Extra Virgin Olive Oil Choosing Extra Virgin Olive Oil Why should one buy good quality extra virgin olive oil if it is much more expensive than other oils? Attention to alimentary habits is nowadays particularly spread since it has been proven that obesity, hypertension, diabetes, digestive difficulty and cardiovascular illness are caused by incorrect diets that include poor quantity of polyunsaturated fatty acids and plenty saturated ones. That's why there has been a re-discovery of the alimentary habits of the Mediterranean countries ever since it has been screened that the populations of those areas are healthier and less affected by the above mentioned illnesses. Bread, pasta, vegetables, fresh fruit, fish, milk and its derivates, and extra virgin olive oil are the main elements of the mediterranean diet. The benefits of extra virgin olive oil The introduction in the diet of extra virgin olive oil can: REDUCE: - percentage of Ldl cholesterol (the "bad one") - risk of occlusion of arteries - arterial pressure - sugar percentage in the blood INCREASE: - blood percentage of Hdl cholesterol (the   "good one") - bile secretion - introduction of vitamin A, D and E - absorption of other vitamins IT IS USEFUL TO LIMIT OR PREVENT: - atherosclerosis - heart attacks - some forms of cancer - the effects of cellular aging - gastritis - gastric ulcer - ostheoporosis ITS EFFECTS ARE:: - antioxidative, for the presence of polyphenoli   which attack free radicals - diuretic - laxative - antipiretic - antinflammatory for the stomach The characteristics of an extra virgin olive oil An olive oil to be labelled "extra virgin" must be no more acid than 0.8 degree of oleic acid(the lesser the better) and SHOULD be (unfortunately there is plenty of fraud about it) not a mixture of different oils. It should also be the result of 1 cool extracting process (that is the olive paste should not be brought to temperatures exceeding 27 C) and have a perfect smell. The reason for "Extra Virgin" is a must Any chemical manipulation or rectification of olive oils ( plain olive oil, husk oil and other non extra virgin oils) can destroy the aromatic components and particularly the polyphenols, jeopardizing not only the taste but above all the antioxidative and healthy properties of the oil. However, the above mentioned healthy properties of the oil can also be wasted even before the transformation processes by which olives are being transformed into oil. This is the reason for it is extremely important understanding those processes.