Health Benefits

You've probably heard of all the health benefits olive oil is supposed to offer, hearing people rage about it on tv, social media, or any local events. Many people will eat olive oil not knowing the actual benefits that it may possess. This brief article will help to explain a little bit about real olive oil and how powerful of a superfood it can really be.

Real extra virgin olive oil gets the majority of it's health benefits from a compound called polyphenols. Polyphenols are an antioxidant naturally found in extra virgin olive oil, and the amount of polyphenol can vary depending on the species of tree, the time of year the oil was harvested, and even the country it was produced in. For example, Spain produces around 50% of the worlds olive oil, yet spanish olive trees only live 12-15 years on average, and naturally have lower polyphenol levels than Tunisian or Greek olive oils. You should also be sure to make sure the olive oil you buy is from one single source, and avoid labels with multiple countries as the source of the oil. Polyphenols have many health benefits in them ranging from heart health, to joints, to even mental clarity. Polyphenols are also  a great immune system booster. A 2015 study  showed that adults that switched from using other oils to extra virgin olive oil had cardio-metabolic and immunological benefits. Our regular customers that we've interacted with over a period of time have, on multiple occasions said that after taking some of the olive oil every day on an empty stomach, they felt mentally sharper, joints felt better, had better blood work results overall, and had lower cholesterol. According to the National Institute Of Health (NIH), polyphenols are: powerful antioxidants displaying anticancer, anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. 

Our olive oil, as stated in other parts of the website, come from one single source in Tunisia. For an extra virgin olive oil to have high polyphenol levels, it has to be from one single source, it can't be tampered with, and it has to come from an area and species of tree that can produce oil with that amount of polyphenol. A Japanese study showed that Tunisian olive oil is on average 10-20 times higher in polyphenols compared to other mediterranean oils. To be sure that your olive oil is "real" it should be from only one source, be first cold pressed, and 100% extra virgin. You'd be surprised how many fake olive oils there are, virtually any oil you buy in the supermarket is somehow infected with seed oils. And that actually has some interesting history behind it. The Italian mafia are the ones who got involved and watered down most olive oils in the US. The agromafia is a strain of the organized criminal group, and bring in around 15% of all mafia income per year! The agromafia dilutes the olive oil with common cheaper oils such as sunflower, soy, and canola oil and sells it as extra virgin olive oil. It's estimated that in Italy 50% of the olive oil on shelves are unregistered fakes. Other studies show that 69% of european exported olive oil isn't as they claim. They're able to do this with the long supply chains that a lot of big box oil companies have. Real olive oil should have a distinct rich olive flavor, maybe being a little pepper-y in the back of your throat, while most grocery store olive oils don't have that taste.

We hope that this article helped you to understand a little more about olive oil, the health benefits, and some of the scams to be weary of. We hope you enjoy any products that we were able to deliver you, and are eager to hearing from you!