For millennia, fresh olive oil has been one of life's necessities-not just as food but also as medicine, a beauty aid, and a vital element of religious ritual. Today's researchers are continuing to confirm the remarkable, life-giving properties of true extra-virgin, and "extra-virgin Italian" has become the highest standard of quality.

But what if this symbol of purity has become deeply corrupt? Starting with an explosive article in The New Yorker, Tom Mueller has become the world's expert on olive oil and olive oil fraud-a story of globalization, deception, and crime in the food industry from ancient times to the present, and a powerful indictment of today's lax protections against fake and even toxic food products in the United States. A rich and deliciously readable narrative, Extra Virginity is also an inspiring account of the artisanal producers, chemical analysts, chefs, and food activists who are defending the extraordinary oils that truly deserve the name "extra-virgin."


interview with author
http://www.eyeonitaly.com/podcast/episod...th-tom-mueller/

Some say if we had olive oil, windex and duct tape we will be happy. I am not one of those.

NO MORE VIRGIN

?????

I thought Windex was the cure-all for Greeks.

They say that about all three.

Thanks G, gotta read this.

Good one, gets!

Thanks,Mark.

No disrespect to Greeks. Every group has a cure all. For Haitians, it's either Cerasee plant or Barbancourt rum.

Nobody should be offended by that, gets. Everybody who gets that reference knows it's from that comedy, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". The old man sprayed Windex on anything that was broke, hurt or ill.

By the way, they are making a sequel due out in March.

http://www.today.com/popculture/nia-vardalos-returns-my-big-fat-greek-wedding-2-see-t55076

Mark,

The original was pretty good. They might have waited too long to do a sequel.


Wanted to ask you guys (and gals) what brand(s) of olive oil does your family use?

Been using olive oil based soap for years now. Castile soap has an olive oil base and I use the Dr Bronner's ones. A "tree hugger" friend of mine was promoting the health benefits of this stuff for years. Last year I got rid of all lotions and just use mixes of either olive oil with an essential oil....or vitamin e oil with an EO.

Gets,

Are any of these soaps the one you use? I have never heard of castile soap but I will definitely look into it, all the chemicals and stuff in the body wash I use (Dove men) is kind of scary.

The brand I use for cooking which I got from my mom is https://californiaoliveranch.com/olive-oil-101/our-olive-oil/

Dude,

Yes.the crazy labels.There are some bootleg brands with similar names but Dr.Bronner makes the better soaps. I made the switch to avoid the chemicals in the soaps I was using also.Might be the placebo effect, but I feel healthier since making the switch from soap, dishwashing liquid, and detergent with all those chemicals.

You can read comments/reviews about the different scent versions that they make, but you can get the sample or small bottles of all the varieties and decide which suits you.There's also an unscented version.

I've also bought handmade castile soap bars.


thanks for the EVOO recommendation.I don't use it cook that often, but when I do, I want to use high quality oil.

I use Filippo Berio Olive Oil.

And I'm an enormous fan of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap. I keep a big bottle of it in my shower.

Thanks, Helen.

I keep peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus versions around during yard work season.Gets the grime,dust, and pollen off.


Thanks in advance to anybody who recommends an EVOO. Please note in your reply if you are NOT of Italian heritage though. If your nonna wasn't Italian, I'm not reading your post.

I do see the Dr. Bronner at the market so I will pick some up.

Of you don't mind what brands do you use for you dish and detergent.

Maybe I read it wrong do you use Dr. Bronner for shower dish and detergent?

Dude,

I use a combination of Borax, a Dr. Bronner's product called Sal Suds, and home made laundry detergent from local sources.

I won't lie, I do keep bleach around, but try not to use it.
I used to write this stuff off as hippy nonsense, but it's not just the foods we eat that are harming us....also the grooming/cleaning products.

recently the FDA banned chemicals found in anti bacterial soaps for consumer use

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots...bacterial-soaps

I can definitely recommend the Dr.Bronner's soap, but might want to do research about which dish/laundry products work better for you and how hard the water is in your town.

You can try hydrogen peroxide on things that you would normally use chlorine bleach on. It works in a similar fashion but is much less harsh

Thanks Helen,

going to look for higher concentration peroxide because the drug store variety doesn't seem strong enough. My lungs thank you for helping me break the bleach habit.

I got Dr. Bronner lavender castile soap for the shower and eucalyptus bar soap for the sink, both smell nice I have noticed my akin feels different when I rinse off not a bad different just hard to explain, I do like it though.

Also switch my to Tom of Maine for deodorant and noticed I no longer have the irritating red ring my old deodorabt gave me

Dude,
Some people dilute the liquid soap. There's a whole community of DrBronner's users out there with tips,recommendations,etc. If you skin feels dry, might want to see what the Bronner's army says about dilution ratios.

How is the Tom's deodorant? I had the same concerns about the natural deodorants that I first had about the bleach alternatives, that they wouldn't be strong enough.

I use the Arm&Hammer deodorant...which is a halfway step towards using fully natural deodorants. I know you work out, so if the Tom's holds up to an active guy, I think I'm gonna load up during the holiday season sales.

Thanks for suggestions Gets.

Tom's in good the Dove I used before was stronger but it seems to get the job done. If I go straight from work to run or workout then I need to reapply it

For those who use olive oil for the health benefits, you may want to rethink your position:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4WD8Bm7s_I

F1,

Thanks. I've read articles promoting both sides of the debate. I watched this video and have to dig deeper. How much olive oil is consumed in study if there are comparisons to cheesecake and burgers which are at least 2-3 ounces?

Gets, I can't answer that, but I think the point of the study is that no oil is healthy, just that some less unhealthy than others. Extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil cause arterial inflammation, but not as much as other oils. It's possible that there is some rare oil that is healthy, an oil that hasn't been subject to as much study, but it's not one of the major oils that are commonly used. From other studies, meat, chicken and even fish cause inflammation too. So does dairy and sugar. That's why the physician who puts out these videos promotes veganism. I recently started veganism and I've noticed some positive results, but I need to give it more time before they show up in lab tests.

A raw vegan diet in my opinion is the beat way to go that being said I don't follow any strict diet regime, I eat a lot of vegan meals but every now and then I will have fish of chicken plus I love cheese. If you can keep up strict good job why did you choose vegan?

Dr. Michael Greger convinced me. He and his team go over thousands of studies every year and when he does a video presentation he shows you the studies. As we get older we get more issues with inflammation along with general health issues. He gives out the details to improve overall health and for specific medical conditions. There's just no arguing with the science.

I'll admit it's not easy for me. I love Chicago-style pizza, I love Carl's Jr (Hardees) and In-N-Out and Wendys and Five Guys burgers. I love bbq steak. Love McDonald's French fries. I love big machaca and chorizo burritos and carne asada tacos. Love lasagna and spaghetti with Italian sausage. I miss all that, but if I want to lose weight and improve my health then I gotta give all that delicious food up. I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end.

I haven't tried this (I'm always down for a good cleanse) but I was looking up a dressing recipe and came across this last night. Different websites have said it is good for inflammation, weight loss, heart health, anti bacterial, anti viral

http://secretrecipesaarthi.blogspot.com/2015/01/heart-blockage-cure-apple-cider-vinegar.html?m=1

You gotta be careful with the apple cider vinegar. Too much -- which isn't a lot -- can possibly cause bone depletion. It's very strong stuff.

There's a calorie-free no-oil brand called Walden Farms. You can find them at health food stores and online. A lot of regular grocery stores carry them too.

I haven't heard that maybe with a diet high in calcium and potassium you can avoid that, ACV has so many benefits it is hard think of giving it up, I use Braggs, I didn't think about the fact that some vegans don't eat honey so maybe it isn't the right recipe to post

I didn't say to give up the ACV, only to keep the doses small. I use it myself.

For what it's worth, I'm only doing veganism for my health. I'm not a fanatic about it who pushes an agenda. After all, if Jesus ate fish, who are we to argue? LOL. So if there's new evidence (hypothetically speaking) that says eating cheesecake and hamburgers is good for you, I'm going to Carl's Junior or In-N-Out and ordering one of each.