Agreed, Olive oil does have many health benefits! However, There's olive oil and OLIVE oil.
99% of the EVOO (extra Virgin Olive Oil) sold in supermarkets, retail, etc. is junk! (If you have ever lived in or travelled to Italy, you will know what I mean).
It would take far too long to explain why the EVOO sold in stores is "sub-par" but if you research the "benefits" of EVOO, you will find tons of information describing the differences.
First off, I'm only discussing EVOO because Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the type with the greatest health benefits.
Secondly, Good EVOO is ALWAYS packaged in dark glass bottles. This is due to the fact that REAL EVOO is ruined by light. In fact, it is destroyed 10X faster by light than by oxygen (like leaving it in an open container).
AND, good EVOO should be cloudy, NOT clear!
Generally, you should look for EVOO which is made 100% from olives (you may think that is a given BUT there-in lies the problem.... 99% of EVOO is not made 100% from olives). It should also be cold pressed and UNFILTERED (hence the cloudy appearance). It should be packaged in DARK glass bottles and should have a "use-by-date" of several YEARS, not a few months!
If you buy EVOO from the supermarket which is NOT presented as mentioned above, you are not ingesting quality EVOO and are essentially wasting your $$$.
Oh yeah, REAL EVOO is quite expensive by the way!
S-