Loading... Please wait...
Where Beauty, Flavor and Style meet Ethics and Function

Join our Monthly Newsletter &
Save 10% Instantly


Secure Shopping

Why Rallis is the World's Healthiest Olive Oil

why-rallis-is-the-world-s-healthiest-olive-oil.jpg

 

No other food product has a history as long and illustrious as Olive Oil… 

Over at least the last 5,000 years, this substance has been revered as a treasure both for its medicinal properties as well as its culinary virtues and has been referred to by many civilizations as liquid gold as well as a gift from God. It was regarded as a truly amazing substance that was a source of much power and wealth.

Compared to most oils, olive oil can be enjoyed in its completely pure form as it requires minimal processing.  A simple press will do the trick.  Over the years, many different versions of presses were utilized to extract the olive oil. But as has been the case with the era of mass production which marks our modern times, many producers have since turned to more industrial mechanized methods of harvesting and processing the oil in order to increase both the speed and the amount of olive oil produced and therefore sold. 

This has led to a mass produced olive oil that is a lower quality product, both in terms of its flavor and its medicinal properties. Fortunately, there are still a number of small artisanal producers who are committed to preserving the traditional harvesting and extraction techniques in order to produce the highest quality olive oil, that preserves both its rich and superb flavor that is so loved the world over and its nutrient profile and their undeniable healing properties.     

 

What Makes Olive Oil so Special? 

It is not a coincidence that olive oil sits at the center of the Mediterranean Diet, praised as one of the healthiest diets in the world or that it is commonly found among the top 10 in various "healthiest longevity food" lists outlined by experts, including 110 year old Bernardo LaPallo who lists Olive Oil among his top 5 longevity foods along with honey, garlic, cinnamon and chocolate. 

It has long been known that olive oil possesses major healing properties, which are found both in its fat content as well as in the numerous phyto nutrients found in olives and therefore olive oil.  One reasons for its intense power may have to do with the fact that many of the nutrients found in plants are fat soluble.  Fat soluble nutrients are best absorbed when taken along with a healthy fat.  So, in this case, we have both the healthy fat and the phyto nutrients conveniently bundled together, allowing us to not only enjoy this culinary delight, but to also absorb all of those wonderful life promoting nutrients.

Some of olive oil's magic may be found in its Monounsaturated fat content called Oleic Acid.  Oleic Acid makes up about 77% of Olive Oil, with the rest being saturated fat(13.5%) and polyunsaturated fat (8.4%).

Oleic Acid has been found to reduce inflammation, which science has  determined to be the root cause of the skyrocketing chronic disease rates we are now seeing, including Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Alzheimer's, Arthritis…   

Aside from its Oleic Acid content, Olive Oil also contains a rich source of Vitamin E and K, as well as an extensive and very impressive list of phytonutrients, including polyphenols.    

 

What are polyphenols? 

Polyphenols are group of chemical compounds that are found in abundance in plants and have highly potent antioxidant properties.

Oleuropen and Oleocanthol are 2 of the many standout polyphenols found in olive oil, and which you may have heard mentioned in news stories. 

Studies have found that Oleuropein is a powerful aromatase inhibitor, (extremely important in preventing the development of breast cancer, among others).

Studies have also found that Oleocanthol has anti-inflammatory properties that work like ibuprohen, and that it also reduces beta amyloid plaque, believed to cause Alzheimers.

And these are just two of the different types of polyphenols found in Olive Oil...

Olive oil has been proven beneficial in preventing many of the chronic diseases that are now rampant in our western world.  The list is exhaustive, but includes:

  • Inflammation (the cause of all chronic health conditions)
  • Stroke
  • Heart Disease
  • High Cholesterol
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Obesity
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • Anti-Cancer
  • Osteoporosis
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Digestion
  • Anti-Bacterial
  • Speeds up wound healing
  • Hormone balancing
  • Mood balancing

 

In summary, the nutrients found in olive oil are extremely powerful, especially when it comes to fighting Inflammation, which again, has been found to be the root cause of all chronic health conditions, and whose rates have been shooting through the roof in recent years.  And the best part of all is that this medicine comes inside a delicious flavorful package. 

 

Finding the Healthiest Brand of Olive Oil

 
First, a note about fraud in the olive oil industry

If you're an olive oil lover, aficionado or connoisseur, you'll no doubt have heard of the fraud scandal that hit the olive oil industry in 2007, when Tom Mueller published an investigating report on this topic in the New Yorker Magazine.

 

His report outlined his findings that olive oil was being cut with cheaper oils such as sunflower and hazelnut oils to the point where Olive Oil was the "most adulterated agricultural product in the European Union".  This report led to further investigations and reports.

 

Although, the problem still exists, there is now at least more focus on the issue of Olive Oil Quality and fraud. In fact a recent Forbes article on this topic points to a 2010 study that found over 2/3 of imported olive oils labeled as Extra Virgin, did not meet the standards for that label.  A followup study in 2011 found that the top 5 selling imported extra virgin olive oils in the US failed to meet the legal standards 76% of the time. Some say the issue is no better when it comes to domestically produced olive oils. 

It is therefore more important than ever to KNOW YOUR SOURCE when it comes to olive oil.  

 

A Game Changer for Olive Oil and its Health Benefits

Rallis Olive Oil     

Now with all these health benefits available from olive oil, it stands to reason that the less processed the olive oil has been, the more potent and active its health promoting nutrients will be.    

Until recently, Extra Virgin Olive Oil aka EVOO was been considered the premium crème de la crème of Olive Oils, but there's a new player on the scene, the Rallis Family.

rallis-icepressed-raw-olive-oil-orchard.jpgBrothers Theo and Steve Rallis, whose father had emigrated to Canada from Greece and settled in Owen Sound Ontario, returned to Greece in 1997 after the passing of their grandfather.  The brothers and their family returned to the centuries old family farm and orchard in Soulinari.  While there, they took an interest in the local stone mill that was processing the olives from their orchard and were surprised when they noticed steam being released during the pressing process. 

Steve Rallis, who is a chiropractor with a background in health research was particularly concerned at what this was doing to the nutrients in the oil, especially given that the olive oil was considered Cold Pressed.       

It turns out that although both Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Virgin Olive Oil are often referred to as Cold Pressed, this is somewhat misleading.  Though the oil is not exposed to high temperatures, the pressing itself creates heat that can be as high as 33 degrees Celsius/90+ degrees Fahrenheit.  This type of chemical reaction can affect the nutrients as well as the oil's true essence. 

So Dr. Steve, along with his brother Theo, whose background is in engineering set out to develop a new method to process the olives that was truly Cold Pressed.  The method they created was not only completely free of heat, but the process also included ice.  This was to ensure that all of the nutritional value in the olive oil remained perfectly intact during the extraction process. 

They called their unique and innovative technique Ice Pressed and the resulting product is an absolutely pure olive oil untouched by heat, and based on this alone, this oil, I believe, deserves the title of the World's Healthiest Olive Oil, but the Rallis' didn't stop there. 

rallis-oilive-oil-harvest.jpgNot only is Rallis Raw Ice Pressed Olive Oil the only olive oil that is processed without any heat whatsoever, but the sustainable farming methods used (making it an organic olive oil), the hand harvesting of the olives and the oil extraction that is done the same day as harvesting also contribute to an olive oil with a superior and unmatched nutrient content.       

As well, given this one of a kind ice pressing technique that is used to process the oil, it is likely that Rallis Olive Oil is also the only true raw olive oil in the marketplace.

rallis-olive-oil-bottle.jpgThe icing on the "olive" cake so to speak is the incredible flavor of this oil, with a near flawless acidity and rave reviews by foodies and chefs alike. Medicine never tasted so good.  It's a WIN/WIN/WIN for everyone!

Give it a try and see for yourself!

order yours now!

 

***A note of caution, if you're going to spend the extra money to get a high quality olive oil in order to receive all of the health benefits it has to offer, it is best not to heat or cook with it.  Although drinking olive oil is something some people indulge in, it is delicious simply used in a salad dressing, in unheated spreads such as pesto, drizzled over some roasted vegetables, as well as dipping fresh organic bread in it with some balsamic vinegar!

Extra virgin olive oil, has a smoke point of about 320 degrees F. and could potentially be used for light sautéing without going rancid, but many of its health giving nutrients would not likely survive the heat.  

Though there are some recipes that call for cooking with olive oil, I would stick with maybe a virgin olive oil, smoke point of about 420 degrees F. or a lower quality extra light olive oil, smoke point about 468 degrees F.  



Where Flavors, Beauty and Style meet Ethics, Creativity and Ingenuity

© Copyright Fresh Unlimited www.freshunlimited.com. All Rights Reserved.