It’s Friday: time for another “One Simple Change” post! If you are new to my One Simple Change series, here’s the deal: every Friday in 2012, I am blogging about healthy lifestyle tips gleaned from my years studying and practicing naturopathic medicine. As much as I love sharing recipes, I enjoy sharing other information related to health and wellness, too; these posts are a way for me to do just that.

Today I’ve got a follow up to last week’s discussion of fats and oils. I received a bunch of questions about which fats and oils to use when, so I felt it made sense to spend more time on this topic.

If you read part 1 last week, you know that I am all for the use of natural fats and oils (aka traditional fats and oils), and that I don’t recommend using the more processed, newer, “man-made” fats and oils that are touted as healthy (ie margarine, shortening, and certain vegetable oils), but which in reality, are not.

The information here is based on my own research and experiences cooking and eating this way for many years now…I hope this post helps to clear up any confusion you have about how to use healthy fats and oils in your kitchen, but if not, shoot me your questions and I’ll do my best to answer them!

Let’s start with general cooking: i.e. sautéing, stir-frying, roasting, etc…techniques where you are using heat that ranges from low to high (but not as high as deep frying). The best fats and oils for these purposes are going to be those that are saturated and monounsaturated, as these are the most stable (ie they have a pretty high smoke point) when heated to moderately high temperatures: butter, organic coconut oil, and olive oil.

When I was growing up, I always felt bad about eating butter. And coconut oil? I wouldn’t have touched it with a ten foot pole. You’ll still find many sources that say you shouldn’t eat these fats because they’re saturated, but there is also a ton of recent evidence that says not only are these fats not harmful, they are actually health promoting. I use butter and organic coconut oil all the time in my kitchen. Last week I told you that it’s best to use organic butter and I stand by this statement, and if you can get not just organic, but grass-fed butter, you are extremely lucky indeed…it’s full of vitamins and a special fat-burning nutrient called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). But if you can’t get grass-fed butter or you just can’t justify spending the money on organic butter, then it’s still better to use regular butter than it is to use butter substitutes and some of the vegetable oils.

Organic butter to me is like a treasure- it’s expensive, yes, but that just makes me savor it all the more. It’s really the best fat for baking, and the flavor is incomparable. As for organic coconut oil, I just adore it: I use it in dishes with an Asian flavor profile (stir-fries, Asian soups and stews, etc), and I like experimenting with it in baked goods, too. It’s also great for cooking eggs. The only potential issue is that it does have a somewhat pronounced coconut flavor which not everyone loves (my husband, for example, is not a fan). That said, if you enjoy the taste but are still wary about using butter and/or coconut oil, know that these are said to be the best fats to ingest if you have blood sugar issues (even better than olive oil); organic coconut oil also has a reputation as being useful for weight loss: this one is my favorite.

Unlike some of the other traditional fats and oils, olive oil has always a good reputation health-wise. It isn’t saturated; it’s a monounsaturated fat. While many people think that olive oil is not suited to high heat cooking, olive oil has long been used for every type of cooking in countries like Spain. This makes sense because olive oil has a high smoke point. I personally use olive oil a ton in my kitchen. I cook with it daily, bake with it on occasion, and use it just about every time I make salad dressing. I am happy to see that Diana of A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa wrote a post and made a video about the right way to cook with extra virgin olive oil. Note that to preserve the healthful properties of olive oil, it’s very important to bring it up to higher temperatures slowly (if the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot), and that it’s not appropriate for deep frying.

Now let’s talk about animal fats like lard, duck fat, and tallow (rendered beef fat). These are quite suitable for cooking and baking, and in some circles (among those who eat “paleo”, for example), these fats are actually preferred to butter and olive oil for general cooking, especially high heat cooking. This article by Pete Wells for Food and Wine entitled Lard: The New Health Food sums up cooking with lard quite nicely; it’s really time people let go of the fear of cooking with this useful fat. I am not talking about the highly refined lard, etc. you can find in a typical grocery store, though. I am talking about lard rendered from the fat of grass-fed pigs, and the other animal fats need to come from pastured animals in order for them to be healthy, too. Always remember that when eating animal fats (and all animal foods in general), the environment in which the animal was raised has everything to do with whether or not the fat or meat of that animal will be good for you. The fats (and meat) of pastured/grass-fed animals have a completely different nutritional profile than the fats (and meat) of animals raised on a feedlot.

If you want to eat animal fats (and meat) that are healthy, you need to buy them from a local farm or a butcher that sells grass fed animal products. I personally don’t use animal fats in my kitchen all that much, but pie crust made with pastured lard is fantastic, as are potatoes roasted in duck fat. I don’t have any experience with tallow. I will say that I was previously using grapeseed oil for frying (which I only do on occasion for latkes and a few other foods), but in researching this piece, I’ve decided not to use grapeseed oil at all anymore (because it’s rich in vitamin E which really shouldn’t be heated; it also likely contains GMOs); from now on, whenever I do fry something, I am going to use pastured lard.

What about cooking with peanut and sesame oils? My feeling is that these are fine, though peanut oil is high in omega 6 fatty acids, and most people already consume too much of these. Sesame oil is better drizzled onto foods then it is as a cooking oil because it’s pretty fragile, and what you’re really after is its wonderful intense taste, which gets lost when you cook with it. Macadamia, pumpkin seed, and rice bran oil are other examples of oils that are fine for cooking at moderate temperatures; avocado is yet another, and I was surprised to learn it has a very high smoke point. Make sure that any oils you buy are cold pressed and unrefined, and don’t contain GMOs.

I often see recommendations that it’s healthy to cook over high temperatures with canola, cottonseed, soy, sunflower, and safflower oils. I don’t agree with this at all because all of these cheap oils are generally refined, bleached, and deodorized. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to put stuff like that into my body. “Vegetable oil” is generally a mixture of refined oils- and is best avoided, too (note that unsaturated oils like canola oil are actually quite fragile, and really aren’t suited for high temperature cooking because they are prone to oxidative damage at high heat…I don’t recommend using canola oil at all in the kitchen, but if you really want to use it, only use it uncooked; if you do cook with it, don’t use it over moderate heat).

Unlike the refined, mass-produced, cheap oils mentioned above, flaxseed oil, as well as almond oil, walnut oil and other oils from nuts and seeds you would eat, are quite healthful, and are perfect for using cold: these are best in salad dressings and drizzled over cooked dishes. These oils are quite fragile, so should not be heated, and should be purchased and used when they’re as fresh as possible. Flaxseed oil, in particular, must be kept refrigerated and should be used up within a month or so because it goes rancid quickly. A good quality flax oil will always have the bottling date and the “best before” date printed on the label. As for flax seeds- I think these are best ground fresh, and used raw. Though I have added them to baked goods on occasion, I don’t think this is ideal.

One last note: don’t forget that along with figuring out the best ways to use healthy fats and oils in your kitchen comes the need to be aware of what fats and oils are in prepared foods you buy, as well as food you eat when you’re not at home. Read labels of all packaged foods and be sure to avoid anything with partially hydrogenated oils and/or trans-fats, and know that when you eat in a restaurant, the fats and oils used might be questionable (depending on where you eat).

Did I leave anything out? Please let me know if you still have questions. Is having this information helpful for you? Will it change the way you cook and eat? Are you “in” to this weekend One Small Change?

Sources consulted for this post:
The Diet Cure
Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats
The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book: Protect Yourself and Your Family from Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies – and More

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I had such a nice weekend: it finally snowed so I was home most of the time hanging out with my family, and had a chance to clean and organize a bunch of areas in my house that desperately needed attention. I also got to cook a couple of delicious new dishes.

These wonderful Chickpeas with Delicata Squash, Kale, and Coconut Milk were adapted from the recipe for Chickpeas with Pumpkin, Lemongrass and Cilantro, which can be found in the lovely book Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater.

I think it’s an exquisite vegan meal: not quite a soup or stew, since there’s only one cup of coconut milk and a smaller amount of water here (and the liquids mostly cook off). The chickpeas and vegetables have a silky texture and wonderful coconut flavor, spicy from the fresh chiles but not too spicy, and not at all complicated, since I did not raid my spice rack to make this dish like I sometimes do.

If you prefer a “soupier” meal, you can certainly double the amount of the coconut milk and add more water; if you prefer a more complex flavor profile, herbs/spices that would be nice here include lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, ground cardamon, coriander, and tumeric. I served this over short grain brown rice, but I think quinoa would be great, too.

The quick chile sauce is optional, but highly recommended: it really makes the dish shine. Please don’t skip the fresh lime juice, though- you’ll love how its acidity balances out the sweet, rich coconut milk.

Recipe for Chickpeas with Delicata Squash, Kale, and Coconut Milk

Yield: Serves 3-4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

*2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
*1 large onion, peeled and chopped
*5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
*2 teaspoons peeled and minced ginger
*1 hot red chile, chopped
*1 delicata squash, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
*one 15 ounce jar of canned organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or use 2 cups chickpeas that have been soaked overnight and cooked until tender
*1 cup of organic coconut milk, well stirred
*1/2 cup water
*2 tablespoons organic dark brown sugar
*1 handful Tuscan or other kale, torn into bite-size pieces
*1 handful of minced cilantro
*fresh lime juice, for garnish
*optional garnish- 1 hot red chile, minced and mixed with 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon organic brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a cast iron or other large skillet, warm coconut oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for a minute or two.

2. Reduce heat a bit, add the garlic, ginger, and chile, and cook for another minute or two. Add the chopped squash to the pan, then add the chickpeas, the coconut milk, the water, and the brown sugar. Stir all the ingredients together in the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the squash and chickpeas are very tender. Add more coconut milk and/or water to the pan while cooking, if necessary, or if you desire a finished dish that's more like a stew.

3. Add the kale and the cilantro to the pan, stir everything around, and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and make the chile sauce while it cools as bit.

4. To make the chile sauce, combine minced chile with rice vinegar and brown sugar in a small bowl.

5. Serve the chickpeas over cooked brown rice or quinoa, with a small spoonful of the chile sauce, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice on top.

Adapted from Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater.

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Happy Friday, my friends! I am back with the third post in my One Simple Change series.

If you missed the last two posts, no worries: you can read them here and here. And to sum up: in my One Simple Change posts, I am giving you focused and specific healthy lifestyle tips. There will be one tip per week- every Friday- in 2012. These are the types of recommendations I made back when I was practicing naturopathic medicine, and I am excited about sharing them here with you. If you’re up for making every lifestyle change I suggest, more power to you. If you’re only up for making one or two, that’s ok, too. It’s up to you.

If all goes according to plan, at the end of the year, I’ll have written over 50 One Simple Change posts. This means you’ll have over 50 tips at your disposal for improving your health and well-being holistically. Sound good? I hope so :)

I want to talk about fats and oils today because I don’t think there’s any topic under the umbrella of nutrition that’s more confusing to people than which fats and oils are healthy and which are not. Now, I realize that if you are not accustomed to eating healthy fats and oils, asking you to examine this aspect of your diet, and make some changes, may not at all be simple. Still, I happen to believe that even if you were to make no other dietary changes, but you made an effort to eat only healthy fats and oils, your health would benefit greatly.

Which fats and oils are healthy, and which are not, is something about which I could potentially write pages and pages. But I don’t really want to do that (and I am sure you don’t want me to, either); instead, I want to distill the information down so it’s as concise as possible. Also, I am very aware as I write this that this subject is somewhat controversial.

You might already be familiar with this topic, so maybe this is all old hat to you, but maybe that’s not the case. Maybe this is all new to you. And maybe you won’t like what I have to say. Maybe it will frighten you. I hope it will empower you. However you feel, I ask that you respect my point of view, which is a direct result of my own personal experiences, as well as my own years of research.

Let’s begin with a definition. What exactly do I mean by the term “healthy fats and oils”? Well, another name for the healthy fats and oils is natural fats and oils, and the way I like to define healthy/natural fats and oils is this: did this fat or oil exist 100 years ago? Did our ancestors eat it? If so, then it’s most likely natural. And healthy.

Healthy/natural fats and oils are not made in a factory. They haven’t been overly processed. They aren’t made from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). They haven’t been chemically altered or “messed with” in other ways. Examples of healthy/natural fats can be found toward the end of this post.

Up until the early part of the 20th century, natural fats were the only fats available to eat and cook with; they were appreciated for making food taste good, and as being necessary for health.

In the middle of the 20th century, however, when shortening and margarine were invented, and cheap vegetable oils like those made from soy and corn began making their way onto grocery store shelves and into food products, the perception of fats changed. Somehow, the predominant thinking shifted so that people started believing these newer fats were good, and that many of the more natural fats were bad.

Here are some of the beliefs that many people adopted, and which a great deal of people still hold on to, regarding fats and oils (note that I do not agree with any of them):

• animal fats, including butter, are bad for you as they raise cholesterol and heart disease risk
• all foods high in saturated fats cause heart disease
• your diet has to be low fat to be healthy
• if you’re going to eat fats, they should be from vegetable oils like canola, corn, and soy
• eating fat will make you fat

In the 1980s when I was a teenager, the above tenets were “the party line”, and believe me when I say I lived by them. Every mainstream article I read about nutrition told me to avoid fat, so I did. I ate non-fat and very low fat alternatives to whole foods because I thought they were good for me, and at the height of my obsession with eating low-fat, when I was in college, I basically existed on plain salads, fruit, bagels, and frozen yogurt. Mind you I had grown up eating fabulous butter-laden food in my family’s restaurant…and now I wouldn’t touch it. And you know where all the fat avoidance got me? Nowhere. I was not healthy. Or skinny. I was chubby and depressed (chubby because I was starving all the time and would binge on high carb foods whenever no one was looking), and I developed a bunch of other health problems, too. All because of the super low fat, supposedly healthy, diet that I followed for years.

Back then, I did not understand that what I should have been eating was natural fats. I did not know that they are necessary for health: that fat provides energy and insulation, and that it is used to make cell membranes, hormones and to decrease inflammation. I did not know that certain fats- the omega-3s- can also protect you from cancer and help to increase your levels of good cholesterol.

I did not know that natural fats are required by the digestive system to help you absorb certain vitamins, mainly the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. If you eat foods that contain these vitamins without any healthy fat, you will not absorb the nutrients well, if at all. On the other hand, if you sauté your dark leafy greens in a little coconut oil, organic butter, or olive oil (some of the best, natural fats), you will be better able to absorb the vitamin K it contains.

I did not know that low-fat diets rarely contain enough healthy fats to sustain health. And that people who follow them long-term often end up with health problems.

Thankfully, about 15 years ago, I stumbled on the book Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. This book, and others like Real Food: What to Eat and Why, Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol, The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease, and Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats opened up my mind to a new healthy eating paradigm, one in which natural fats play a big role. When I revamped my diet to incorporate these fats, my weight struggles went away and so did my health problems.

Now I can’t tell you how much fat you need in your diet. I also can’t tell you exactly which fats will be best for you in exact amounts. Everyone is different. Due to genetics, some people need more fat than others: if your ancestors were coastal or island dwellers, you might need more healthy fats because your ancestors ate a largely fish-based diet. If your ancestors were hunter-gatherers, you might need less.

So which are the best fats to eat?

The best fats to eat are a combination of omega-3 essential fatty acids, fats such as organic butter and coconut oil (once maligned for their “saturated” status, these are actually quite good for you), and the following:

• Avocados- high in omega-9 (a monounsaturated fat)
• Nuts and seeds, and their oils (including macadamia and walnut oils)
• whole milk and cream (and cultured dairy such as cheese and yogurt) from grass fed cows (raw if possible)
• Flax oil (quite “fragile”, so keep refrigerated, do not heat, and use up and replace every 6-8 weeks)
• Extra-virgin olive oil- high in omega-9 (a monounsaturated fat)
• Fats from pastured animals: including free-range, organic eggs yolks, lard, duck fat, etc.- (these last two are often labeled as saturated, but they are actually monounsaturated and there is evidence that they lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and leave HDL (“high”) cholesterol alone)

Note that because most people do not get nearly enough omega-3 fats in their diet, you may want to consider taking some healthy oils in supplemental form. Good choices are krill oil, cod liver oil, and/or fish oil.

Unhealthy Fats To Avoid

• Polyunsaturated vegetable oils

including soybean, corn, canola and safflower do not make healthy cooking oils- they are unstable and are easily damaged by heat. There is evidence that they lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol and may contribute to cancer. Fats like soy and corn oil are found everywhere in processed foods but the others are found in numerous products marketed as health foods. Make sure to read labels and avoid them whenever possible.

• Hydrogenated fats/trans-fats (margarine, “partially hydrogenated” oils, fried foods) are very unnatural fats your body cannot process or digest. These are truly terrible for you and may cause increased blood sugar, increased LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, and increased blood pressure. Excess consumption of these fats may also contribute to the development of health issues including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

What about sesame, peanut, and grapeseed oils? I am of the opinion that these are ok for you, but they contain high amounts of the omega-6s, and because most people already get enough omega-6s in their diet, you should not consume these oils in great amounts…instead, you should focus on consuming more of the omega-3 oils.

For more information, check out the books I linked to above. This post also happens to be pretty great.

I am looking forward to your comments on this topic…please share them below. Do you eat healthy fats and oils already? Or does your diet need some revamping? Are you “in” for this week’s One Simple Change?

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