Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Expeller Pressed vs. Cold Pressed

Vegetable oils are likely called vegetable oil because of the thought that "vegetables are good for you". It's all about packaging the product in the most marketable way possible. More accurately, these oils should be called seed oils. Canola, sunflower, corn and safflower oils are all made from seeds. You don't see broccoli oil or spinach oil because vegetables contain barely any oil content at all. But "vegetable oil" sounds more healthy and appealing than "seed oil", doesn't it?

The method by which these oils are extracted from the seeds determines how much nutrition (or harmful elements) is in the oil. As discussed in an earlier post, chemical extraction is the most common and the most harmful way. You want to look for "cold pressed" or "expeller pressed".

There actually is a difference between cold- and expeller-pressed oils. According to this article I found by Spectrum Organics, "All cold pressed oils are expeller pressed. But all expeller pressed oils are not necessarily cold pressed. It all has to do with temperature." You should read the article yourself for more details.

The interesting thing is that the term "cold pressed", while strictly regulated in Europe, is very loosely used in the U.S., often erroneously and in a misleading manner. It's hard to go by what the label tells us sometimes. The phrase that we want to look for then is "unrefined". Refining is the process where they treat the oil in all sorts of horrendous ways (mentioned in the previous post about oils), so a bottle marked "unrefined" would be the way to go.

Manufacturers are always trying to trick us for a profit by finding labeling loopholes. It's up to us to be smart and know what to look for.

21 comments:

Yeye said...

I'm not sure If you talked about this on your blog already (I just found your blog today:)), but do you practice or have you researched "oil pulling?" I've tried it and it has worked wonders on my energy level, appetite and oral health. It's an extremely simple process with GREAT results.

http://www.oilpulling.com

jallen559 said...

I have been oping for 2 weeks now using unrefined, organic sesame oil..it is amazing! My energy has gone way up, my skin and hair shine and my insomnia has disappeard. I will do this for life. I have also incorporated 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar I put it in apple juice with honey before breakfast.great duo.

Anonymous said...

The term "refined" is also tricky. The terms that should be used, since all cooking oil has been refined in one way or another, is nonchemically refined. One should also never buy an undated bottle of oil. You want to know it was pressed from the last harvest.

Nangtinh said...

I am unsure about Cold Pressed Oil or Refined and Unrefined. I really keen to start Oil Pulling but don't know which Sesame Oil should I use. I check in the Sesame Oil in Asian supermarket but it does not say Cold Pressed Oil or Refined and Unrefined. I really need helps. Many thanks,

Geeky Dragon Girl said...

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame_oil, "There are many variations in the colour of sesame oil: cold-pressed sesame oil is almost colourless, while Indian sesame oil (gingelly or til oil) is golden and Chinese sesame oil is commonly a dark brown colour. This dark colour and flavour are derived from roasted/toasted sesame seeds. Cold pressed sesame oil has less flavour than the toasted oil, since it is produced directly from raw, rather than toasted seeds."

I guess asian markets won't have cold pressed sesame oil. Perhaps you can order it online, or try a health food store?

Anonymous said...

i just started using coconut oil but im not sure i bought the right brand or type. the kind i bought is Tree of Life organic expeller pressed coconut oil. This oil has a little bit of a smell and really no taste, though it doesnt tase bad. i bought it from a health food store (idk if that makes a difference). is this okay to use i also didnt see that it said it "unrefined" on the label ne where... also what are some reliable brands?

Geeky Dragon Girl said...

Hi kris.ann! Good for you for using coconut oil. I think it's a great addition to one's diet. I do use it myself, but have not really done much research into which brands are best. I think you're on the right track in finding the organic expeller pressed one. I found this article that might help you decide which kind to buy. http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/buy-coconut-oil.html -My conclusion is to locate "virgin coconut oil".

ppphhhttt said...

Get out of my head! Ha! A blog I follow talked about oil pulling and looked for cold pressed oil at the grocery. Nothing I saw, including Spectrum said cold pressed so I googled cold pressed vs. expeller and found the spectrum oil article. Then I find your blog today that reads like a trail of breadcrumbs through my head mentioning all that I have read and am doing...to funny!

Very happy to have found this and now I'm clear on what to look for and why! Thanks! Gonna check out what other stuff you have on here.

GeekyDragonGirl said...

Haha Kelly it's funny, I'll often come back to this article, re-read and go, "Oh! I'd forgotten that!" Thank goodness people comment here so it reminds me to come back here and reread it, because for some reason I keep forgetting some of this stuff.

Unknown said...

have a nice day...

Gingelly oil exporters

kiranjot said...

Oil Expeller - Oil Mill Machinery
The method of oil extraction has been existent from very early times. In those days, the kernels were merely cleaned and grinded with the use of grinders or pebble mills. With the advancement of science and expertise, the use of appliances like attach Presses or Oil Expellers were started for expelling or extracting oil from oil seeds and nuts.

choral said...

First time finding your site, but appreciate it so much... only place I found easily available information about COLD PRESSED, not just EXPELLER PRESSED Canola Oil. I read your "About" paragraph, where you wrote: "The health nut side of me wants to educate the world, to the point where I might sound preachy and annoying. But annoy you I will, because what's more important than you own health?" To this I respond: DON'T GIVE UP. No less an icon than Gandhi said this: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." You have my permission, even my encouragement, to go forth & continue to annoy away! Thank you!

Geeky Dragon Girl said...

Thank you Choral! I certainly have been lazy. You've inspired me to start up writing again.

Oil Expeller said...

Very informative post. We manufactures of cold and hot oil expeller machines for oil mills. This post can help used to understand about the difference between cold pressed or ( hot pressed )expeller pressed. You can also visit our website page where we also explained about the difference between both hot and cold pressed. Visit oil expellers

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