therefore, the further away the “use by” date, the better. If an oil does not indicate an expiration date at all, definitely do not buy it.
3. Do your homework and know the real source of the olive oil. This is easier said than done. The market is flooded with companies claiming that their olive oil is pure and from respected olive oil producing countries such as Italy and Greece. Yet, in January 2016, the CBS News show “60 Minutes” revealed that an estimated 80 percent of the olive oils on the market today are fake oils having been adulterated with far inferior and even toxic oils like canola and cottonseed.
4. Buy olive oil sold in dark glass bottles or tins. Natural and artificial light which shine onto oil stored in clear containers shortens its shelf life causing it to become rancid faster.
5. Purchase olive oil which has a bit of a peppery flavor and even tickles the back of your throat. This indicates that the health giving polyphenol levels are high providing natural healthful antioxidants.
6. Though prices vary, high-quality olive oil is rarely cheap. Growing, producing and shipping the best olive oil is labor intensive, seasonal and requires expertise.
Rabbi Shmuel Veffer, owner of Galilee Green, a company producing high quality extra virgin olive oil from Israel for worldwide export, shared with Breaking Israel News that, through his product, he strives to help people improve their health and the flavor of their food by exporting a truly fresh and nutritious olive oil from the Holy Land.
“As a rabbi living and working in Israel, we have an obligation to answer to a higher authority,” he said. “We take this responsibility very seriously and pray that patrons of Galilee Green extra-virgin olive oil enrich their lives and their health through this boutique product. We like to think of ourselves as our client’s family in the Biblical homeland, a family they can trust.”
Galilee Green is a small company. “We are presently in harvest season,” explained Rabbi Veffer. “We take the newly harvested olives and immediately press them into oil. It doesn’t get fresher than that!”
With the holiday season quickly approaching, Rabbi Veffer pointed out that many people over-consume food and sweets at this time of year. “Adding olive oil to one’s diet has been found to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and even help people to lose weight. Now is the perfect time to counteract the negative effects of holiday parties by increasing one’s olive oil intake. It also makes a welcomed and unique gift-as long as you know that you are purchasing the right olive oil.”