A Brain Health Expert Wants You To Stop Cooking With This Type Of Olive Oil

If the term unfiltered slapped on the front of a food label leads you to assume it's healthier, you're not the only one. And at times this may even be true; take fruit juice, for example. Fresh-squeezed juice generally has more fiber and no added sugar, making it a healthier option. As much as this concept may be true for some items, it's not necessarily the case when it comes to olive oil—or shall we say cooking with olive oil. 

You might think unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil is the healthier option because it's, well, unfiltered. But in fact, there's a sneaky reason why Lugavere actually prefers filtered EVOO. "Unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil has [olive] remnants in the oil, which dramatically lowers its smoke point and also makes it more prone to degradation. Those olive remnants decrease the shelf life," Lugavere says.

Unfiltered olive oil also contains more water and sediment, both of which can accelerate the shelf life of the bottle. Unfiltered olive oil does have a higher polyphenol content, thanks to the freshly milled olive particles, so it technically is the more nutrient-dense option—but you would have to consume it pretty quickly before it goes rancid. It's similar to the fruit juice example we mentioned above: The shelf life of fresh-pressed juice is only two or three days. What's more, unfiltered olive oil may not be the best option for high-heat cooking since it degrades easily. 

Filtered EVOO, on the other hand, is safe to cook with up to a temperature of about 350 or 375 degrees Fahrenheit, says Lugavere. And as a general rule of thumb: If the olive oil is going to stay moist throughout the process (like with an olive oil cake, for example), then you're probably safe to cook up to 400 degrees. Otherwise, keep the temperature lower for dry cooking. 

The bottom line? Keep incorporating olive oil into all of your brain-healthy meals; just make sure you're cooking with filtered EVOO to keep the smoke point as high as possible. If you're interested in using olive oil to support brain health, daily supplements may be a good option as well. mbg's vitamin D3 potency+ contains a trio of organic oils—including Lugavere's go-to extra-virgin olive oil—to help chauffeur vitamin D so it's best absorbed by the body. On that note, vitamin D specifically serves as another building block to a healthy brain.* In fact, researchers found that vitamin D affects proper brain function, thus promoting balanced mood and cognitive function.*