Oil or No Oil on a Plant Based Diet?

The greatest challenge for many people on a plant-based diet is evaluating all the misinformation about things that are NOT healthy; like oil. Yet, despite the evidence, many people continue to pour what they assume to be healthy oils on the salads, beans, potatoes and other healthy foods thus turning them into unhealthy choices.

Most people fully understand that vegetable oil is not the best choice of oils. Yet, they are convinced that coconut and olive oil are healthy.

120 Added Calories

Let’s start with the facts. One tablespoon of any type of oil adds 120 calories to your food consumption.

“But I heard I didn’t need to count calories when I’m on a whole food, plant-based diet,” someone new to the protocol objects.

It’s true. On a 100% whole food, plant-based diet, you DON’T count calories. One reason, you don’t consume a lot of empty calories such as processed oil.

What about Olive Oil?

The short answer is; it’s processed. But wait! Olive oil is often sold as a health food as is coconut oil but are they actually healthy?

Plant-based science suggests it’s best to keep it out of your diet.

According to a rock-solid post in MamaSezz blog, the short answer for olive oil is NO!

“It’s oil. That means it’s heavily processed. And that means, no, it’s not healthy. It may not be as bad as, say, bacon grease, but it’s certainly not doing your body any favors, either. The bottom line is that if you avoid olive oil, you’ll be better off for it.”

It’s the same for coconut oil.

https://www.mamasezz.com/blogs/news/health-benefits-of-olive-oil

In a post from UC Davis Integrated Medicine, the facts are clear.

-Oils are jam-packed with calories; as pure liquid fat, oil gets ALL their calories from FAT. -As a processed food, oil is virtually devoid of nutrients (except Vitamin E and Vitamin K). -Oils slow blood flow, depress the immune system, stack up inside arteries, damage blood vessels and contribute to insulin resistance. -ALL oils promote heart disease. A study in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), all oils – saturated, monounsaturated (olive oil) and polyunsaturated (flax oil) – were associated with an increase in the plaque build up that clogs our arteries and leads to heart attacks. -Oil also causes our red blood cells to clump up, which limits their ability to absorb and deliver oxygen to our cells and slows blood flow. Studies have shown that (blood) flow-mediated dilation decreases by over 30% for four hours after we eat a fatty meal. With such a decrease in flow-mediated dilation, is it any wonder that so many of us “crash” after a meal? -Finally, according to the National Institutes of Health, oil suppresses our immune system, which makes us vulnerable to infections and impairs our bodies’ ability to stop the growth of cancer cells.

Full article https://ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2015/04/the-good-bad-and-ugly-about-oils

The reality is this; untold amounts of marketing dollars have been spent to convince consumers that some oils are good for them. Processed oils, in any amount, are best avoided.

Granted, you do need oil in your diet, but NOT processed oil. You get healthy oils from nuts, seeds, avocados and olives. However, it’s important to eat all of these in moderation.

SOS Protocol

The SOS way of eating is free of added salt, oil and processed sugar, including refined carbohydrates. These substances increase the pleasurable qualities of food and contribute to a cycle of over-consumption, otherwise known as the “Pleasure Trap.”

Foods to avoid on the SOS way of eating are all animal products, including meat, fish, fowl, eggs, and dairy; added sugar, salt, and oil; and refined grains and other processed foods should be completely avoided.

Learn more about this way of eating and why it is the healthiest choice at https://nutritionstudies.org/an-introduction-to-the-whole-food-plant-based-sos-free-diet/

Your health is directly impacted by what you do and don’t consume. The choice is yours. You can dip your toe in the water and wonder why you are still not feeling your best and still at risk for many diseases that are commonplace today such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and some cancers, or you can choose to give the WFPB way of eating a 100% commitment.