Cooking Without Oil Part 1

Hi Warriors Chics, 

We’ve recently talked about how the traditional plant based diet do not consume oil. According to the American Heart Association, “saturated fat intake should not exceed 7% of total calories each day (with optimal levels less than 5%), and trans-fat (agreed to be the most dangerous type of fat) intake should not exceed 1% of total calories each day. 

What that has to do with you and your family. Well, the average American gets 30-40% of daily calories from fat and 15% from saturated fat. This is double the already generous amount recommended by the American Heart Association. 

Of all the fats, there are only two essential fatty acids (EFAs)- that’s right, only two! What does that mean? That means that these are the only two fats according to Alona Pulde, MD author of Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole- states we must get from our foods, the rest our body can make on its own. 

What are these two essential fats, you might ask? They are omega 3 (or alpha-linolenic acid) and omega-6 (or linoleum acid), both polyunsaturated fats.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, adequate daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids is 1.1 grams for women and 1.6 grams for men. This translates to between 1-3a5 of our daily calories or about 1/4 to 1/3 of a teaspoon a day. Not very much at all and easy to attain with even the most basic plant based diet. 

Something that I thought was interesting was when Pulde, explained that a 2000 calorie diet of lettuce alone gives you 7.7 grams of omega -3 fat. I don’t think we will consume this alone but I thought I would throw that in their as a Interesting Fact!!!!

Ways to Get Omega 3 and Omega 6

As long as you are eating a plant based diet rich in vegetables especially leafy green, fruits, nuts, seeds, legume and gram and you are meeting your daily calorie requirements, you should be getting all of the EFAs you need.

Foods to Consider…

1. ground flaxseed (not the oil)

2. walnuts

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts have 2,7 grams of omega 3 and 11.1 grams of omega-6.

One tablespoon of ground flaxseed there is 1.6. grams of omega -3 and 0.4 grams of omega 6. Keep in mind that nuts are very calorie dense average of 2700 calories per pound so use them sparingly, especially for those of you trucker wives trying to lose weight. 

The Reason Why You Should Not Cook With Oils

Many people have replace olive oil for their usually vegetable oils. Although this sounds good olive oil as a replacement for oils high in saturated fat may be a better choice but that does NOT make olive oil healthy. In fact olive oil still raises cholesterol and damages blood vessels, it just doesn’t do it to the extent that the saturated fats do. 

Furthermore, a study that looked at olive oil’s effect on blood flow showed that a single meal with olive oil caused increase vessel spasm and decreased blood flow. Coconut oil is over 90% saturated fat and has the same detrimental effect on our cholesterol as eating butter.

This is why in my 80/20 Rule Program I tell my clients oils go within the 20% of healthy eating do it in moderation if you choose to not cook without oil. 

The bottomline is that the trends will change and there will always be the latest and greatest health product on the market but, 

“oil is oil, no matter what food it is extracted from (a soybean, an olive, a flaxseed, or a coconut). And all oil is bad for you.” -Alana Pulde, MD

Author of Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole

In summary, you only need two types of fats from your diet, omega 3 and omega 6. Eating a natural whole foods, plant based diet (or even just incorporating more fruits, vegetables and grains into your diet) is your best bet to get not only the right amount but also the appropriate ratio of essential fatty acids. If that makes you nervous, and you need further insurance, then go ahead and incorporate a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseeds into your day. In try to cook at least one meal this week without oil. I’ll show you how in part two of my next post  Cooking Without Oils Part 2. Stay Tune!!!

I hope this helped!

Be Inspired to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Warrior Chic

XOXO