
We all know animal foods provide and overabundance of fat, especially the most harmful kind, saturated fat, which raises blood cholesterol levels and damages our arteries causing heart disease and stroke. Now animal products are not the only culprit....oils are just as bad.
I know what you are thinking...extra virgin olive oil is suppose to be good for us.....says WHO? Of course the companies that make oils will tell us all the reasons why we should be using their product....I am here to give you the facts.
Vegetable oils are NOT HEALTH FOODS. Poly and monounsaturated fats, those contained in large amounts in vegetable oils as well as in fish, have been shown to depress the immune system, increase bleeding and promote cancers, especially those of the colon, prostate and breast. All fats are easily stored making people overweight, which lays the foundations for many other illnesses including heart disease, cancer and adult-onset diabetes. Fat deprives cells of oxygen, is a major producer of free radicals which damages the body's tissues....and then the trouble begins.
There really is no need to use ANY kind of oils. When I tell people this they look at me like I have 10 heads. I know most people like to saute using oil, (I used to be one of these people thinking olive oil was so wonderful for us), but believe me when I tell you, you DON'T need it. I always start dishes with a little onion and garlic, but I now saute with just a little bit of water, just enough to "line" the pan. As the onion and garlic sautes, you may need to add little amounts of water at a time...you don't want to "boil" the onion and garlic, but of course you don't want to burn them either. It is very simple...just keep moving the onion and garlic around in the pain until you are ready to add the rest of your ingredients. The finished product will NOT taste any different, and you have ZERO calories and ZERO fat from the oil.
Oil has no fiber, no protein and far less nutrition than the food it comes from. Oil is 100% fat...so anytime you use more than a drop of oil, the amount of fat in your meal skyrockets!! For example, if you pour just 1 tablespoon of olive oil over 2 cups of shredded romaine lettuce, you will get 16 calories from the lettuce and 119 calories from the oil. In other words, 88.1% of your calories are from fat. That is CRAZY...1 tablespoon! It truly is not worth it.
Instead of using oil, top your salad with guacamole or dress it with a homemade dressing. There are a million recipes on line that are simple and so inexpensive to make, not to mention so HEALTHY!
HONEY MUSTARD
This recipe is from, The Everyday Happy Herbivore....really simple, delicious, and no oil needed!!
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T agave nectar, (I sometimes use raw honey)
hot sauce to taste
dash of ground ginger
- In a small bowl, whisk Dijon and agave nectar together.
- Add a few drops of hot sauce plus a dash or two of ground ginger, mix again.
- Taste, adjust the sweetener, mustard or hot sauce to taste.
When trying a new recipe, I tend to make a small batch just to make sure I will like it...then, the next time I make it I will make a big batch so I have it on hand, ready to go.
Again, there are so many recipes available on-line....I'm positive you will find some you and your family will love--making dressings yourself not only will save you money, but, there will be no harmful ingredients added, (high fructose corn syrup for one), and you will be flooding your body with with REAL food!