People who have been paying attention to health news understand the astonishing and exciting benefits of three oils: olive oil, coconut oil and fish oil.
Each benefits us in different ways, yet all are essential. For this reason, health-conscious individuals consume these three oils on a regular, often daily, basis.
Food manufacturers noticed the spike in the sale of olive oil, coconut oil and fish oil, and predictably, got in on the game. The problem is, in order to grab their share of the market, they decided to offer cheaper varieties of these oils, hoping consumers wouldn't notice these items are also inferior in quality, and therefore less healthy.
Therefore, keep these things in mind when purchasing healthy oils to get the maximum good.
1. Make sure it's unrefined. Refined oils are ones that have been processed by using chemicals, oftentimes Hexane. Oils like these make up the bulk of the oil aisle at the grocery store. They are the ones in clear plastic bottles like vegetable oil, canola oil, soybean, peanut, safflower and corn oil. They are also the margarines and spreads in the dairy section. Stay away from these highly inflammatory oils.
2. Choose Extra-Virgin, First-Pressed. These designations mean the oil comes from the first pressing of the olives or coconuts, for example. The first pressing contains far more nutrients than subsequent pressings. In fact, one study found that the first-pressed olive oil lowered inflammation, while oil derived from second and later pressings did not.
3. Choose Cold-Pressed. This means the manufacturers used very little heat in getting the oil. Heat is the enemy of healthy oils. It changes the molecular structure so the oil loses its nutritional value. It can even become bad for you, similar to a trans fat.
4. Choose oils in dark, not clear bottles. Dark bottles protect the oils from sunlight, which can cause oils to go rancid.
5. Choose unfiltered. Unfiltered olive oil will appear cloudy. That's good, because what you're seeing are antioxidants and buffer acids that protect against oxidation, which is very harmful.
6. Choose organic. This guarantees it's free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and was not extracted using toxic solvents.
7. Watch out for blends and fakes. One study showed that seven out of 10 olive oils were adulterated in some way. Many manufacturers add cheap, refined olive oil or other unhealthy oils such as vegetable oil to their olive oil and slap on healthy-sounding names. Avoid words like "light" and "pure" and stick with the criteria outlined above.
Only buy enough oil to last about a month and make sure to store it in a cool, dry place, tightly closed because time, light and heat can damage the oil.
When it comes to purchasing fish oil, check out the label and make sure you get the kind that indicates the amount of EPA and DHA in each serving. Then consume enough to get about one gram of DHA per day. It's the DHA that's the key ingredient and has been shown to boost brain health. Some fish oil companies skimp on it and don't reveal that on the label.