These "Healthy" Oils Can Sabotage Your Diet!

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WonderNoodle
WonderNoodle Posts: 549
in Food and Nutrition
From the Joy Bauer.com newsletter "The Daily Plum"

Joy's Mythbusters

True or False: Heart-healthy vegetable oils, like olive oil and canola oil, are the ultimate diet food.
False. Make no mistake, olive and canola oil are heart-healthy fats — but they're extremely calorie-dense as well. In my nutrition office, I have a plastic food model of one tablespoon of oil. Suffice it to say, it's tiny. When I tell my weight-loss clients that it represents 100 calories of pure fat, they turn a little pale. That's because they're thinking about how generous they are when pouring oil straight from the bottle. Suddenly they realize how quickly all those 100-calorie splashes add up, and how they've been sabotaging their stir-fries and salads for years.

Enter vegetable-oil spray. Whoever invented this deserves a special place in the Diet Hall of Fame. A few spritzes — about 10 calories worth — is enough to prevent food from sticking to your pan (you'll hear a lot about nonstick cooking spray — it makes regular guest appearances throughout my online diet plan). Remember, though, it's still oil in that can, so don't overspray.

Another spritz deserving of an award comes in the new salad-dressing spray bottles, which can coat your salad without weighing it down (a good amount of squirts will only set you back about 15 calories).

-Joy Bauer

Replies

  • spitfire1962
    spitfire1962 Posts: 347 Member
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    I love the Olive Oil spray, just a few sprays and it's all good.
  • louisee294
    louisee294 Posts: 140 Member
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    Like you say, if you are splashing it in willy-nilly, then the calories will add up, but they are "healthy oils" and if you measure the amount and count them into your allowance can form a (small) part of a healthy diet.
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,052 Member
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    You can pry my olive oil from my cold dead hands! :laugh:
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
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    I've been noticing it more lately that Olive oil is sabotaging me! I'm Italian, so I'm used to using EVOO willy nilly. On breads, in the pan when I sautee veggies, on salad, on top of pasta or veggies instead of butter, etc. Then I started logging it and HOLY COW. The calories and fat add up SO fast. I was sad to see it go, but I had to put it on the top shelf for only special occasions. I'm now a Pam Olive Oil Spray girl. (Don't tell my Mom, she'd be so ashamed. LOL!)
  • Tangy1966
    Tangy1966 Posts: 50 Member
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    Thanks for the tip...I have recently converted to the spray can, but had no idea about the calories
    I was truly saving. I will stock up on more now!
  • louisee294
    louisee294 Posts: 140 Member
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    You can pry my olive oil from my cold dead hands! :laugh:


    haha :)
  • barberella
    barberella Posts: 199
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    I love my avacadoes as well, but they are so calorie dense that one avacado is more than 300 calories! That's my whole lunch practically! So, it's more of a treat than anything even if its considered a "healthy" fat.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I love my avacadoes as well, but they are so calorie dense that one avacado is more than 300 calories! That's my whole lunch practically! So, it's more of a treat than anything even if its considered a "healthy" fat.

    That's why I still have a container of "wholly guacamole" that's been sitting in the freezer for at least 8 months (second half of a Costco uber-package). It adds so much, I hate to take it out because half will go to waste as I "dole" it out tbsp by tbsp.
  • cmw72
    cmw72 Posts: 390 Member
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    I got the "Misto M100S Gourmet Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer" for Christmas and it's awesome.

    You put your olive oil in there, and just pump it up a few times and spray as needed.

    Here's a link to it on amazon: http://amzn.to/fqMnMI
  • allaboutprogression
    allaboutprogression Posts: 1
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    Amen! I just logged my first day (1200 calorie limit) and the evoo added over 700 calories. Smh. I'm sooo disappointed in myself fornotchecking first. And I had done so good!!! **weep weep crying sound** . Oh well, tomorrows another day.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    portion it out, but not neglect it

    besides im still not convinced fat makes you fat seems so many diets are deficient in oil and fat
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,020 Member
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    Ignorance is bliss.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,020 Member
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    Actually, a tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories, not 100.
    But I'm not switching to the sprays (how would I measure that? There'd be no way to know how much I was actually using.) I measure how much olive oil I use (usually 1 tsp or a half tablespoon to saute something, about the same amount for a large salad) and log it, and it's all OK. I need monounsaturated fats.
  • Whereismycoffee
    Whereismycoffee Posts: 130 Member
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    I got the "Misto M100S Gourmet Brushed Aluminum Olive Oil Sprayer" for Christmas and it's awesome.

    You put your olive oil in there, and just pump it up a few times and spray as needed.

    Here's a link to it on amazon: http://amzn.to/fqMnMI

    Thank you~~I don't like using the aerosol canned stuff. I didn't even know they made something like this. I got one on order now :bigsmile:
  • ejsherms
    ejsherms Posts: 6 Member
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    You can pry my olive oil from my cold dead hands! :laugh:

    I know, what else would my fresh baked bread go swimming in? Portion control over denial and me, my bread and olive oil will be very happy together.
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
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    I've been noticing it more lately that Olive oil is sabotaging me! I'm Italian, so I'm used to using EVOO willy nilly. On breads, in the pan when I sautee veggies, on salad, on top of pasta or veggies instead of butter, etc. Then I started logging it and HOLY COW. The calories and fat add up SO fast. I was sad to see it go, but I had to put it on the top shelf for only special occasions. I'm now a Pam Olive Oil Spray girl. (Don't tell my Mom, she'd be so ashamed. LOL!)

    +1

    And this is why it is so important for me to log my food intake acurately. It is how I find out that I am sabotaging myself.
  • 87monkey
    87monkey Posts: 83 Member
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    olive oil is calorie dense but it has so many good benefits...and coconut oil, mmmmm...like others say portion control.

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