Question: Do you prohibit the use of vegetable oils? Does this include Olive Oil?
Answer: Thank you for your question and your interest. Our feeling about oils is that they are processed forms of foods high in calories and low in nutrients. The more a food is processed the less healthy it is! Furthermore, vegetable oils including olive oil are NOT health foods! These oils suppress the immune system (increasing risks of infections and cancer), promote atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries), increase bleeding, cause insulin resistance, and lead to obesity. With regards to olive oil, we have been misinformed of its “benefit” from observations that people on the Mediterranean diet are healthier than people on the American diet. This is so because their diet consists largely of fruits, vegetables, and grains with little animal products...not because of the olive oil. In fact, they are healthier DESPITE the olive oil in their diet and not because of it! That being said, although we highly recommend against the use of vegetable oils, we don’t like to use the word prohibited. So if you feel you have to use a little bit of olive oil or else you will go back to cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and fries...then by all means, use that bit of olive oil. However, it might be helpful to know that there are many healthier forms of fat to use out there. Ground up, unsalted olives are much healthier than the extracted olive oil and still add the wanted olive flavor. When you are frying something you can use a fat substitute like juice or vegetable broth to cook with rather than oil. Then you can add a healthier unprocessed form of fat if you want that particular flavor...such as ground up cashews, seeds, or avocado. The benefit of using a ground up whole food is that you then also get things like fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are discarded when you extract the oil from the whole food. These nutrients are not only important for your health but also help shut off your hunger signals, ultimately preventing you from overeating.
Finally, we don’t like to use the term “okay” like you are doing something wrong if you don’t follow these rules. Certain oils/fats (olive, canola, peanut, avocado) are less saturated and better for your heart than others (palm kernel, coconut, butter) but we would never say olive oil is a health food. Also, remember that the most important thing is that we do our best. Meaning, if you are out and wind up eating some oil because there is no alternative and you didn't prepare for the situation...it's not the end of the world or your health. Rather, just be better prepared for next time. Any move closer towards a low fat plant based diet is not only healthier for you, but will prevent more disease and give you more energy. So in the end, please don't be too hard on yourself as you do the best that you can!
Copyright © MMVII.(2007)Exsalus. All Rights Reserved.
