Is there a substitute for Olive Oil?

I love balsamic vinegar also, I could eat just about anything with it. But as for a substitute for olive oil I have no idea.

This includes Extra Virgin.
Seriously, had a chick pea salad for lunch and just put two tablespoons of EVOO, of course that's a whopping 240 calories, ugh.
So what do you put on your veggies and salads? My salads I usually bathe in balsamic vinegar and avoid olive oil at all cost but man, it sure would taste better with the EVOO.

I make my own balsamic vinaigrette - half balsamic vinegar, half EVOO with a bunch of spices - and use it on all my salads. I use 2 TBSP on a salad, so it's only about 125 calories total since it's half vinegar.

EVOO has many health benefits if used in moderation - it's one of the healthiest fats you can eat. I wouldn't replace it, just mix it with something so you use a little less!

I don't substitute. I just buy olive oil in a spray can. I use it to "saute" mushroom, red peppers, etc. by spraying the bottom of the pan lightly and then spraying the tops of the veggies. It uses a fraction of what you would use to sautee using bottled oil. You can lightly spay olive oil on salads and add your spices and vinegar.

evoo although cal heavy is a fantastic source of good fats, so just go lighter on it, however I would not stop using it.

All oils are liquid fats and should be approached in moderation, but oils that are low in mono unsaturated fat (like olive oil) have so many health benefits it is not a good idea to remove them from your diet. The only good substitute for olive oil, then, would be another oil that is high in mono unsaturated fat (walnut and grapeseed being two examples). This page has a chart listing several and their breakdown of amino acids:

http://www.latourangelle.com/nutrition.php

My other amazing discovery is instead of sauteeing veggies in olive oil I now use a small amount of low sodium tomato juice. It keeps the pan moist and cooks down adding flavor to any meal, with no added fat!

I made a mental note of this one... sounds yummy!

I am new to this site and I think it will be perfect for my weight and fitness goals. I am in the transition of switching to everything coconut! I use coconut oil for cooking, baking, and as a skin/hair moisturizer. I drink lots of coconut water and now replacing dairy milk to coconut milk. I plan to try coconut oil and vinagar for a salad dressing. Hope that helps for something new that you may not have thought of. If you haven't discovered all the benefits of Coconut just google it.

Looking forward to making new friends :happy:

7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 70% monounsaturated fats that protect against heart diseases and cancer. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil to your salads. Buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil: it contains more polyphenols and tastes better.



Read the post about 20 foods you should eat. You will find it very intereesting.

i would like to use EVOO too, but it does have alot of calories. Although it is all good fat, i still dont use it. for cooking i will use the olive oil spray, but for salads, i love balsamic too, so i use a light balasmic ving. I like Kens Steak House Light Balsamic Ving. I thik it is about 30 cals a tablespoon or something like that and tastes great! Trader Joes has a Fat Free Balsamic Ving that is also very good. Not sure if you have that store though. If I need oil to cook with and cant use the spray, i just use canola.

For our salads we cut up all the goodies (cucumbers, tomato, mushrooms, you name it) and put in small containers for each serving. I use Annie's Naturals salad dressings, they have some very flavorful dressings with low sodium. In each of these containers I put 1 tbsp of the salad dressing and shake it up. I let it sit in the fridge for several hours. When its time to eat my salad, I put lettuce on the plate then dump my "goodie" container on top. I have found (for me) that this is plenty dressing and I'd rather have a natural dressing than some low fat chemically goop.

My other amazing discovery is instead of sauteeing veggies in olive oil I now use a small amount of low sodium tomato juice. It keeps the pan moist and cooks down adding flavor to any meal, with no added fat!

What great ideas. I will have to try the tomato juice...sounds awesome.

It's the quantity here.... 2tbps?? Yikes, my salad would be drowning in oil with that amount! I can dress a salad for 4 people with 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp wholegrain mustard.... just toss it through better

a few ideas:

buy one of the refillable type spray containers that are made specifically for misting olive oil (specialty kitchen shops should have them --- or google it. I don't remember the brand name for ours). You pump air in, which give it its "aerosol" power instead of relying on (chemical) propellant. Then mist things with olive oil to get the flavor well dispersed without having to use a large quantity of oil

consider switching over to cast iron cookware. Once the pan is well-seasoned, you won't need to add much, if any, oil to the pan to prevent sticking or to give flavor. The pan will do all the seasoning for you. (minimal fat transfer from pan to food). Cast iron adds iron to your diet (a good thing!) is very durable and you can toss those toxic teflon pans in the garbage and never look back!

consider using a baking stone, which is similar to the cast iron in that it develops a seasoning and allows you to bake without "greasing the pan" and things don't stick.

I've been using just a touch of extra virgin coconut oil lately and its been wonderful! (Nutiva brand). You might consider trying it

But mostly i agree about just using less of a good thing (evoo).

buy one of the refillable type spray containers that are made specifically for misting olive oil (specialty kitchen shops should have them --- or google it. I don't remember the brand name for ours). You pump air in, which give it its "aerosol" power instead of relying on (chemical) propellant. Then mist things with olive oil to get the flavor well dispersed without having to use a large quantity of oil

It's called "Misto". I love mine!