Know Your Oils

I often get asked about oils, and what the proper oils are for cooking, salad dressings, baking, smoothies, and everything else. There are a few simple rules to follow with oils:

1. Don’t rely on only one oil for all of your needs. They have different smoke points and health benefits, and it is important to understand the differences so you get the most out of your oils.

2. Always purchase the highest quality oils you can find. Organic, cold-pressed, extra-virgin… you want the least processed form of the oil. The more processing the oil goes through, the fewer nutrients it will retain.

3. Store your oils properly. Some oils are hard at room temperature and can be kept in a cupboard. Others are sensitive to heat or light, so should be in darker bottles and kept away from the stove. For example, olive oil is very sensitive to heat and light. Yet, many people store it right next to their stove for easy access, or in a cupboard over the stove. The heat will spoil the oil and make it rancid, eliminating many of its important health benefits. Oilve oil should be kept in a cool, dry cellar or even a refrigerator if you live in a warmer climate. Flaxseed oil is another one that spoils easily and should be refrigerated.

4. Keep all fish oil supplements in the fridge as well to keep those healthy fats in tact.

5. Know the smoke points of your oils. Many use olive oil for cooking. However, did you know that its smoke point is only 325 degrees F? That means that heating olive oil to anything over 325 degrees F will begin to generate free radicals (cancer-causing agents you read about often) and change the chemical structure of the oil such that nutrients are destroyed. If you know the smoke points of your oils, you can use proper oils for cooking, salad dressings, and drizzling over pasta or veggies.

6. Myth: Oils will make me fat. This is NOT TRUE! As long as you are purchasing high quality, healthy oils such as extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil; extra virgin coconut oil; and organic flaxseed oil, they can only benefit your health. They are great for weight loss, hormonal balance, increasing metabolism, clearer thinking, energy levels, improving intestinal bacteria and health, and more. Healthy fats make up our cell walls, and when we avoid them, our cells become clumsy and sluggish, leading to weight gain and other unwanted symptoms.

2.

The Spectrum Organics website has a great chart for the different smoke points of oils (found HERE). I recommend printing this out and hanging it in your kitchen. Try a few new oils this month. When you buy high quality oils, they contain many essential fats and other nutrients that can help keep you and your family healthy!

Storing Your Oils

Yesterday’s post about water was spurred by the sudden onset of summer and heat in Denver. I immediately began to feel more dehydrated, and wanted to remind you guys to drink lots of water this summer! Another reminder: don’t forget to store your oils properly, especially in the warm weather.

I’ve mentioned that certain things such as heat, air, mechanical refinement, and light can destroy the original nutrients and properties of many oils. Oils are expensive, and people tend to have a few different types on had at any given time. So, it’s important to keep them fresh. When oils go rancid, they form free radicals and oxidize. At some point in the process they are doing more harm than good inside our bodies. Often we cannot taste or smell the rancidity of our oils because many oils are so highly refined and deodorized that everything is masked.

Saturated fats are the most stable fats and are not as susceptible to oxidation as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. Oils higher in saturated fats include coconut oil, butter and lard. These types of oils should be solid at room temperature, but liquefy when exposed to heat. As many of you may remember, I am a huge fan of coconut oil and recommend using it for higher heat cooking or baking (and for weight loss, gut health, and many other things!). I used to keep my coconut oil in the cabinets, because our house stayed cool enough to keep it solid. However, when we were out of town for a week and Denver temperatures got really high, it started to liquefy. When I got home, I had liquid coconut oil. I put it in the fridge just to be safe, but generally it’s okay to leave coconut oil in the cupboard. You can read about the full benefits of coconut oil here.

Butter is another stable oil with a smoke point of about 350 degrees F. It is not as sensitive to heat and light as other oils. However, butter should still be kept in the fridge to prevent it from going rancid. If you keep your butter in a fancy butter dish, get one that will block the light. Many people don’t like to keep their butter in the fridge because they want it nice and soft when the time comes to spread it on their fresh bread or warm toast. But keeping it out of the fridge for extended periods of time can make it spoil. So, what is the solution? Well, when doing research on butter, I came across something that intrigued me: the French butter keeper.

Apparently this kitchen gadget keeps butter in a small pot immersed in cold water. It can be safely left on the counter because the cold water keeps it fresh, yet still soft enough to be spreadable. Cool! I may be adding this to my wish list.

Extra virgin olive oil is destroyed by both heat and light, and is better used for salad dressings or adding flavor after cooking than for the actual cooking. Appropriate cooking temperatures depend on how much the olive oil has been processed. Oils that are more highly processed can be used at higher temperatures, but that’s just because their nutrients have already been destroyed in the refining process and so there is less for the heat to destroy. Good quality olive oil should not be used at temperatures above 200-250 degrees F. If you are cooking vegetables or pasta sauce or something else that absolutely must have that olive oil flavor, just add some after the cooking is finished – I do it all the time and it tastes great and you still benefit from the healthy fats. Olive oil should definitely be stored in the fridge. It is cool and dark, so it’s an ideal home. Depending on the temperature of your fridge, the olive oil may harden in there. This is fine and will not ruin the oil. Just run it under a little water to bring it back to its liquid form.

Other oils that I keep in the fridge include walnut oil, sesame oil and grapeseed oil. The fridge typically cannot hurt your oils, and it’s better to be safe. The more we can protect our high-quality, expensive oils, the more nutrient benefits we will receive from them. Another tip: buy your oils in smaller quantities (sorry, Costco) because they should be consumed rather quickly. Opinions differ, but I’d try to consume your oil within a few months of opening it. If oils are unopened, they can probably sit for 6 months in the fridge without losing many nutrients.

Now that we know the basics of storing oils, we are ready to introduce new oils into our diets! Tomorrow I will talk about some oil supplements that are used therapeutically for different reasons, and how they can benefit and support health.

Safflower Oil

Last week I raved about coconut oil, and got an e-mail from a PWN reader asking, “what about safflower oil?”. Which is a great question, because safflower oil has been marketed as a weight-loss aid for many years now, and since it’s typically affordable and available at any grocery store, I’m sure many have tried it.

What is safflower oil?

Safflower oil is basically tasteless and odorless, and it comes from a safflower (pictured below for those who haven’t seen one – I hadn’t!). Safflowers are grown mainly for the extraction of oil from the seeds. It is used in things like cosmetics, salad dressings and margarine, and many people cook with it.

What is the nutritional makeup of safflower oil?

Unrefined safflower oil has about 120 calories per tablespoon and 14 grams of fat. However, it differs from coconut oil when it comes to the type of fat in contains. Almost all of the fat in coconut oil is saturated fat, whereas the fat in safflower oil is mainly either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat is found in the high linoleic acid safflower oil, and monounsaturated fat is found in the high oleic acid safflower oil. The high oleic acid safflower oil is refined and processed, and was created for cooking because it is much less susceptible to heat damage.

Sidenote/Cool fact: Safflower seeds are often used in place of sunflower seeds in birdseed, because squirrels don’t like the taste of safflower seed.

Refined or Unrefined?

The safflower oil that you find in salad dressings, margarine and other processed foods is very refined. Often oils are refined because this gives them a higher smoke point, meaning they are more stable when used for cooking at high temperatures. The refined safflower oil is the high oleic acid safflower oil. However, it is the unrefined safflower oil (high linoleic acid) that I would recommend if someone were going to use it for weight loss purposes. Refined oils are usually chemically processed, and for optimal health I typically recommend using things in their most natural state.

Safflower oil for weight loss?

It is the linoleic acid in safflower oil that is associated with weight loss. Linoleic acid helps with the growth and maintenance of tissues, and aids in fat metabolism. It is an omega-6 fatty acid, which is vital to health. Safflower oil is not only linked to a reduction of fat in the stomach area, but it can also increase lean tissue and reduce cholesterol (only the unrefined type). If someone is using unrefined safflower oil for weight loss, I recommend putting it into smoothies or homemade salad dressings, and consuming 1-2 tablespoons per day.

Coconut oil or safflower oil?

However, I still think coconut oil is a better choice, whether you’re using it for cooking or weight loss or anything else. I talked about all the benefits of coconut oil here. Coconut oil can, like safflower oil, aid in weight loss, but it can also help create a healthy digestive tract, eliminate bad bacteria, and boost immunity. If you have to choose an oil, why not choose the one with more health benefits? One reason people may be more drawn to safflower oil is because it is less expensive than coconut oil. However, make sure you are purchasing the unrefined safflower oil, and if you can get an organic safflower oil, it is even better. Because unrefined safflower oil does not have a high smoke point, I still recommend coconut oil for cooking.

Coconut Oil!

Sometimes the world of nutrition seems to be one trend after another, some good, some not so good, but all get a lot of attention and are tried by many. There was the low-carb Atkins phase, then everything became low-fat and sugar-free. Right now gluten-free is big, and we see food companies all over the place coming up with gluten-free breads, crackers and cookies.

Another big “trend” right now is coconuts. Not just real coconuts, but also coconut milk, coconut water, coconut oil, and coconut-flavored bars and cookies. Some of you may be wondering if this is just another agave-type craze: we all buy into the health benefits of coconut, only to realize a year later that it’s not as great as we were once led to believe (read more about agave here).

I have done a lot of research on coconut and I believe it really is a powerful food, particularly the coconut oil. Per tablespoon, coconut oil has 125 calories and 14 grams of fat, most of it saturated. Nothing else – no carbs, no protein, no fiber, no cholesterol, no sodium. Many of you are probably cringing right now at the fact that it’s full of saturated fat. Would you be even more shocked if I told you that coconut oil is often used (successfully) in weight loss?

The fats in coconut oil are mainly medium-chain fatty acids, which are digested, go into the liver, and are immediately available for our body to use as energy. Therefore, they are used up rather than being stored as body fat. The types of fats that can be stored as fat more easily include long-chain fatty acids as well as trans fats or hydrogenated fats. Coconut oil is much like olive oil in that quality is very important for maximum health benefits. Low quality coconut oil = refined fats, which means you lose the weight loss benefits. If you buy high quality coconut oil, it will be unrefined and free from bleach or deodorizers. Look for words like “virgin,” “organic,” and “cold-pressed” when deciding which coconut oil to buy. The oil should be a solid at temperatures below 75 degrees F. It does not need to be refrigerated.

So what makes coconut oil so great?

Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which works wonders inside the body. Lauric acid helps rid our digestive tract of bad bacteria, yeast, viruses and fungi. It is the same type of fat found in breast milk that protects the baby from getting sick while they are so young. The oil is anti-microbial (similar to the raw honey) and makes our immune systems stronger. Anyone with digestive tract issues or discomfort, such as cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation, may benefit from a few tablespoons of coconut oil throughout each day. It will help to restore the beneficial intestinal flora and rid your body of toxins and bad bacteria. When you first start using coconut oil, you may experience some diarrhea as the coconut oil detoxifies your intestines. The fats in coconut oil also increase your absorption of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Replacing your refined vegetable oils with coconut oil promotes weight loss for a few different reasons. Coconut oil, because of its fat makeup, has fewer calories per gram of fat. The fats are treated like carbohydrates (because they are medium-chain) and used as energy rather than being stored, like the refined, hydrogenated or trans-fats of other oils. Coconut oil increases your metabolism, allowing you to burn calories more quickly. Also, since coconut oil cleans up your digestive tract and improves digestion and absorption of food and nutrients, your body becomes more balanced. This balance will lead to more optimal function of all of your organs and systems, which allows for weight loss.

An additional benefit of coconut oil is that it’s a very stable oil, so it can be used for cooking or baking without worrying about altering the fats such that they lose their health benefits. I use coconut oil for almost all of our cooking and I’ve used it in baking as well. And, it doesn’t make our meat and veggies taste like coconut. I know someone who doesn’t like the taste of coconut but has cooked with it and claimed he couldn’t even tell the difference between coconut oil and olive oil.

Other great uses for coconut oil: used as a butter substitute in baking; spread on toast, baked potatoes or vegetables; mixed into smoothies; rubbed over cuts to prevent infection; or even rubbed onto your skin to relieve dry skin! Coconut oil can help with dry or aging skin – it’s fats help refresh the skin and it’s 100% natural so you don’t have to worry about toxins (I think coconut oil would rate very well on the Skin Deep website I talked about yesterday). It has also been used successfully to treat skin problems like psoriasis and eczema. Another great use is a hair conditioner – it can make your dandruff disappear in a heartbeat, or just use it as a natural conditioner if your hair is looking dry or brittle.

Have I convinced you yet that this should be a staple in your kitchen (or, bathroom)? I love using coconut oil and have experienced some of its benefits firsthand. One thing I will say is to be careful of what you find in the stores. Since it is such a big food right now, there are coconut oils popping up that are refined, not 100% natural, and not organic. I buy ours online, either from Amazon (South Pacific Trading Company brand) or from Wilderness Family Naturals, which is a brand my teacher recommended and allows you to buy in bulk to save some money.

Coconut waters, milk and other products are another topic for another day… maybe tomorrow?

Recipe: The New Cinnamon Toast

One of my favorite breakfasts as a kid was cinnamon toast. I still distinctly remember the big blue shaker my mom would fill with a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Toast + butter + cinnamon + sugar = yum!

Now, I just know too much to do that to myself. A dose of pure sugar in the morning is not good for any body, whether it comes in the form of doughnuts, sugary coffee drinks or cinnamon toast. But I have good news: the cinnamon can (and should!) stay! Cinnamon is full of manganese and has some iron and calcium as well. It helps prevent blood clotting and reduces inflammation, making it a good spice for people with arthritis, gout, and other inflammatory diseases. Cinnamon is also an anti-microbial, which means it helps stop the growth of bad bacteria inside our bodies. Bad bacteria can result from things like food allergies or digestive issues.

But perhaps the most important characteristic of cinnamon is its ability to help regulate blood sugar. When carbohydrates are seasoned with cinnamon, they spend more time in our stomach before moving into the rest of our digestive tract. This helps to prevent sudden spikes in our blood sugar, which can lead to increased sugar cravings, mood swings, and dramatic shifts in energy levels. Keeping our blood sugar under control is so important for a balanced body. Insulin resistance, which is a result of too many spikes and dips in blood sugar, is a precursor to diabetes. Therefore, if we can eat a diet that supports stable blood sugar levels, we can avoid putting ourselves at risk for certain diseases.

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses cinnamon for its warming qualities. Guess what? So do I! When Ed or I feel a cold coming on, we make up one of our “concoctions,” which is a tea containing any or all of the following: cinnamon, raw honey, fresh lemon juice, ginger, apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper.

Another amazing food, which I am not going to talk much about today but promise to soon, is coconut oil. For many reasons, I have begun to incorporate coconut oil into my daily diet. I use it for sautéing vegetables, cooking eggs, and I’ve even added it to smoothies. Just trust me – it’s a key health food! So here’s my recipe:

The New Cinnamon Toast

Whole grain bread, preferably from a local bakery (my current favorite is Whole Foods’ Seeduction bread)

Coconut oil (cold-pressed, high-quality coconut oil… I’ll go into more detail on how to choose a good coconut oil another day, but it should be hard at room temperature)

Cinnamon

Toast bread, drizzle with 1 tbsp of coconut oil, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy!

PS- Sorry about the bad photos – still having to use by iphone until we get a new camera!