How to Pick the Best Olive Oil

Extra-virgin oils have up to 10 times higher levels of helpful substances. Learn about different types and benefits of olive oil and how to pick the best one.

Eating food made with olive oil is clearly good for you, especially your heart. Yet, you can easily buy olive oil in the supermarket that lacks the key helpful compounds.

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Olive oil benefits and side effects

You might balk at the price of the better oils, but health claims about them have stood up to multiple tests. To see whether olive oil was important to the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, one study followed nearly 41,000 Spanish people ages 29 to 69 for more than 13 years, comparing people who ate the most olive oil to those who ate none. The high olive oil consumers were 26 percent less likely to die during that period and 44 percent less likely to die from heart disease. 

Your oil doesn’t have to come from Spain. A meta-analysis of 42 studies of people around the world found that consuming olive oil reduced the chance of stroke by 17 percent. Other research has found that people who eat olive oil are less likely to become obese. 

The secret may be desirable polyphenols, common organic chemicals in vegetables. A polyphenol called oleuropein, most plentiful in virgin and extra-virgin oils, is a potent antioxidant, neutralizing the unstable substances called free radicals that contribute to disease and aging.  

To find an oil rich in this natural ingredient, look for extra-virgin oil. It must be cold-pressed, avoiding heat or chemicals that would destroy the polyphenols during processing. The best extra-virgin oils have 10 times more polyphenols than non-virgin oil. 

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The best olive oil in the world  

Look for olive oil with a label that says it was “produced and bottled” in a particular country. Produced is a key word: An oil labeled “Product of Spain” may have been bottled in Spain, but the olives could have been grown or pressed elsewhere. Some fancy oils will tell you where the olives were pressed. 

Ideally, you want oils from olives native to Coratina and Moraiolo in Italy, Cornicaba and Picaul in Spain, or Kornoeiki in Greece. Olive trees from those regions have been successfully grown in other parts of the world, but a certification label should make you more confident. 

Look for a certification from organizations check for quality, including the:

• International Olive Council
• North American Olive Oil Association
• California Olive Oil Council
• Denominazione d’Origine Protetta
• Protected Designation of Origin

A dark bottle can protect polyphenols from decaying in light. 

Best olive oil for cooking  

Look for a label with an expiration or best-buy date within 18 months of the day you buy it. If the bottle shows a harvest date, it should be within a year. Unlike wine, olive oil does not age well. Use the oil as quickly as possible once you open a container.

The best oils can run as much as $40 for a 17-ounce bottle. But if you are concerned about heart disease, using good olive oil is one of the better ways to spend your dollar.

To eat like someone who lives near the Mediterranean:

• Dunk bread in olive oil and use it for daily cooking
• Snack on nuts, seeds, and fruit
• Eat seasonally fresh and local produce with your main meal
• Have fish, chicken, beans, nuts, and eggs more often than beef or pork

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