Olive oil

[Gcart]

Having read about how olive oil is ‘messed’ with is it healthier to use rapeseed oil.

It’s difficult to make a choice when reading things are corrupted for money!

They clam rapeseed oil is very healthy , so what do people think ?

[greygoose]

I think they're lying. I don't know how olive oil is messed around with, but rapeseed oil has got to be ten times worse. It's a processed oil. The seeds themselves might be 'healthy' but the oil-making process isn't.

[Gcart in reply to greygoose]

Oh dear. ,, it’s a minefield . Not keen on the sweet taste of coconut oil to fry eggs etc. What’s best do you think ?

[humanbean in reply to Gcart]

You could use beef dripping.

Edit : Unless you are vegetarian or vegan, obviously!

[greygoose in reply to Gcart]

Peanut oil isn't too bad, as far as I know. Because that's just pressed nuts. They don't have to go through all the horrible chemical processes to get the oil out. But, as I said, I don't really know what you're referring to with the olive oil. Do you have a link to something?

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Hi GG. I wrote a recent post to Marz about adulturated olive oil in the US market. Her informative reply indicated to me she was more knowledgeable about this than me. I only know what I read in an article. Apparently olive oil bottled in various countries and prepared for US distribution had a small amount of vegetable oils (ones higher in omega 6) added to the imported olive oil as a measure to cut costs and increase profits. I remember Bertolli was one of the companies involved. The olive oil is sent from the country of origin but bottled in the US. The article mentioned the Mafia having a financial stake in this. The story may or may not have merit but it's disappointing to think a basic healthy product is now being tampered with. 😢 Take care. irina

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Good lord! That's terrible. But, I don't think that happens in France. We have our own olive oil. Not as good as the Italian, but good enough.

[Marz in reply to greygoose]

The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit - by Mort Rosenbaum tells it all ! He travelled the Med and wrote the olive history in each country. Beautufully illustrated too. Great book.

Here in Crete the oil tankers from Italy arrive and fill up from various places and back on the ferry to Italy ! Have seen them with my own eyes. So the oil is sold as EVOO from Italy and Bertoli are the biggest offenders. The book mentions this as they do about the Mafia controlling OO into the US.

[greygoose in reply to Marz]

I will never buy Bertoli again.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Nor will I. Apparently it is one of the major offenders which I bought for years. Many overseas products are shipped in bulk from overseas but have factories and plants that package them here. That's when greed seems to take over. Corners are cut and things go south! One example: For years my favorite chocolate bar was Cadbury's Fruit and Nut. Somewhere along the way they began to be made in the US supposedly using Cadbury guidelines. I believe if you tasted one from the UK and then one made here you wouldn't recognize it or like it. One reason is american ingredients are used which almost always have more pesticides, additives, etc than other countries. So products taste different. Shelf life is everything here. In my opinion some of our ptocessed foods will outlast us. Sad! 😣

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Oh Hershy's (spelling?) bought Cadburys a long time ago! Much to everyone's regret and disgust in the UK! Cadbury was an age old institution, and the Brits hated the idea of it going out of British hands. I would imagine that UK sales of Cadbury's chocolate has dropped enormously since then, because everyone says how awful it is, now.

I worked in the chocolate industry for several years, and know what a bad reputation US chocolate had with UK manufacturers. Less % of cocoa beans is the main difference, plus too much sugar. Possibly even the use of artificial sweeteners, these days, too. But I don't know about that. And, what I've tasted of US chocolate, it is awful! And it was obvious that Cadbury's would change for the worse once it got into US hands. I'm afraid the US doesn't have a very good reputation for food in Europe.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

And one of the most common ingredients in our chocolate is parafin (wax!) which gives the product smoothness and gloss. Yuk!

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Yuck! That might account for the taste!

[thyr01d in reply to Hidden]

Good heavens!!

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

For those of us that want to eat healthy fortunately there are many products to choose from around the world. They are not always that much more expensive either. Our marketing practices take in a lot of people and commercial companies charge premium prices for good packaging but not so good food.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

I agree. The 2 countries mentioned were Italy and Spain. Specifically olive oil destined for the US market. I understand looking up brands we like will tell us if they are involved'. It seems to be less of a problem in countries that have more family owned smaller farms and is more prevalent in the US when an initially healthy product like olive oil is shipped in large quantities from a country to be bottled over here. Laws about food packaged in the US can be slippery and because we are so big there aren't always enough checks and balances. It is easier to get away with more. That's my take. Also I don't know if you have Costco overseas but I've done my homework re their Kirkland brand organic olive oil and it seems to be safe so I buy that. We can also order from small family farms overseas. Safe and very tasty but this can be expensive.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

I'm sure your take is right.

I've never seen Costco in Europe, but I couldn't say for sure. We don't have it in France, though.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Gcart]

Lard or butter

[Hidden in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

American butter is not great either. I believe because commercial milk is used. Good milk comes from well fed- well treated cows. Not always the case. I buy Kerrygold butter from Ireland-grassfed- and the difference in taste is obvious. Often our processing can turn what would be a healthy anti-inflammatory food into a less healthy harmful inflammatory product. Even foods labelled 'organic' are not always healthy. I understand now it is not enough for a food to be labelled 'organic' as this does not guarantee every ingredient is safe. The product must say 100% organic.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Hidden]

EU butter is better. Obviously organic is preferable and the rules in the Eu are different from in the US.

[Hidden in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I agree. Many of our laws about food are nebulous, lax, and not well-enforced leaving the door open to many food suppliers who are less than ethical.

[Hidden in reply to Gcart]

I now buy an organic advocado oil. It is good for high heat, has not strong taste and really lovely with fried eggs. Also the brand I buy from waitrose or ocado and I think sainsburys do it has some kind of pouring lip type thing in the bottle that reduces the flow a bit.So although it is a tad expensive it lasts well and you do not waste any. It come in a glass bottle which is great but unfortunatley we have stone kitchin floor and have dropped 2. It costs about £4.50 for half a litre and last me about 2 weeks. Forget the coco nut this stuff is class.

[Hidden in reply to Gcart]

I recently bought a jar of grass-fed unsalted ghee to try. I used it to pan fry liver a few days ago and it didn't change the taste of the liver and onions. Very innocuous. Just used a little as it was a non-stick pan. I was happy with the result. I found it in Sprouts (US). I cook Indian food often and ghee can be made at home with butter. But seemed too labor-intensive to me. Happy to find ghee in the store.

[Gcart]

No, it was something Marz posted just yesterday

[greygoose in reply to Gcart]

I see.

[Marz]

If you research the brand you should be fine with EVOO ...

[Gcart in reply to Marz]

Ok. Thanks for all that info. Can now buy with confidence 🙂

[Jackiez]

As long as you buy cold pressed rapeseed oil it's not been messed with! The same with olive oil, I buy organic cold pressed, usually it's Spanish, as I prefer it to Greek or Italian.

I wonder if the promotion of rapeseed oil is due to the fact that it can be produced in the UK in abundance, and they are trying to compete with the imported olive oil market.

[Hidden in reply to Jackiez]

The thing to check here is where the product was bottled or assembled. If the bottle says packaging was done in the country of origin that is a safer bet. But if` transported here in large containers to be packaged here, odds are it has been messed with.

[Angel_of_the_North]

I think all rapeseed oil is messed around with genetically in some way as natural rapeseed is actually toxic (erucic acid) and has to be specially bred to eliminate it. It's also a very common allergen, so I wouldn't use it. I'm not sure that much UK olive oil is adulterated YET, but it will be soon as the price is too low in the shops for producers - however RPA have been testing. I would use flax oil or one of the nut oils for salads and coconut oil or butter for cooking

[Hidden in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I like what Marz posted not too long ago. "If you can't grow it don't eat it."

[KERRINGTON]

d find it and will report back.Somewhere I read that California has very strict regulations on olive oil, I' m going to try an

[Hidden]

I have always used cold pressed organic olive oil, it's great.