It was on using olive oils and balsamic vinegars and taught by a nurse practicioner (who's currently working on 3 doctorates pertaining to nutrition and diet).

Did you know that pretty much ALL of the olive oils you buy at the grocery stores (including Bertoli and Fellipo Berio) are derived from oils that wouldn't even be used for greasing cars in Italy? From olives that are spoiled or treated with chemicals, with artificial colors added, plus additional ingredients. Even the so-called "Extra Virgin" varieties.

If you have time, google the involvement of the mafia in the olive oil trade... Seriously. I thought she was joking but I looked it up when I got home & its a real thing!

Multiple studies have shown that using quality olive oil has so many health benefits (but the same studies show that grocery store brands have no effect - or worse yet, caused significant health problems).

She said to find a shop that specializes in olive oils & ask them about their sources. Where does their's come from, how is it processed, how fresh is it, etc. If they can't tell you, walk away.

Most grocery store balsamics are the same. True balsamics are like fine bourbon & aged up to 12 years. Most of the grocery store brands are lucky to be aged 12 months... And did you know that balsamic vinegar has the same health benefits as apple cider vinegar? And if you buy top quality balsamic that's infused with various fruits/vegetables, you can even add it to a glass of water for a refreshing drink and still get those health benefits? (White Balsamic infused with lemongrass and mint is AMAZING!!!!)

The store I buy from (Southern Olive here in Lawrenceburg but actually based out of South Carolina) checks all those boxes for selling a quality product so I added several more bottles to my collection & am eager to try them out. One is a blackberry infused balsamic that I can't wait to bake with and another is a cucumber infused balsamic that I want to use on a cucumber/red onion salad. I also got a Red Apple Dark Balsamic that I want to use for glazing pork chops and a Wild Mushroom & Sage infused Olive Oil that I want to use to make dressing and meat balls.

Plus I picked up another bottle of garlic infused olive oil (that I use daily on just about everything - no vampires here!!!!), another bottle of Tuscan Herb infused olive oil which is delicious on roasted veggies, and another bottle of Madagascar Black Peppercorn infused olive oil which I love on salads (espec mixed with a lemon infused balsamic).

I thikn I'm going to move my bread box out of the kitchen (since I barely eat any bread anymore) and set up some shelves for my bottles....

If you want more information about how top quality olive oil and balsamics can help you (and how to know if that's what you're really getting), The Southern Olive's website has some good info:

https://thesouthernolive.com/pages/about-our-store?_pos=3&_sid=76d5ca96f&_ss=r