In this article I will talk about the different types of extra virgin olive oil. As you will discover at the end of this article, I suggest you to buy Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is the best olive oil you can get for you heath even if it is not that easy to spot the differences when it comes to choosing which olive oil to buy.
Before I briefly describe all the different types of olive oil you can find, I have to say that in my analysis to answer the question which one is the best olive oil I have considered the 7 key benefits described in my previous article about benefits of olive oil.
Types of Olive Oil
On the market you can find several types of olive oil, even if very often it will be hard for you to distinguish among them on the supermarket shelf. Here I am going to differentiate different qualities on the basis of the olive oil production process.
- Regular or Pure Olive Oil
This olive oil is of lower quality and usually the least expensive. Regular or pure olive oil has undergone a chemical process whereby it has been refined and filtered to neutralize both undesirable strong tastes and acid content. - Virgin Olive Oil
Virgin means the olive oil was produced without any chemical additives, so it contains no refined oil. It has an acidity that’s less than 2%, so it tastes better. Basically, virgin olive oil is the result of olive press with no (or very little) further manipulation or processing, hence the term “virgin”. - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
It is very high quality olive oil since it comes from the first press only. This allows it to acquire perfect flavour, aroma, and balanced acidity. This olive oil is less processed than Virgin olive oil and is very delicate in flavour. It’s perfect for dipping bread, salad dressings, marinades, and for dressing rough food. - Cold Pressed Olive Oil
Cold pressed olive oil can be considered premium olive oil. It is produced following a special process that fully preserves the delicate flavour. Cold pressed means that this oil is only the result of the first press where the olive paste is gently warmed to reach room temperature to avoid loosing taste. Pressing is also done in winter or in general in colder environments to fully retain the flavour. Conversely, in the production process of non cold pressed olive oil, the olive paste is often pressed the second time using hot water and steam to extract the last drop, the heat during the second pressing took away the delicate flavours.
Cold Pressed Olive Oil by library_chic
To summarise, cold pressed olive oil is produced by pressing the olive paste is a very slow process in which olive oil is extracted from olives at room temperature (usually colder than usually). Unfortunately, cold pressed olive oil is an unregulated label description and often must really look hard on the bottles label to find ‘cold pressing’
Cold Pressed Olive Oil Benefits
Cold Pressed Olive Oil is a fantastic aid for any condition associated with dry skin. As I discussed in my article about organic extra virgin olive oil, olive oil be used both topically and as an internal remedy for dry skin. Here I have listed some examples where it can be used as a natural emollient:
- Cold-pressed olive oil works as an emollient, which means it soothes and softens. It helps the itching of eczema, which is a itchy skin condition characterized by oozing lesions. But remember that this is effective only when eczema is associated with dry skin (not always).
- Cold pressed olive oil can be used on the scalp as a remedy for extremely dry skin and hair. If you suffer from dry skin, try adding cold pressed olive oil to your diet. It doesn’t take a lot, as olive oil calories are very high.
- The monounsaturated fats in cold pressed extra virgin olive oil help lower LDL, (bad), Cholesterol without affecting the HDL, (good), levels. Take 1 teaspoon twice daily to help lower your Cholesterol levels.
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