So here's the thing I don't get about oil..

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theflyingartist
theflyingartist Posts: 385 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If it's so healthy, why do we use it in excess?
I go to a nearby vegan, gluten free bakery that raves about the health benefits of its ingredients. Well, the only way to get the nutritional information is to buy their cookbook. So I did.
I calculated a few of their recipes on MFP, and soon found out they were using 1-2 cups of oil per batch of their baked goods! Canola oil, in fact!
I mean, geez people. Oil is good for you, I understand. But how come there can't be a 1/2-1/2 situation? Like 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 oil. You don't want your day's worth of fat in one scone! :sick: I don't know, (*chronic lipophobic [fat-fearing]*) maybe it's the hesitation to ingest something so oily and greasy that gets me.
Even seeing french fries in a paper bag grosses me out.
Do you all appreciate oil/fats? If so, what ones do you like to cook with or work with? Also, do you know any good replacements to oil? Thanks :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    the only good oils are coconut oil and EVOO. coconut oil is more ideal for cooking (esp high heat cooking) because it doesn't break down like EVOO does at a high heat.
  • charityateet
    charityateet Posts: 576 Member
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    Oh I so get you!! I have a local bakery that is the bombdiggity - and I totally guestimate the calories in their food....I'm sure I am underestimating, but what I"m doing so far is working (lol) so I don't worry too much.

    I never ever bake with all oil, even if it's for friends and family. I usually always sub 100% apple sauce (homemade, no sugar added) and sometimes I"ll do 50/50 but mostly it's just a straight sub.

    That's what I don't get - I can bake and cook at home, pretty much anything and get less calories and fat then at a restaurant where people are doing this for a profession? I know they say salt and butter make everything better.......but I totally don't agree!
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
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    How big is a batch though?
    and how many - how often do you eat there foods?
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
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    nothing wrong with canola oil *S*

    in fact oils in general (olive, canola, avocado etc) are good for you... we 'need' to consume oil

    in fact.. just watched a news report about necessity of getting enough oil in your eating plan to prevent hunger pangs and keep brain functioning properly.

    everything..in moderation *S*
  • heather3879
    heather3879 Posts: 26 Member
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    Yes, I appreciate oils, but you have to use the good ones! Olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, grapeseed...these are some of the good ones. (Coconut oil is actually very high in saturated fat and is what fast food restaurants use to cook their fries.) The thing to understand is that healthy oils are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which actually clear cholesterol from your arteries and improve your brain health. So while I can understand wanting to decrease your total fat intake and definitely your saturated fat intake, you NEED healthy oils!
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Right! A healthy recipe is totally subjective! Healthy to me might mean all natural ingredients and low in sugar. Healthy to someone else may mean low calorie & low fat. That's the problem when dining out or buying anything premade!

    When it comes to cooking, as you said, I may sub some/all of the oil & butter out of a recipe with no sugar added applesauce, yogurt, pumpkin puree, cottage cheese.... just depends on what I'm making. It can be challenging to adjust to the different textures when you do that: cookies don't crisp well without the sugar and butter.... breads & cakes are more spongy, etc.

    Edit to add:
    I am a believer in the health benefits of coconut oil. Although, only small amounts, I add coconut oil in baking, cooking and sometimes just a few grams into my protein shakes or stirred into my greek yogurt.
  • Trucker40
    Trucker40 Posts: 5
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    research coconut oil...
    http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
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    Lipids are necessary. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary. How you get them is up to you.

    Personally, I can eat an entire avocado with complete delight, but adding a tablespoon of oil to veggies makes me cringe. I'll eat the skin of fish and chicken with zero guilt, but the condensed fat on the sides of meat makes me sick. It's just my own preferences that dictate how I prefer my fat, and even though I don't add oil or butter to anything, I get plenty of healthy fats in every day directly from the foods I eat.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    research coconut oil...
    http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

    Amen! :wink:
  • LaDiablesse
    LaDiablesse Posts: 862 Member
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    I use coconut oil for the most of my pan cooking.
  • mustnothrowcantelopes
    mustnothrowcantelopes Posts: 116 Member
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    This might be kind of going off on a tangent, but I am afraid to use oil in anything because it has so many calories. Like when you fry eggs for instance. If you're frying 2 eggs and using one tablespoon of oil that 1 tablespoon is automatically 120 cal. So what , I just ate 140+120 = 260 cal just from eggs? That hardly seems fair. How can oil possibly be healthy if even have just a little bit is automatically a crazy amount of calories. It's not like you're having a bag of chips or cereal. It's really frustrating!
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    First thing, the above poster that said the only good oils are coconut and EVOO is 100% correct. All other vegetable oils become rancid once exposed to heat. Yes coconut oil has saturated fat, but it is not the same as animal saturated fat, it is actually water soluble because it is a medium-chain triglyceride.

    Secondly, saturated fat does not deserve the negative attention that it gets, it is good for you. The lipid hypothesis that claimed that sat fat increases cholesterol and increased cholesterol causes heard disease, and therefore saturated fat causes heart disease has been disproven countless times now. And let’s not forget that it was only a hypothesis anyway, not a fact. Since I have switched to an increased sat fat diet months ago, my cholesterol and triglycerides are better than they have ever been. It is hydrogenated products that you have to stay away from, not saturated fat.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    This might be kind of going off on a tangent, but I am afraid to use oil in anything because it has so many calories. Like when you fry eggs for instance. If you're frying 2 eggs and using one tablespoon of oil that 1 tablespoon is automatically 120 cal. So what , I just ate 140+120 = 260 cal just from eggs? That hardly seems fair. How can oil possibly be healthy if even have just a little bit is automatically a crazy amount of calories. It's not like you're having a bag of chips or cereal. It's really frustrating!

    Calories does not make something unhealthy, and just because something is low calorie doesn’t make it healthy for you. Think of it this way, what is better for you one Oreo or a salmon fillet? Ok, that is an easy one, but what about a bowel of lettuce, nothing else or the same salmon fillet? The salmon would be because it provide greater nutrients even though it is higher calorie. This is the same principle with oils.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I rarely use oil. I mean, rarely. I cook with water. On occasion I might use oil, but it's minimal, then more water. Once in a while I'll make popcorn with coconut oil. I prefer to get my oils from the foods - avocado, olives, nuts. For me, it's much more enjoyable to eat the food and get the fiber and the oil rather than add on calories just for oil.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    This might be kind of going off on a tangent, but I am afraid to use oil in anything because it has so many calories. Like when you fry eggs for instance. If you're frying 2 eggs and using one tablespoon of oil that 1 tablespoon is automatically 120 cal. So what , I just ate 140+120 = 260 cal just from eggs? That hardly seems fair. How can oil possibly be healthy if even have just a little bit is automatically a crazy amount of calories. It's not like you're having a bag of chips or cereal. It's really frustrating!

    I agree that it's not worth adding the calories to fry something; don't fry anything! Cook eggs with PAM or a spray like that. However, I will EAT the heck out of fats! LOVE avocados, nuts, almond butter, peanut butter, olive oil, coconut oil, salmon......

    But, I don't like to wast my calories on fat if I can't taste it and appreciate it. I'll add extra virgin olive oil on top of my veggies AFTER I cook them so that I can taste that nice flavor of the oil. Big chunks of avocado on a salad, sandwich or just alongside my lean protein is delish! Almonds in my oatmeal or yogurt, etc. I want to taste my fats!
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    First thing, the above poster that said the only good oils are coconut and EVOO is 100% correct. All other vegetable oils become rancid once exposed to heat. Yes coconut oil has saturated fat, but it is not the same as animal saturated fat, it is actually water soluble because it is a medium-chain triglyceride.

    Secondly, saturated fat does not deserve the negative attention that it gets, it is good for you. The lipid hypothesis that claimed that sat fat increases cholesterol and increased cholesterol causes heard disease, and therefore saturated fat causes heart disease has been disproven countless times now. And let’s not forget that it was only a hypothesis anyway, not a fact. Since I have switched to an increased sat fat diet months ago, my cholesterol and triglycerides are better than they have ever been. It is hydrogenated products that you have to stay away from, not saturated fat.
    [/quote

    Well said! Thanks!
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    the problem with gf baking is that the flour is so fine (think baking powder fine) that you need to use more liquid than in wheat flour recipes (at least from my experience). The bakery you're going to is probably more concerned with getting as close to the same texture or taste as the wheat flour bakery down the street (or better) and using oil to get there. It's a concession you make. I use water or milk to fill in the gaps in my recipes, but some of them turn out brick hard when I do this.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    Here is a good article on canola oil.

    http://www.truthaboutabs.com/the-canola-oil-deception.html
  • theflyingartist
    theflyingartist Posts: 385 Member
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    Here is a good article on canola oil.

    http://www.truthaboutabs.com/the-canola-oil-deception.html
    Thank you! I really do appreciate oil, don't get me wrong. Just afraid of it straight up, haha. To mirror a few other posters on this thread, the idea of saute'ing veggies in oil is so GROSS, yet fresh ground peanut butter and guacamole are cravings!
    I guess I figure, if you're baking something..most of the time it will turn carcinogenic so DON'T use it.. kind of like your point on rancidity and the heat-to-smoke level on most oils.
    I agree, coconut oil is the way to go for baking. Otherwise, I steam and blanch my meals (if they're cooked). I guess it's one of those things where the closer it is to the natural state, the more I would appreciate it. So, eating guacamole as opposed to cold-pressed olive oil that has been processed (even if a little) in order to extract it.
  • theflyingartist
    theflyingartist Posts: 385 Member
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    the problem with gf baking is that the flour is so fine (think baking powder fine) that you need to use more liquid than in wheat flour recipes (at least from my experience). The bakery you're going to is probably more concerned with getting as close to the same texture or taste as the wheat flour bakery down the street (or better) and using oil to get there. It's a concession you make. I use water or milk to fill in the gaps in my recipes, but some of them turn out brick hard when I do this.
    Great point. And yes, any additional liquid added to GF recipes alllways makes them more rock-solid lol

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