The challenge with “vegan doctors” is they all focused on preventing / reversing heart disease. Look it up and you will see that it is bad mojo for the body. I’m currently 20 but around the age of 17, I began experimenting with makeup (read: concealers and foundation). None of their recipes use oil. It kills more USA athletes than anything else. It’s all a matter of priorities. I am not finding any on the internet or in recipe books. I’ve also noticed far better muscle recovery (particularly after hard workouts) since giving it up, and I generally just feel a lot better on whole, plant foods. Or animals, for that matter (we don’t eat the bones, and most don’t even eat the bone marrow anymore; many of us don’t eat the skin). ROCKFORD (WREX) -- On the very last day of 2020, we published a special podcast called "Dear 2020." I take tons of oils. Your blog article,”Why I Finally Stopped Eating Oil”, was exactly the information needed to search for a vinaigrette-flavored salad dressing– but without added oil (soy, olive or other vegetable oils) and without tooth enamel-eroding acid (vinaigrette, fruit vinegars). I said to the waitress, “Please eliminate, or at least minimize, the olive oil.” She responded, “Sir, if you don’t like olive oil, why to you come to an Italian restaurant?” Guess she had a point. To avoid making this post too long, I’ll just list them briefly: (By the way, if you want to listen to the podcast recap I did about the cruise and more about oil, listen to that here, the 3/26/15 episode. It seems like most plant-based cookbooks are heavy with vinegar recipes. I combine the personal attention needed to practice internal medicine and cardiology with a stronger emphasis on prevention and reversal of lifestyle diseases. I have very poor health and am trying to figure out what to eat to regain my health. cold pressed olive oil. Some authorities say that oils are artery-clogging. It describes exactly where I am, in mind and body, right now. So what would I use instead of oil so my food doesn’t stick to a pan while cooking? Why would anyone want to create *another* barrier to veganism when most people find it so difficult anyway. Some pretty smart people argue about whether it’s beneficial to people, but regardless of that, it’s calorie dense and those calories will add up. It’s coming up on a year now for me of whole food plant based no oil, and I keep your book around thinking I’ll give it another read now that I do feel confident leaving oil out of recipes. Love your philosophy and I totally hear what you’re saying about oil. 🙂 Guess you have a thing about raw turnips. 🙂. My wife was completely on board (get it? At 4,000 calories a pound, with no waters fiber or nutrients, oil fits that definition perfectly! I just tried a MC and not too happy. The problem is that their portions, activity levels, and quality of food vastly differed from what we have here today. I am in the same boat as you… I am an avid reader of nutrition articles, and as a mom of 3 vegan kids, it is important to me that I am feeding them a healthy, balanced diet. Have you ever actually tried a slice of raw turnip? Thank you for this post! I ordered ww pasta with marinara and vegetables. I am just beginning this journey, and every new thing I learn helps me to make better decisions. It’s funny when you think that the Tobacco industry has been punished for it’s products and governments have taken huge steps in educating people about the dangers of using tobacco products and also other restrictions imposed on the industry. I too have chosen to go go vegan, oil free and gluten free! I regret, for me, this damaged your credibility big time. Easy to make dressings with avocado, seeds, fruits, herbs, chia seeds and fruit. I’m probably the only person in the world who has never drunk a cup of coffee-ever. I doubt that’s strictly true though. There was a time when going vegetarian seemed extreme. I agree that this topic is not yet one to incite masses to immediately join your “side”; even many alternative health practices still proclaim the benefits of oil. My goal was to have daily bathroom visits. So I have adopted the mindset that each person thrives on a slightly different diet. and the fact that – laudable as your wife’s weight loss was – unless she was drinking pints of this stuff, this alone wouldn’t have made that significant a contribution to an 18lb loss. Despite eating an enormous amounts of fruit and raw vegetables, I lost over 40lbs and took up running. Trying to revise my diet again after this long is difficult, but your article makes sense. I’m not one of those cooks that can just throw things together and make a great meal… I have to follow a recipe and only slightly do I modify things. I did it more for the what happens to any oil (olive, coconut, fish etc.) Oil is not necessary for any reason. Since oil isn’t an ethical issue for me, I didn’t feel a need to say “no oil, ever.” I committed only to giving it up at home. Thank you! Hi Kirsten! Is coconut oil ok??? More importantly, I felt a lot better and had more energy. Everything I eat tastes sweet now because it has no added salt. I started graduate school a year ago and slowly but surely stopped cooking for myself and became very dependent on Amy’s and eating out. Like the previous changes, this one started slowly. Whole food or not, certain oils get high marks from researchers. After reading this, and similar articles, I agree that oils should be avoided, but I don’t think it’s necessary to be puritanical about it. I am trying to find something that makes my salad tasty. In other words, the more (micro)nutrients you can get in the fewest number of calories, while still eating whole foods (per #1, above), the healthier you’ll be. I work with many clients who do not wish to go plant based but once we get the dairy and processed oils out of their diets, they still effortlessly lose weight. Hi there Ildiko. If you are worried about getting enough fat (and how many Americans do you know that are fat deficient?) Please be sure to review our full. My health is still not great, and I had to stop running two years ago, but slowly but surely I hope to get to where I want to be. I’ll eat my veggie’s sauteed in coconut oil but forego the coffee, beer and wine and you can drink your coffee, beer and wine and forego the yummy oils. We neither like vinegar of any variety, nor do we believe it is healthy, although that’s a hard thing to prove to people. You would have thought that I had made the most personal insult about something she held dearly, and to a degree I had. in the wheat germ which seems to be dozens of times worse for most gluten sensitive people). Anyways, I know it’s not all so black and white for everyone and I know that some can thrive on diets with a lot of oil, but my experience shows me I need to keep fat intake VERY reigned in. Thank you for that refreshing delivery of news! My answers to that were: 1) cut out all the oil; and 2) bulk up dishes with more vegetables. The oil is spread with the other liquids and diluted. My husband just passed the 5-years-cancer-free mark AND his cardiologist has difficulty believing how great his cholesterol levels are. Sure, Vitamin B12 might be the only supplement required by vegans in order to survive. Nature intended foods to be consumed in their entirety. And yes, I understand that nobody in their right mind eats a pound of oil, but for me, the point was simply that this demonstrated how poorly oil fits in with foods that truly are whole — it’s almost 50% more calorically dense than nuts and the seeds, the next closest foods on the list! Now I’m strictly using whole foods while being plant based. After much experimentation on my part, I find I do best with a nice mix of oil-free meals and a small amount of oil in just a few of my meals. Everything in balance, life is short. Happy to read it! But perhaps more than the information, it was the menu on the ship that changed my tune. I’m concerned that not getting any oil will do damage to him. We have 5 kids and love Friday night date night!!! Now the thinking is that different foods innately have different metabolic effects on the body, so that, for instance, a 300 calorie twinkie will be more fattening than a 300 calorie salmon. What my body likes is different from nutritionist reccomendations. We are newly vegetarian and incorporating a lot of vegan dishes into our diet as well. I’m also a fitness instructor and bike commuter and eating this way and eating vegan has worked really well for me. I’m a loyal herbie and am so happy to see this post! A generally healthy lifestyle with an occasional indulgence (like your beer) can lead to a happy life! I do a lot of high intensity interval workouts and lifting more than I run now and find that if I switch to more running, I don’t miss the oil as much, but I do start to get more achy joints (and I’m only 27, but with a knee repair from a soccer injury years ago). It’s a process. I am a strict nutritarian and I am constantly teaching my family, friends and clients how eliminating oil can make a huge difference in their health and their weight. And I’ve lost 14 lbs. So again…thank you! Interestingly, I made my first oil free breakfast today !! Love & Kale, Unless you can cite research showing that oil-free = better health for vegans, why jump onto this bandwagon. He said he used to eat oil free for a time before we met. Great blog topic!! I wanted to add that I made a list of what I do eat and it seemed pretty robust: Matt – thanks for your excellent blog and Peter – thanks for making it personal to me. The information and resources shared by NMA are for informational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any type of disease or condition. I’m baked everything in silicone bakeware and my desserts were quite well known. I’d be interested in seeing what your next, oil-free cookbook is like. I assumed carbs made me fat (they did when eating fats at the same time). Oil is not a whole food (it’s the fatty part of what was a whole food). =). According to the scientific research done by Dr. Susana Holts, fats and oils actually have weak satiety when compared to starch. That’s food. Thank you for sharing with us even your “less popular” experiences and thoughts. These changes have made the biggest impact on my skin and my general well-being. And that’s wonderful, but if I’m honest, this is how it has been for me. White, a 5-foot-11 wide receiver with solid speed, has committed to play next season at McKendree University. I think they would be surprised. And yes, I too still have coffee and the (very) occasional beer! I would recommend everyone look this up, it really is important to eat in a way that keeps us from damaging our own veins, so our blood can flow in an optimal manner. I don’t love coffee, so I choose to avoid it. I was in an Italian restaurant recently. What will I tell my friends? I have seen references to research that says many of the fats that are abundant in oils are necessary for lots of proper function, like brain function. Not sure if I feel the need to do it again, but I’m definitely going oil free soon. For people aiming to lose weight, this is huge. Hello, Matt! I’ve been inching away from oil as well. Coconut oil literally is fat. Just a point to those who rightly state that oils are necessary for good health: most whole foods, in balance, contain the perfect amounts of oil needed for robust health. Excellent article. John McDougall, Joel Fuhrman, Caldwell Esselstyn and some others, I switched to a whole foods plant-based eating style in 2006. Great post, and thanks for sharing your oil-free journey! Sandra, Chef AJ. I noticed my blood sugar numbers are better when I do not use oil. I eat (organic) butter, olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil. I have a tendency to think all or nothing and you are right…it is a process and it’s okay for it to be step by step with what works for each person. So if you have a fish oil bottle sitting in the kitchen for Omega supplementation just think how much of the oil has oxidized and turned rancid. I know I’m late to the party here, but this is exactly what I needed to hear right now. Can you share some resources!?? When it comes to healthy eating — leaving ethics completely out of it — here’s what I believe: (Notice that there’s no explicit exclusion of animal products there, by the way. If you really want olive oil you can get fresh olives and a press and squeeze on your salad. However, I know in my heart of hearts this is the path I must take for my health . Many people who feel a need to go gluten free find that fermentation lessens the impact of gluten (and all other lectins as well). Too much sugar. The i add some water to it so this whole thing looks like a dressing. I’m here with a message that, without a doubt, isn’t going to make me the most popular guy at the vegan potluck. I’m printing it out right now. Another thing Esselstyn talks about in the video is about the consumption of too many nuts. One of my fav actress passed away 3 days ago at the age of 59. I should also say I was already vegan while using a few processed foods. People tell me one of the reasons they read my blog is because I’m transparent — so no sense trying to hide what for me is a sensible next step towards maximum health and energy through food. Thank you! The debate on this pits very credentialed and smart people against that hypothesis, and thereby leaves us wee mortals quite confused. In that episode, staff members … Our ancestors did not have their health impacted by these cheap and plentiful foods. I would like to hear how you substituted it and maybe some of your favorite foods that you eat without oil now! Oil is extremely dense in calories: while vegetables typically have around 100 calories per pound and fruits 300 calories per pound, oil has 4,000 calories per pound. You are not alone in the world, I have never drunk a cup of coffee in my life, either. I stopped eating oil. Whole simply means that nothing good has been taken away (no nutrition removed). So, I began incorporating extra virgin olive oil into my diet. Love & Kale, I have been using less oil in my recipes and I have to say it’s going better than I thought, so far. I’d love to know when the shirts will be restocked as well! Definitely going to be following your blog. I’ve been vegan 30yrs. I don’t use oil and have no trouble sauteeing in water or broth. Whole Foods actually has oil free dressings and the Engine 2 Diet and My Beef With Meat have a number of oil free salad dressing recipes. I use a soap in the shower that has coconut oil as its base, and its a good soap and all. I’ve eaten 4500 calories a day with 60% fat (all plants) for over a year and couldn’t keep weight on. Here are some dressing recipes for you: So how would I cook things in a pan w out oil ?? Thank you for wording this so eloquently and intelligently. Any guesses? But I always feel the difference later! I have been following your blog for the last couple of years and I must say this is the best post yet. I just couldn’t bear to start cooking a meal by sauteing lovely, fragrant onions and garlic … in water. She usually uses vegetable stock to saute. Your email address will not be published. Thank you so much for this post! Love & Kale, This is the internet, trolls are e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. Salad dressings, black bean soup, lasagna … even some desserts! I actually met quite a few of them while doing research in Loma Linda (one of the Blue Zones) and many of those studies were whole food plant based. I often use a vegan “chicken”-style broth to saute. After three months and a new blood test all levels came down except his triglycerides went through the roof. drizzle. I have kept 80 pounds off for the last few years while feeding my seemingly endless appetite with nutritious, unprocessed, oil-free, homecooked food (I eat out maybe twice per month for lunch). GGGRRRRR!!!!! Why isn’t vinegar healthy? And since that podcast first aired, several more members of our team were inspired to share their stories too. If you have never drank a cup, how did you know the taste is dreadful? Your book “No Meat Athlete” was one of the first books I read on my journey to a whole food plant based lifestyle, but I ultimately left it behind (though it’s still on my table) when I saw the first ingredient was oil in many of the recipes. Absolutely great to here that you can live a healthy oil free vegan lifestyle. I especially need the reminder of ignoring the “all or nothing” message in my brain. I eat plenty of good fats from natural whole foods. As far as Omega 3 fatty acids are concerned. What did you eat to lose the weight ? I can do without most oils but I only just recently discovered the wonders of coconut oil and it just keeps luring me back. Do what you can. Last night I went to a restaurant and ordered my favorite dish of roasted veggies. Balsamic vinegar makes atasty dressing on its own, with no oil (or sub) needed. All vegetables and greens (also fermented/pickled) I work out but am concerned over heart health primarily. I think it was Rich Roll who wrote that he blended an avocado pit and drank it when he became vegetarian. Date night?!! I am not vegetarian. that if you don’t say it’s food, it’s not food) and the other is an arbitrary limitation on what parts of the food you must eat. It is not easy when i go home but i just use my good judgment when i say no to oil, fat, meat, dairy and keep the veggies… And the paprika:))). Great post, Matt! I don’t know. I’m 66 years old, have been running for the past 10+ years. Do you use a lot of vinegar? It adds a bit of flavor and it works just as well. Then I did it, and it turned out not to be so hard. Your recipes all look great but seem to be from before you went oil free–are there any that have been adapted? A tester kit costs 20 bucks. YAYYYY NO OIL! Mmmmm it is sooo good!!! No oil is not a barrier as it helps many people reverse their diabetes, heart disease, obesity and food addictions. I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and I have no choice! I hadn’t bought any in ages, and I brough a bottle home with me not too long ago. Maria, my absolute favorite salad dressing is nutritional yeast, himalayan salt, pepper, crushe garlic and some balsamic vinegrette. My husband and I didn’t really notice the difference! Even when I ‘water-fry’ my food, it still tastes good. I cook with olive oil and occasionally with coconut oil (small amounts of both) for my kids and do not think twice about it. Rockford, IL 61103 No dairy or cheese either. Just briefly, I began on my journey to a lifestyle change back in 2008 and it is a gradual process. Thank you! My friends and family have questioned it and told me I need fat to be healthy. 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