Why NO OIL?

[Jaggu]

I understand the basic premise behind using NO OIL. Oil is all fat and saturated fat gets converted into cholesterol causing heart and other disease. I understand if some is using lot of oil. But what about if I used very little oil( say 1/2 tbsp = 7 g per day) such as canola oil which doesn't have saturated fat, it's all mono and polyunsaturated fat and I'm not terribly overweight. I'm not trying to lose weight but do not want to have heart disease.

Does the saturated fat = saturated fat whether it comes from oil, meat or whole grains? or the fat from oil is special in some ways and hence Dr McD recommends not to use oil. Is it because he knows that the minimum oil that any one could be using is way more than what could be allowed and hence his recommendations are not to use it.

[DianeR]

Good question. Here's a link that explains:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_hot_vegetableoils.html

Fat, divorced from the food it originally comes from -- even if unsaturated and from a plant -- can have some untoward effects beyond weight control, as Dr. McDougall discusses in those newsletter articles.

I don't know if tiny amounts are a concern. But more would be. Dr. Esselstyn, he of the first "reversing heart disease through diet" study, is another stickler for no added fat. His reversal diet is 10% fat, whereas the prevention diet is 20%.

I find that when I cook I don't need the oil. I figure when I go out to eat I'm going to be getting some, so I may as well minimize my exposure all I can.

[Jaggu]

If your total fat intake is less than 10% including fat from oil, will that be a concern especially for someone who is diagnosed with coronary artery blockage? It is very difficult not to use any oil especially when you are sautéing vegetable/plant based food.

[BatGrrl]

I've been able to move away from using oil when sautéing vegetable/plant based food by using water, vegetable stock and/or a good non-stick frying pan. This is my experience, your mileage may vary .

[DianeR]

Water & veggie stock work well for sauteing. You can also use soy sauce, balsamic vinegar or wine. The only time I use oil (and then less than recipes say ... really the bare minimum) is if I am cooking hot chilies. The capaisin is fat soluble, not water soluble, so the flavor comes out better if there is a little fat. But very little is needed.

Somewhere there is a description of how to do oil-less sauteing. Anyone remember where? I will start out with a touch of water (or whatever) and then add more as that evaporates.

With coronary artery blockage, I would try to cut out all oil. You may want to get Dr. Esselstyn's book, Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease. It has the added benefit of a number of recipes.

But you can always email Dr. McDougall with the oil question. I don't know if harm comes about if your fat intake stays at 10%. That is hard to do with much oil, since regular plants contain a bit of fat naturally.

[Caroveggie]

Another way to cook yummy veggies is first steam them a little then swirl them with a little water and maple syrup. The maple syrup tends to bring out their natural sweetness, works well especially for broccoli, carrots, and squash combo. This is good with mashed potatoes. EDIT: But not too much maple syrup, just a touch. (I worked at a fine dining restaurant and the chef used olive oil and maple syrup to make his veggies delish. So at home I tried without the olive oil and water instead, in a heated pan, works just as well.)

I guess this doesn't really address the "why no oil" part, but there really are a lot of yummy ways to eat plant foods without adding oil.