Dear Kosterina Family,
You may have heard us wax poetic about the polyphenol content in our EVOO, but you may be wondering, what are polyphenols anyway?
Polyphenols are a group of plant-based chemicals that are naturally found in foods like fruits, vegetables, herbs, chocolate, and you guessed it, extra virgin olive oil.
They are essentially antioxidants which do one very important thing for our long-term health: they fight inflammation.
Phenols help protect the body and have been proven to fight against diseases by preventing or even reversing the damage to your cells caused by aging, environment, diet, and lifestyle.* EVOO specifically contains a certain phenolic compound called oleocanthal, which acts similar to ibuprofen in the body. Reducing inflammation is largely connected to protecting the body against chronic disease.
The key factors that influence olive oil’s polyphenol levels are:
- When the olives were taken off the tree – “Early harvest” olives typically have much higher polyphenol content than ripe, later harvest olives. (Kosterina EVOO is always harvested early).
- The variety of olives – Certain varietals are naturally high in antioxidant content. Kosterina EVOO is made from the Koroneiki variety of olives – a small, green olive that packs a powerful punch of polyphenols all while maintaining a rich but mild flavor with incredible aromas.
So what's the difference between our olive oil and most store-bought brands?
And what's the difference between our white & blue bottle?
While our Original white bottle EVOO has over 500 mg/kg of polyphenol content (as measured at the time of harvest), our Everyday blue bottle EVOO clocks in at over 400 mg/kg (still far above the typical grocery store olive oil).
The Everyday is aromatic and flavorful but will not overpower your food and stands up to heat beautifully. Crafted with cooks in mind and with a price point below $20, you can use it on every meal and feel good about it.
Our recommendation is that you use our highly aromatic and intensely flavorful Original EVOO for salads, drizzling, dipping, and finishing – anytime the temperature is not applied. And the Everyday should be used for cooking, roasting, sauteing, grilling and baking. The blue bottle lives next to your stove. The white bottle lives on your kitchen table.
Who’s ready to join us for a daily dose of EVOO?
*Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles
