Toxic rapeseed and other low-grade oils with additives are being passed off as olive oil

[donnay]

Toxic rapeseed and other low-grade oils with additives are being passed off as olive oil


(NaturalNews) As much as 50 percent of the olive oil sold in the U.S. is not actually pure olive oil, as some brands claiming to be "extra-virgin" or "100 percent Italian," for instance, have actually been adulterated with toxic rapeseed oil, more popularly known as canola oil, soybean oil, and other low-grade oils. In his new book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, olive oil expert Tom Mueller explains that not all olive oil is the same, and offers advice on how to spot authentic olive oil amidst all the imposters.

During a recent interview with Terry Gross from NPR's Fresh Air, Mueller explains how olive oil adulteration is much more widespread than people think, if they are even aware of it at all. For olive oil to truly be considered "extra-virgin," it has to come from fresh, crushed olives, and not be refined in any way or contain any chemical solvents. It also has to pass certain tests of integrity in order to be considered legitimate, for which many of the brands popularly sold today would fail.

"The legal definition simply says it has to pass certain chemical tests, and in a sensory way it has to taste and smell vaguely of fresh olives, because it's a fruit, and have no faults," said Mueller. "But many of the extra-virgin olive oils on our shelves today in America don't clear [the legal definition]."

Beige olive oil in plastic bottles is most likely adulterated
Real extra-virgin olive oil should have a vibrant, almost peppery flavor, for instance, and not taste bland or watered down. It is also typically stored in dark, glass bottles so that its array of health-promoting antioxidants, its taste, and its forceful green color -- yes, olive oil should be green, not yellowish in color -- are not harmed by light or damaging UV rays from the sun. For this reason, avoiding olive oil in clear, plastic bottles is recommended.

"What [real olive oil] gets you from a health perspective is a cocktail of 200-plus highly beneficial ingredients that explain why olive oil has been the heart of the Mediterranean diet," added Mueller during his interview with NPR. "Bad olives have free radicals and impurities, and then you've lost that wonderful cocktail ... that you get from fresh fruit, from real extra-virgin olive oil."

Most imported extra-virgin olive oil appears questionable in authenticity
The University of California, Davis published a report on olive oil back in 2010 entitled Tests indicate that imported 'extra virgin' olive oil often fails international and USDA standards. In this report, researchers found that 69 percent of imported and ten percent of California-based oils labeled as olive oil did not pass International Olive Council (IOC) and US Department of Agriculture sensory standards for extra virgin olive oil.

Of those brands tested, the following failed to meet extra-virgin olive oil standards:

• Bertolli
• Carapelli
• Filippo Berio
• Mazzola
• Mezzetta
• Newman's Own
• Pompeian
• Rachel Ray
• Safeway
• Star
• Whole Foods

The following brands were found to meet extra-virgin olive oil standards as part of the study:

• Corto Olive
• California Olive Ranch
• Kirkland Organic
• Lucero (Ascolano)
• McEvoy Ranch Organic

You can read the entire UC Davis Study here:
http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu

Be sure to avoid any olive oil labeled as "light," as these are the lowest quality olive oils available. Also, be sure to choose either California-based olive oils, the vast majority of which are legitimate, or imported olive oils certified by IOC.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.nytimes.com

http://www.npr.org

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035124_olive_oil_adulterated_canola.html#ixzz1oooU b069

[libertyjam]

Another expose in Italy showed that the problems likely originate there. Italian oil producers were shown to be exporting as made in Italy EV-Olive oil that were imported from somewhere else and mostly not EV, maybe or maybe not mixed with a little olive oil that may or may not have been EV, packaged, and then re-exported to be sold in the US and Europe labeled as 100% EV with a made in Italy label.

[donnay]

Another expose in Italy showed that the problems likely originate there. Italian oil producers were shown to be exporting as made in Italy EV-Olive oil that were imported from somewhere else and mostly not EV, maybe or maybe not mixed with a little olive oil that may or may not have been EV, packaged, and then re-exported to be sold in the US and Europe labeled as 100% EV with a made in Italy label.

I do not doubt it. I would just buy organic olive oil from the west coast, that's what I do.

[Zippyjuan]

Canola oil (rapeseed) oil is toxic?

[teacherone]

Rapeseed oil is healthy and good tasting. I have a bottle of organic Rapeseed oil in the cabinet.

[libertyjam]

Rapeseed oil is healthy and good tasting. I have a bottle of organic Rapeseed oil in the cabinet.

I try not to buy it or use it as little as possible, the Omega 3 to Omega 6 profile is too low so not what I would call healthy.

[donnay]

Canola oil (rapeseed) oil is toxic?

THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF CANOLA

Let's start with some history. The time period is the mid-1980s and the food industry has a problem. In collusion with the American Heart Association, numerous government agencies and departments of nutrition at major universities, the industry had been promoting polyunsaturated oils as a heart-healthy alternative to "artery-clogging" saturated fats. Unfortunately, it had become increasingly clear that polyunsaturated oils, particularly corn oil and soybean oil, cause numerous health problems, including and especially cancer.1

The industry was in a bind. It could not continue using large amounts of liquid polyunsaturated oils and make health claims about them in the face of mounting evidence of their dangers. Nor could manufacturers return to using traditional healthy saturates - butter, lard, tallow, palm oil and coconut oil - without causing an uproar. Besides, these fats cost too much for the cut-throat profit margins in the industry.

The solution was to embrace the use of monounsaturated oils, such as olive oil. Studies had shown that olive oil has a "better" effect than polyunsaturated oils on cholesterol levels and other blood parameters. Besides, Ancel Keys and other promoters of the diet-heart idea had popularised the notion that the Mediterranean diet - rich in olive oil and conjuring up images of a carefree existence on sun-drenched islands - protected against heart disease and ensured a long and healthy life.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) sponsored the First Colloquium on Monounsaturates in Philadelphia. The meeting was chaired by Scott Grundy, a prolific writer and apologist for the notion that cholesterol and animal fats cause heart disease. Representatives from the edible oil industry, including Unilever, were in attendance. The Second Colloquium on Monounsaturates took place in Bethesda, Maryland, early in 1987. Dr Grundy was joined by Dr Claude Lenfant, head of the NHLBI, and speakers included Dr Fred Mattson, who had spent many years at Procter & Gamble, and the Dutch scientist Martijn Katan, who would later publish research on the problems with trans fatty acids. It was at this time that articles extolling the virtues of olive oil began to appear in the popular press.

Promotion of olive oil, which had a long history of use, seemed more scientifically sound to the health-conscious consumer than the promotion of corn and soy oil, which could only be extracted with modern stainless steel presses. The problem for the industry was that there was not enough olive oil in the world to meet its needs. And, like butter and other traditional fats, olive oil was too expensive to use in most processed foods. The industry needed a less expensive monounsaturated oil.

Rapeseed oil was a monounsaturated oil that had been used extensively in many parts of the world, notably in China, Japan and India. It contains almost 60 per cent monounsaturated fatty acids (compared to about 70 per cent in olive oil). Unfortunately, about two-thirds of the monounsaturated fatty acids in rapeseed oil are erucic acid, a 22-carbon monounsaturated fatty acid that had been associated with Keshan's disease, characterised by fibrotic lesions of the heart. In the late 1970s, using a technique of genetic manipulation involving seed splitting,2 Canadian plant breeders came up with a variety of rapeseed that produced a monounsaturated oil that was low in 22-carbon erucic acid and high in 18-carbon oleic acid.

The new oil - referred to as LEAR oil, for Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed - was slow to catch on in the US. In 1986, Cargill announced the sale of LEAR oilseed to US farmers and provided LEAR oil processing at its Riverside, North Dakota, plant, but prices dropped and farmers took a hit.3

http://www.whale.to/a/fallon.html


************************************************** *****
The Truth About Canola Oil

Many companies are selling canola oil as the "healthy" alternative, but canola oil is a bastardized oil made from genetically engineered rapeseed plants. Canola oil, in fact, was invented in 1976, and it wasn't merely the product of selective breeding, as its proponents contend. Its parent, rapeseed, was banned for food oils, because it attacks the heart to cause permanent degenerative lesions. Canola is not exactly the healthy choice either, and as mentioned earlier, it is officially an E.P.A. registered pesticide. What remains of canola oil (after cooking) is just another hydrogenated oil being pushed by the industry, solely for greed; and it will damage the cardiovascular system in time, like all such oils do. Part of the word games used to deceive us about canola oil involve the fact that it is a healthy oil until it is actually heated. Then it undergoes a chemical transformation. So yes, canola is technically a healthy oil – provided that you do not actually cook any of your food in it. As long as it remains cold and inside its air-tight bottle – it tests to be healthy! However, once heated, canola oil produces 1,3-Butadiene, benzene, acrolein, formaldehyde, and other related compounds which become infused into the foods being cooked.

Canola has been banned from infant formulas because it stunts the growth, and there are likely other reasons not disclosed.

Canola oil is also noted to produce cancer causing toxic fumes when heated at much lower temperatures than are required to cause smoking by other oils, and of course, heating is its intended use. Rapeseed and canola oil fumes are the primary reason for the surprisingly high incidence of Asian lung cancers, despite tobacco smoking being a rarity. Canola fumes have been known to kill pet birds, and many readers will remember that pet parakeets were once used in coal mines to detect the presence of poison gases.

While we do not always see eye-to-eye with Dr. Joseph Mercola, we do always respect him for having guts. He was the first to go against the collective grain to attack the deceptive canola industry, and it was right that he did. As reported by Dr. Mercola:

"Canola oil was developed from the rape seed, a member of the mustard family. Rape seed is unsuited to human consumption because it contains a very-long-chain fatty acid called erucic acid, which under some circumstances is associated with fibrotic heart lesions. It has a high sulphur content and goes rancid easily. Baked goods made with canola oil develop mold very quickly. During the deodorizing process, the omega-3 fatty acids of processed canola oil are transformed into the dangerous trans fatty acids, similar to those in margarine, and possibly more dangerous. A recent study indicates that 'heart healthy' canola oil actually creates a deficiency of vitamin E, a vitamin required for a healthy cardiovascular system. Other studies indicate that even low-erucic-acid canola oil causes heart lesions, particularly when the diet is low in saturated fat."

Which ironically reminds me that one of the retail "vegetable" oils even boasts about having Vitamin E. Of course, it was the synthetic variant of Vitamin E that was added at the chemical plant, which actually does almost nothing; but in addition, it likewise becomes highly toxic when heated. It is important to remember that this was in a cooking oil. That made it so "healthy" after all, because the canola and soy were just not healthy enough without it. I really had to wonder why they didn't simply add some paint thinner too – which is technically very chemically similar to these oils when broken down by high heat.

To learn the painful details about the chemical engineering required to make canola oil supposedly safe for human consumption, see our previous article, The Bomb Shell Truth About Canola Oil.

Our strong recommendation is that you use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for almost everything, or even pure butter. Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil is unchanged from God's hand. Sunflower oil (not to be confused with safflower) is a second best if it is unavailable. Use peanut oil for deep frying and other very high heat cooking, because of its resistance to breaking down in high heat.

http://healthwyze.org/index.php/toxic-cooking-oils-soy-and-canola.html

More info:
http://www.sdadefend.com/Health/Canola-Hist.htm
http://www.dldewey.com/columns/canola.htm
http://www.creationsmagazine.com/articles/C126/Horowitz.html
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=AEE77E1636E97778AB05E6F31D6B1C27
http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/canola.htm

[VIDEODROME]

Just from the taste description I can imagine what I have on hand is a blend.

I am not alarmed by toxicity, but annoyed by a disingenuous product. As is mentioned maybe people are seeking a particular taste in the oil which isn't there because it blended with another product.

[donnay]

Free radicals are a problem they can cause much damage to your organs and cells.


CANOLA OIL


By Dr. Bruce Fife

If you go to the grocery store you will see all types of foods proudly proclaiming they are made with canola oil. You see it in every type of food imaginable from frozen dinners to cookies and crackers. You can even buy it by the bottle.

CANOLA OILanola oil has gained a reputation a one of the "good" fats because it is primarily a monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, which is regard as one of the healthiest of all the fats. Many people claim canola oil is even better than olive oil because, next to flaxseed oil, it contains the highest amount of omega-3 fats. Omega-3s are believed to help prevent heart disease. Olive oil contains no omega-3 fats. Because of this, canola oil has received a great deal of recognition as the "premiere" monounsaturated fat and is highly promoted as health food by food producers. But how good is it really?

Food produces have learned from years of experience that if they present a poor quality food as healthy, it will become a best seller. That is the situation with canola oil. The truth is that canola oil is not a healthy oil. In fact, it is one of the unhealthiest oils you could ever eat and you should avoid anything and everything that contains it. Let me tell you why.

Canola oil is not a natural oil. It is a man-made oil never before seen in nature until a few years ago thanks to the wonders of modern chemistry. There is no such thing as a canola plant or a canola seed. Canola oil comes from hybridized, genetically modified rapeseed plants. The oil from natural rapeseed contains a highly toxic substance known as erucic acid and is illegal to sell for human consumption. Erucic acid is highly toxic to the heart and promotes heart failure. Rapeseed that is genetically modified to produce oil that contains a lower amount of erucic acid is called canola oil. Although most of the erucic acid has been removed, canola oil still contains about 1% of this heart-destroying toxin. Why would you want to eat an oil that contains harmful toxins?

One of the supposed benefits of canola oil is its high omega-3 content (10%). This benefit, however, is another reason why you shouldn't eat it. Omega-3 fats are very delicate and highly sensitive to heat. That's why you never heat flaxseed oil. The same is true with canola oil. It should never be heated because when omega-3s are heated they quickly oxidize (become rancid) and produce cell-destroying molecules known as free radicals. Canola oil is processed under high temperatures (over 300 degrees). This causes the polyunsaturated oils in it to transform into toxic trans fatty acids and the omega-3s to oxidize and become free radicals. All the beneficial omega-3s in the oil have been destroyed and turned into harmful substances.

You should never use canola oil in any type of cooking, even low temperature cooking because it creates trans fatty acids and free radicals both of which are very harmful to the body. Ironically, most the food products sold that contain canola oil are cooked or require cooking at home.

Don't be fooled by food company propaganda regarding canola oil. It's one food that isn't fit to eat.

http://www.jctonic.com/include/healingcrisis/21canola_oil.htm

[PaulStandsTall]

Not to mention it tastes like crap.

Before you try and refute me, ask yourself this question:
Have you ever fried oysters in coconut oil?

:)

[donnay]

Not to mention it tastes like crap.

Before you try and refute me, ask yourself this question:
Have you ever fried oysters in coconut oil?

:)

I have never fried oysters, but I fried clams in coconut oil and they were delicious!

[wrestlingwes_8]

Rapeseed oil is healthy and good tasting. I have a bottle of organic Rapeseed oil in the cabinet.

They also sell organic cookies, sugar, chocolate, beer, and potato chips. Just because something is organic doesn't mean it's healthy; it just means it was made without the use of any chemicals, GMOs, etc..

[specsaregood]

The following brands were found to meet extra-virgin olive oil standards as part of the study:
• California Olive Ranch

we've been using this lately, its pretty darn good and we go through a lot of olive oil.



Before you try and refute me, ask yourself this question:
Have you ever fried oysters in coconut oil?

Coconut oil works great on baby butts to prevent diaper rash too. We go through a lot of that as well.

[donnay]

They also sell organic cookies, sugar, chocolate, beer, and potato chips. Just because something is organic doesn't mean it's healthy; it just means it was made without the use of any chemicals, GMOs, etc..

Honestly, I do not know how they can pass off Canola as organic, it was genetically engineered rapeseed?

"Canola oil is a poisonous substance, an industrial oil that does not belong in the body. It contains "the infamous chemical warfare agent mustard gas," hemagglutinins, and toxic cyanide-containing glycosides. It causes mad cow disease, blindness, nervous disorders, clumping of blood cells, and depression of the immune system."

http://www.sdadefend.com/Health/Canola-Hist.htm

[donnay]

we've been using this lately, its pretty darn good and we go through a lot of olive oil.

I hope you do not cook with it. It goes rancid at 200 degrees.

[specsaregood]

I hope you do not cook with it. It goes rancid at 200 degrees.

you can't believe everything you read online.

[Salvial]

Coconut oil works great on baby butts to prevent diaper rash too. We go through a lot of that as well.

And cradle cap!

[TC95]

Coconut oil works great on baby butts to prevent diaper rash too. We go through a lot of that as well.

Thanks for the tip! I love it on my own skin, in place of lotion, but never thought to use it for diaper rash.

[Kluge]

What's the word on sunflower oil? I'd like to try my hand at making my own cold-pressed at some point.

[patriot2008]

Honestly, I do not know how they can pass off Canola as organic, it was genetically engineered rapeseed?

"Canola oil is a poisonous substance, an industrial oil that does not belong in the body. It contains "the infamous chemical warfare agent mustard gas," hemagglutinins, and toxic cyanide-containing glycosides. It causes mad cow disease, blindness, nervous disorders, clumping of blood cells, and depression of the immune system."

http://www.sdadefend.com/Health/Canola-Hist.htm

The Anti-Science of John Thomas

Mr. Thomas eschews "science." This is why, on page 228, he is able to make the claim that the "condition," as he puts it, of homosexuality begins with diet.

Not Promoting any particular oil, just ran across this info on where a lot of that came from and MUCH is totally debunked here: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blcanola2.htm

[donnay]

The Anti-Science of John Thomas

Mr. Thomas eschews "science." This is why, on page 228, he is able to make the claim that the "condition," as he puts it, of homosexuality begins with diet.

Not Promoting any particular oil, just ran across this info on where a lot of that came from and MUCH is totally debunked here: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blcanola2.htm

Rapeseed is derived from the mustard family and is considered a toxic and poisonous weed, which when processed, becomes rancid very quickly.

Canola Oil (011332) Fact Sheet
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/ingredients/factsheets/factsheet_011332.htm

Lorenzo's oil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo%27s_oil

Canola Report - Updated Feb. 27th, 2001
http://www.dldewey.com/columns/canola.htm

Holistic Health Encyclopedia
http://www.findhealer.com/glossary/C.php3

Dangers of Canola Oil
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/01/16/dangers-canola-oil.aspx

Written by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD
http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/the-great-con-ola

[donnay]

you can't believe everything you read online.

I like to cross reference it with journals and books I have and these people are saying the same things.

Olive Oil Good for Health but Not for Cooking
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/09/27/olive-oil-health.aspx

What Oil Should You be Cooking With, and Which Should You Avoid?
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/15/cooking-oil.aspx

Smokin’ Hot: Are You Cooking With Extra-Virgin Olive Oil?
http://www.thesweetbeet.com/cooking-oil-olive-oil/

[donnay]

What's the word on sunflower oil? I'd like to try my hand at making my own cold-pressed at some point.

Sunflower is considered a polyunsaturated fats and they have no shelf life per se. They go rancid very quickly, unless you refrigerate them. But what does oil do when you refrigerate it? They are definitely not good to cook with either, the heat makes them rancid.

"Unsaturated fats are derived from the seeds of plants, and seeds contain toxins and enzyme suppressors that block protein digestive enzymes in the stomachs of mammals."

Here is a good study:
http://thescreamonline.com/essays/essays5-1/vegoil.html

[specsaregood]

I like to cross reference it with journals and books I have and these people are saying the same things.
Olive Oil Good for Health but Not for Cooking
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/09/27/olive-oil-health.aspx
What Oil Should You be Cooking With, and Which Should You Avoid?
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/15/cooking-oil.aspx
Smokin’ Hot: Are You Cooking With Extra-Virgin Olive Oil?
http://www.thesweetbeet.com/cooking-oil-olive-oil/

Heat does not make oil go rancid. Here ya go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancidification#Rancidification_pathways
The rancidity you are talking about is due to oxidation. Heat can help it happen faster; but heat is not the cause, oxygen is and the short amount of time it is cooking is not going to turn it rancid.



Olive Oil Good for Health but Not for Cooking
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/09/27/olive-oil-health.aspx

not sure why you included this link, it does not say olive oil goes rancid when you cook it, it just appears to be one big advertisement for coconut oil.



What Oil Should You be Cooking With, and Which Should You Avoid?
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/15/cooking-oil.aspx

not sure why you included this link, it does not say olive oil goes rancid when you cook it, it just appears to be one big advertisement for coconut oil.



Smokin’ Hot: Are You Cooking With Extra-Virgin Olive Oil?
http://www.thesweetbeet.com/cooking-oil-olive-oil/
This has nothing to do with going rancid, this has to do with burning the oil. Yes, when cooking with oils you want to keep the temperature below the smoke-point. But I don't like to burn the oil in my food anyways. Keeping it below the smokepoint isn't hard to do, just keep it low and take a little more time.

while we are pimping for cocnut oil, this is what I sometimes cook with and use everyday on baby butt:
http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/category/cold-pressed-extra-virgin-coconut-organic-oil.php
its nice that it is solid at room temperature, as it stores easily and spreads easy when wiping.

[Kluge]

Using a butter/olive oil combination will raise the smoke point and make your dish tastier. Keep in mind that different grades of oil will have different smoke points too.

http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/collectedinfo/oilsmokepoints.htm

[PaulStandsTall]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omjWmLG0EAs

vs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eocjedyc8CA

[donnay]

Heat does not make oil go rancid. Here ya go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancidification#Rancidification_pathways
The rancidity you are talking about is due to oxidation. Heat can help it happen faster; but heat is not the cause, oxygen is and the short amount of time it is cooking is not going to turn it rancid.


not sure why you included this link, it does not say olive oil goes rancid when you cook it, it just appears to be one big advertisement for coconut oil.


not sure why you included this link, it does not say olive oil goes rancid when you cook it, it just appears to be one big advertisement for coconut oil.


This has nothing to do with going rancid, this has to do with burning the oil. Yes, when cooking with oils you want to keep the temperature below the smoke-point. But I don't like to burn the oil in my food anyways. Keeping it below the smokepoint isn't hard to do, just keep it low and take a little more time.

while we are pimping for cocnut oil, this is what I sometimes cook with and use everyday on baby butt:
http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/category/cold-pressed-extra-virgin-coconut-organic-oil.php
its nice that it is solid at room temperature, as it stores easily and spreads easy when wiping.

"What's rancidity in olive oil?

Rancidity is when olive oil has begun to deteriorate, and the three biggest enemies of olive oil are heat, light, and oxygen. For example, adding heat in the production process, storing the oil in direct light, or exposing the oil to oxygen will all cause an oil to go bad. Using chemicals in production can definitely hurt the taste of the product, as well as speeding up the deterioration of the oil. In order to be certified by the California Olive Oil Council (a domestic standard for olive oil), where much of the nation's awesome olive oils are produced, you can't use any chemicals in production and the acidity of the olive oil must be less than half of one percent. The less acidity the more antioxidants and nutrients still present in the oil."

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/olive-oil-rancid.htm


"This study reinforces the value of olive oil in promoting health as part of the Mediterranean diet. While olive oil can and should be a healthy part of your diet, what most people do not appreciate is that olive oil should not be used to cook with.

Olive oil is primarily a monounsaturated fat. This means that it has one double bond in its fatty acid structure. The problem with olive oil is its overabundance of oleic acid, which creates an imbalance on the cellular level that can inhibit prostaglandin production, which can increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease."

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...il-health.aspx


"Although mainstream media portrays olive oil as the healthiest oil, this title does not extend to cooking. Olive oil is primarily a monounsaturated fat. This means that it has one double bond in its fatty acid structure. Although a monounsaturated fat is inherently more stable than a polyunsaturated fat, the overabundance of oleic acid in olive oil creates an imbalance on the cellular level, which has been associated to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease. Olive oil is a smart fat to include in your diet in a non-heated form, however."

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/15/cooking-oil.aspx

"I’ve started to realize, though, that my promiscuous ways may have a downside. The “smoke point” of an oil (the temperature at which it begins to burn and decompose) is quite low for extra-virgin olive oil (320 degrees Fahrenheit), in fact it’s 50% lower than both the more refined/processed extra-light olive oil as well as corn oil.

Why does this matter? Because at the smoke-point the oil starts to give off gaseous fumes, its flavor deteriorates and nutrients are diminished. It’s not that it’s so terrible to use an oil over it’s “smoke point”, its just that you’re no longer getting the qualities of the oil that you likely chose it for in the first place. (Though in very large quantities, a “burnt” oil can be toxic.)"

http://www.thesweetbeet.com/cooking-oil-olive-oil/


One reason the polyunsaturates cause so many health problems is that they tend to become oxidized or rancid when subjected to heat, oxygen and moisture as in cooking and processing. Rancid oils are characterized by free radicals—that is, single atoms or clusters with an unpaired electron in an outer orbit. These compounds are extremely reactive chemically. They have been characterized as "marauders" in the body for they attack cell membranes and red blood cells and cause damage in DNA/RNA strands, thus triggering mutations in tissue, blood vessels and skin. Free radical damage to the skin causes wrinkles and premature aging; free radical damage to the tissues and organs sets the stage for tumors; free radical damage in the blood vessels initiates the buildup of plaque. Is it any wonder that tests and studies have repeatedly shown a high correlation between cancer and heart disease with the consumption of polyunsaturates?32 New evidence links exposure to free radicals with premature aging, with autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and with Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, Alzheimer's and cataracts.33

(...)

"Olive Oil contains 75% oleic acid, the stable monounsaturated fat, along with 13% saturated fat, 10% omega-6 linoleic acid and 2% omega-3 linolenic acid. The high percentage of oleic acid makes olive oil ideal for salads and for cooking at moderate temperatures. Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in antioxidants. It should be cloudy, indicating that it has not been filtered, and have a golden yellow color, indicating that it is made from fully ripened olives. Olive oil has withstood the test of time; it is the safest vegetable oil you can use, but don't overdo. The longer chain fatty acids found in olive oil are more likely to contribute to the buildup of body fat than the short- and medium-chain fatty acids found in butter, coconut oil or palm kernel oil."

http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/skinny-on-fats

[teacherone]

i don't know...rapeseed grows all over germany.

i buy the organic kind - grown by local farmers and pressed.

not sure what the fuss is about.

here's the Rhine river with some rapeseed fields to relax you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF2XpKUX80k

[dannno]

Wow, there's a groupon going on right now for some flavored artisan olive oils and aged balsamic, very good deal!

http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-olea-bella-sampler-pack?sd=false&utm_campaign=UserReferral_pp&utm_med ium=email&utm_source=uu33890747