Since the mid-1980s, we've all been aware of the health benefits of olive oil. Today, most informed consumers also know those "good" (monounsaturated) fats raise HDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease and related problems. However, while they're now much more likely to cook with it on a regular basis, many otherwise knowledgeable people who are interested in food don't realize there are radical differences between oils-even those with an "Italian" label.

A majority of readily available, "supermarket" oils are actually made from non-Italian-Spanish, Tunisian, Moroccan, etc.-olives, grown and harvested under less than ideal conditions. So-called "light" and "pure" varieties are highly adulterated, then standardized to achieve consistency. Extra virgins are brought to the required (less than) 1% acidity level by industrial methods, then chemically washed to remove negative flavors and aromas.

Lucini Italia's Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil, on the other hand, is pressed from only the top 2% of olives, grown in small quantities on premier estates nestled in Tuscany's Chianti hills and the prime Maremma region.

Olives are hand-picked at precisely the right time, under Lucini's careful supervision, between mid-October and mid-November when yield is lower but quality is highest.

A first taste will reveal the essential criteria: i.e., fresh "green" aroma, well balanced body (mouth feel), distinctive peppery finish-all crucial elements that together confirm nothing is added, taken away or manipulated. There's even a nutritional bonus because, while olive oils in general offer mononusaturates, only intensely green, naturally derived oils carry significant amounts of beneficial antioxidants.

For more information, visit www.lucini.com.

Kim Koeller and Robert La France have created four new pocket size guides to empower food allergy sufferers, celiacs, and people following specialized diets to eat a variety of cuisines outside the home while managing ten common food allergies: corn, dairy, eggs, fish, gluten, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.

The American Steak & Seafood and Mexican Cuisine Passport; the Chinese, Indian, and Thai Cuisine Passport; the French and Italian Cuisine Passport; and the Multi-Lingual Phrase Passport are based on over three years of research. Each cuisine-specific book provides sample menu items to order and helps individuals navigate menus and make informed choices regardless of location and destination. Each dish's ingredients, the associated culinary preparation techniques, gluten-free decision factors, and food allergen preparation considerations are detailed to facilitate the collaboration between guests and restaurant professionals. (R&R Publishing, $9.95 each)

Researchers have known for some time that nuts and seeds are rich sources of phytosterols, a class of plant chemicals that have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and improve heart health. In what is believed to be the most comprehensive analysis to date of the phytosterol content of nuts and seeds, chemists at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., analyzed some 27 nut and seed products and found that pistachios and sunflower kernels had the highest levels of phytosterols among the nuts and seeds that are most commonly consumed as snack foods in the United States. Their study appeared in the November 30 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Sesame seed and wheat germ actually ranked highest but are not consumed as frequently as individual foods, the researchers say. Brazil nuts and walnuts ranked the lowest in phytosterols. The chemists caution that phytosterols are not the only food component involved in lowering cholesterol and that other compounds may also play a role. A well-balanced diet and frequent exercise are important keys to good health, they stress.