Healthy shopping: The healthiest olive oils

Joanna Evans identifies which olive oils pack the biggest polyphenol punch

It’s no secret that olive oil is seriously good for your health. According to Patrick Holford, leading nutrition expert and founder of the Food for the Brain Foundation, olive oil, especially the high-polyphenol kind, is an essential part of a brain-healthy diet.

But what is high-polyphenol olive oil and how do you get hold of it?

Polyphenol power

As the name suggests, high-polyphenol olive oil is olive oil high in polyphenols—beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant properties. According to EU regulations, olive oils with 250 mg/kg of polyphenols or more classify as “high polyphenol,” although, as polyphenols tend to die off in olive oil over the course of a year, many in the olive oil industry believe the threshold should be higher.

Generally speaking, extra virgin olive oils will be higher in polyphenols, but within this category, several factors can influence the polyphenol content, such as:

Freshness. When buying, the closer to the harvest date, the better.

Variety. The cultivar, or variety, of olives used to make the oil is important.

Ripeness at harvest. Levels of the polyphenol oleuropein are known to decrease as olives ripen.

Processing. This includes the extraction methods used and anything that may have been added, such as preservatives.

Storage and packaging. Exposure to sunlight can cause the oil to oxidize, so look for oils packaged in dark glass bottles.

Environmental factors. Consider factors related to where and how the olives were grown, such as altitude and cultivation practices.

Simply searching online for “high-polyphenol olive oil” should bring up lots of results, and you should be able to identify the polyphenol content on the product page to find an oil that suits your needs and budget. Look for organic varieties and products with certificates of analysis to root out the best buys.

Here are a few options to consider.

Drop of Life
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $29.12/£21.99 (16.9 oz / 500 mL)
US: gourmetgroceries.com; UK: holfordirect.com

Containing over 1000 mg/kg of polyphenols, this organic extra virgin olive oil is from the Greek Olive Estate in Greece.

Oro del Desierto
Organic Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $29.95/£18.99 (16.9 oz / 500 mL)
US: oliveoillovers.com; UK: selfridges.com

Produced from green Picual olives in Spain, this organic oil has 529 mg/kg of polyphenols.

Atsas
Silver Edition Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $80/£44 (8.5 oz / 250 mL)
US: olivefromtheraw.com; UK: atsas.co.uk

Crafted in Cyprus from early-harvest Kalamon and Koroneiki olives, this limited-edition oil boasts over 1,700 mg/kg of polyphenols.

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