{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"03: Mediterranean Mystery: Katina Mountanos on How to Spot a Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil","description":"\u201cYou can taste the quality.\u201d \u2014Katina Mountanos Most of what's labeled "extra virgin olive oil" on grocery shelves isn't giving you the extra virgin olive oil benefits you think it is \u2014 and Kosterina founder Katina Mountanos found that out the hard way.  In this episode, Justine sits down with Katina to unpack why so much store-bought olive oil tastes flat, what polyphenols actually do in the body, and why the "don't cook with olive oil, it has a low smoke point" advice you've been following is flat-out wrong. Katina traces her obsession with real olive oil back to summers on her family's farm in Koroni, Greece \u2014 and the moment, years later, that a $12 bottle from a New York supermarket tasted nothing like it. That gap sent her through an olive oil sommelier certification, a deep dive into polyphenol research, and eventually a full-time business built on transparency: harvest dates, single-origin sourcing, and third-party testing for everything from acidity to microplastics. This episode is for anyone who's stood in the oil aisle wondering which bottle is actually worth it, and for anyone rethinking what "seed oil vs olive oil" really means for their health. \u2022 High-antioxidant extra-virgin olive oil can contain 500\u20131,000+ mg\/kg of polyphenols, compared to roughly 150 mg\/kg in average grocery-store bottles. \u2022 Smoke point is not the right test for whether an oil is safe to cook with \u2014 free radical emission under heat is what actually matters, and olive oil emits far fewer than seed oils. \u2022 A bottle labeled "Italian" or "Greek" extra-virgin olive oil can still be a blend of residual oils from multiple countries and harvests, bottled together under one label. \u2022 Plastic packaging accelerates rancidity and can leach microplastics, so glass or tin with a visible harvest date is a stronger buying signal than the words "extra virgin" alone. \u2022 Fresh, high-polyphenol olive oil produces a peppery burn at the back of the throat \u2014 the same sensation researchers first mistook for ibuprofen contamination. \u2022 Cooking with avocado oil or genuine early-harvest olive oil, instead of canola or other seed oils, is a low-effort swap with a real anti-inflammatory upside. Listen to the full conversation for Katina's grocery-aisle checklist and her at-home smell-and-taste test \u2014 then subscribe so you never miss an episode. https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/Essential-Ingredients-Podcast  Meet Katina:  Katina Mountanos is the founder and CEO of Kosterina, a premium Greek extra virgin olive oil and Mediterranean foods brand built at the intersection of taste, health, and transparency. Raised between New York and the olive groves of Koroni, Greece, Katina grew up knowing what truly good olive oil should taste like. After becoming a certified olive oil sommelier and uncovering the powerful health benefits of high\u2013polyphenol extra virgin olive oil, she launched Kosterina as a passion project while working in consumer brands at Walmart.  Today, Kosterina\u2019s early-harvest, cold-pressed, high-antioxidant olive oils, fruit-infused vinegars, and olives are nationally available at Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and online, and are recognized for both exceptional flavor and rigorous quality testing. Grounded in the Mediterranean diet, Katina\u2019s work champions cooking at home, clean ingredients, and replacing inflammatory seed oils with olive oil to support heart, gut, metabolic, and overall health.  Website Instagram Facebook TikTok Connect with NextGen Purpose: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Podcast Chapters: 00:52 Meet Katina Mountanos: Growing Up in Greek Olive Country 06:09 Why Kosterina's Polyphenol Levels Triple the Average 08:46 Building Kosterina as a Passion Project While at Walmart 14:26 Busting the Smoke Point Myth About Cooking With Olive Oil 16:51 Canola Oil, the "Hateful Eight," and Why Blends Deceive 19:09 How to Spot Real Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the Store 21:48 The Smell-and-Taste Test for Good Olive Oil at Home 27:31 What's Next: Vinegars, Olives, and a 2027 Launch  Resources:  DISCOUNT Get a 15% discount when you shop at Kosterina Use code: essential15 THE PRIMES  \u2728 You're more capable than you have ever been, and somehow more invisible than ever. You keep handing out advice you do not take yourself. You keep saying 'after this next thing' to your own life, and the people around you have no idea because, from the outside, everything looks fine\u2014 that is exactly what The Primes was built for. \ud83e\udd1d The Primes is the only membership community where high-achieving women in midlife stop putting themselves last and start building alongside the people who are already doing the work. \ud83c\udfd7\ufe0f Not a wellness program, not a Facebook group, a carefully curated room where your level of experience is the entry point, not the exception. \ud83c\udfc6 318 episodes and 1.5 million downloads of this podcast came from the same community The Primes is built on. \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f \ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\ud83d\udc71\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83e\uddb0\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83e\uddb3\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83e\uddb1If this show has been an essential ingredient in your life, this community was made for you.  \u231bFounding member enrollment closes September 21st, 2026.  \ud83d\udd17Go to: https:\/\/nextgenpurpose.com\/the-primes  ","author_name":"Essential Ingredients Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/www.justinereichman.com\/podcast-episodes","html":"