STOP! Before You Purchase Italian Olive Oil

For a number of years, we've been seeing patients who appear to be reacting negatively to olive oil.  This has been a source of puzzlement and concern as most of the people insisted that they were purchasing oil that was labeled, "organic, cold pressed."  Last night, the show 60 Minutes may have finally cleared up the mystery.

It appears that, for many years, the Italian Mafia has been earning billions of dollars from tampering with the olive harvests that produce high quality, cold pressed olive oil.  It's called, "Agromafia," and while tampering with the food supply chain has supposedly been happening for four millennia, it 's the interconnection among the world food supply that is causing the problem.

It has been estimated that 75-80% of the olive oil supply to the United States is tainted and would not meet the legal grades of extra virgin olive oil.  What we're getting is inferior quality seed oils that are colored with chlorophyll and, frequently, with pesticides. If the olive oil you are purchasing is inexpensive, it's fake.  Real, high quality extra virgin olive oil is expensive...around $30.00 a bottle (12-16 ounces).  Even that is no assurance that the oil is pure.

Here is what the experts suggest:

"Campanile has some suggestions. For starters, he says, look closely at the label. It may have a pretty Italian landscape, but was the oil actually produced in Italy? If so, where? Campanile says he's encouraged when it's from a city in Sicily or Puglia known for producing olive oil.

American shoppers can also buy online directly from Italian producers like Lucia Iannotta, who runs Iannotta Oil or Nicolo Clemenza, who is organizing his fellow farmers to cut out the Mafia middle men."

Additionally, purchasing olive oil from California or Spain might be our best bet.  Spanish olive oil contains the highest concentration of phytonutrients of any olive oil.  It's expensive; now I understand exactly why and am very happy that I've always purchased my oil from Spain.

Bon appetite!

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com