Besides EFAs, oil-soluble 'minor' ingredients
present in seeds and fresh, unrefined oils deserve attention.
They are MINOR in the amounts present in oils (about 2%), but
MAJOR in their benefits to health - SMALL in the ingredient
list, but BIG in their results.
Their power should not be underestimated.
Unrefined (natural food trade) oils packaged in brown glass contain these
minor ingredients.
Refined (supermarket, colorless, odorless, tasteless)
oils have lost most of the minor ingredients by degumming,
refining, and bleaching.
'Minor'
ingredients, found in unrefined seed and nut oils, can:
- lower
cholesterol, and block cholesterol absorption from foods
- improve
cardiovascular function
- have
powerful anti-cancer properties
- improve
digestion, and stimulate pancreatic enzyme production
- improve
liver and gall bladder function, and increase bile flow
- act
as anti-oxidants & stabilize EFAs against oxidation
(rancidity)
- act
as anti-inflammatory agents
- protect
visual function, and improve brain (CNS) function
Hundreds of different 'minor' ingredients (phytochemicals)
are found in different oils. 
For instance, the benefits of traditional
extra virgin (green) olive oil on health are based on its 'minor' ingredients,
which improve liver and gall bladder function, digestion, and cardiovascular
function.
Extra virgin olive oil is a poor source of EFAs-no
omega 3s and only about 10% omega 6s. 88% of what extra virgin olive oil
contains-saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids-are unnecessary
because the body can make them from sugar and starch. If these
were health-making, eating white sugar or white flour should
be able to keep us healthy.
The other major benefit of using extra virgin olive
oil is that it has not been destructively processed, and therefore
does not contain the kinds of toxic molecules one finds in
colorless, odorless, tasteless oils found so abundantly today.
