“Pure” Avocado Oil: Superfood or Scam

How to Discern Quality Avocado Oil

One taste from your current bottle of avocado oil will tell you whether it’s best to toss it onto your salad or into the trash. Here’s how you can know whether or not you’ve fallen into the pure avocado oil hype.

Avocado oil is garnering rave reviews for its healthfulness and high smoke point. But if you’re interested in health, then here’s the critical factor that is currently overlooked: is it refined or unrefined avocado oil? Most brands that are sold today are refined and labeled “natural,” “pure” or “cold pressed.” As these marketing terms are not federally regulated, consider them merely a sales pitch or label decoration. When it comes to quality oil, your buying guideline is “unrefined” or “extra virgin.” Don’t settle for anything less.

The deep emerald color of extra virgin or unrefined avocado oil has the pleasing flavor and aroma of a ripe avocado. Taste a spoonful and you’ll find it leaves a clean feeling in your mouth. This oil is readily absorbable, meaning it easily assimilates into your system. Whereas a spoonful of the near tasteless, pale colored, so-called pure avocado oil or any refined oil leaves a greasy, viscous and unpalatable feeling in your mouth—it’s something your body doesn’t need or want to absorb.

Refined Oils Contribute to the Formation of Free Radicals

It’s with good reason that refined oil is considered mildly toxic and challenging to the liver. Refined (as well as rancid) oils contribute to the formation of free radicals and thus are a carcinogen. Any oil with a mild flavor and aroma that doesn’t clearly taste like what it was made from has been refined at a high temperature, even if it initially was “cold pressed.” Refining strips the oil of flavor and aroma components and initiates oxidization of the fragile fatty acids, which leads to the formation of carcinogenic free radicals. Typical oil refining steps use chemical solvents, steamers, neutralizers, de-waxers, bleach and deodorizers.

To put this into perspective, recall what shopping for olive oil was a few years back. “Pure,” “natural” and “lite” olive oils were more commonplace than extra virgin olive oil. Today the reverse is true, and grocery shelves are so loaded with extra virgin that in some markets it’s hard to find anything else. Indeed, today’s savvy consumer knows to favor extra virgin olive oil from a reputable manufacturer. My hunch is that in a few years extra virgin avocado oil will elbow out today’s more available “pure” avocado oil. Until then, it’s up to you to be informed. Read labels and purchase accordingly.

Speaking of US federally regulated terms, unless it applies to olive oil, “unrefined” and “extra virgin” also are unregulated. So without buying a bottle of avocado oil to taste it, how will you know if it is the real deal? Check online. Currently the largest retail avocado oil producers offer both refined and unrefined (or extra virgin) oils. As to be expected, extra virgin avocado oil will be pricier than refined.

The Problem with Smoke Point

Here’s one last and important note: the smoke point of extra virgin avocado oil is 480°F. Current data claims that oils can safely be heated to 10 degrees under their smoke point. What is overlooked is that omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids are denatured at far lower temperatures. For more information on safe temperatures to heat oil, see my Fat and Oil Guide.

May you be well nourished,

Rebecca

Photo credit: www.Bellavado.com