Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: Brumington on July 11, 2013, 09:50:46 am
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Hi everyone.
Since getting my TMX and after recently having my sister go through the ordeal of a breast cancer diagnosis I have really tried to turn my life around and eat and drink healthily (not only for myself and my husband but also my young boys). I was never a huge package food person and I have always made food for the boys from scratch. I spend hours researching what I can be doing better with our diet which I do consider to be healthy in comparison to most.
However, despite this huge amount of research I am still at a complete loss as to what is healthy/unhealthy when it comes to oils and fats. I was under the impression that butter was better than marg so made the direct switch only to read that the saturated fat is the biggest problem. I believed coconut oil to be the super fat until I read on one site that it was to be avoided due to its very high saturated fat content. I thought canola oil was reeeaaaallllly bad until it appeared as one of the preferred oils.... The only thing I can be sure of is that whatever I read olive oil seems to get top marks. I know though that we can't heat olive oil to a high temperature. So what would I use instead? Is rice bran oil ok?
I make my own butter now and make it spreadable from the fridge by adding my own oil. At the moment I am using up my rice bran oil but have now been given the impression it is one of the bad ones. I don't want to use olive oil as it is too strong in flavour and I don't like the taste it gives. What is a good, healthy, flavourless oil I could use?
Does anybody have the low down for me as to what is good and what isn't or could they point me to a website that might be able to tell me? It seems there is so much contradictory information. If I know what oils to avoid at all costs and what is a healthier alternative I'd be happy!
TIA
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I will have my say but I am sure many will disagree with me.
A fat is a fat or oil no matter what. In our family we have to be very aware of cholesterol so I use margarine which doesn't have it. It may be fake but it is for our health. I use olive oil where possible but always try to reduce it.
I use rice bran oil if I want to heat it to a high temperature. Eg stir fries.
I don't deep or shallow fry as we try to watch our fat intake.
I'm sure that isn't really helpful to you. I think you will be able to read up on it and then make the best decisions for your families circumstances.
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B I read everything I can get my hands on, and am just as confused as you. I use a little butter. olive oil and rice bran oil.
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I always look at the Dietitians Association of Australia for nutritional info as a good place to start... Here's what they say about fats...
http://daa.asn.au/?page_id=799
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I heard something the other day to add to the confusion too. They say olive oil is great for using on salads etc but if you are going to heat it you may as well save some money and use vegetable oil. I found this (http://www.thekitchn.com/which-is-better-vegetable-oil-61853) online which will explain it better than I can.
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Yes, I've heard that too Judy.... It's all too much information sometimes!
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Yes, very very confusing indeed. Too much conflicting info out there. Makes it really hard to make good choices for the family most times.
I remember years ago we were told eggs were bad. Then eggs were good. Thank goodness for that cos I like eggs :)
Now I'm using canola oil or rice bran oil for the bulk of my cooking, depending on which goes on special. Hope they are on the good list.
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yeah too confusing I was reading on a fb page some people were saying that rice bran oil isn't good and here I was thinking it was one of the better ones plus it's what I use the majority of the time ::) who knows but it will be interesting to see
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This is the book you need to read, it explains everything clearly.
Know your fats by Mary Enig
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?index=blended&keywords=know%20your%20fats%20by%20mary%20enig&tag=lpo_ixdpamusukengl_book-21
A genuinely researched science book. It is however text boook price, but we thought it was worth it. .We have a copy.
Available on UK and USA Amazon, probably on AU too but haven't checked.
We have good cholesterol levels and low BP.
Hope this helps
X
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This is really the most confusing subject because of all the conflicting ideas - which seem to change fitrvyion completely every couple of years. It is like one of those old "one armed bandit" games, with us being the ball being shot about all over the board at the whim of the current trend in thinking.
I changed from butter to margarine back to butter. I stopped using canola oil but now use it a little once more ... I think, so long as you are careful with your consumption of which ever oil or fat you use it should be fine, with the exception of those who have intolerances or cholestrol, etc. that needs to be monitored. My current disappointment is with coconut products which were fabulous last week, but this week I read that they are BAAAAADDD!
Edit: fitrvyion ... sorry all, I have no idea what this is meant to mean!
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Don't want to create more confusion but heard Dr Paul Beaumont (eye specialist) on talk back radio some time back and since that interview have not used Canola or most veg. oil. I use butter also.
There is so much conflicting advice out there you don't know what to believe but he treats people for Macular degeneration. I have found this (http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_health/Transcripts/s927458.htm)
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That's very interesting Marie... I only use olive and rice bran oils and butter. I do find canola quite scary and even tend to avoid products that has it as an ingredient...
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I use olive oil, EVOO, and rice bran oil for higher temperatures. :)
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I use light olive oil for frying and sautéing, EVOO for salads and butter on sandwiches etc.
I have other oils for different purposes but the above for everyday use.
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We use as natural fat as possible. Butter for baking, spreading, sauces etc, ghee and coconut oil for frying or roasting, olive oil for salad and marinated veg etc. I really don't know what oil to use for frying or baking or mayo purposes. Was using grapeseed oil but apparently its not good. At the moment I'm using good quality peanut oil as it seems to be ok. But who knows. I bought the dehydrator to make my own semi dried tomatoes because it was very hard to buy tomatoes in oil that didnt include canola or "vegetable oil" which can be anything.
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This is an interesting article from Marks daily apple. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/#axzz2Ymi89USY
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The more you read the scarier it becomes. Mum was bought up on a farm so butter was all she ever ate, oil was never in our cupboards at home when I was a kid. She is 91 and only needs glasses to read fine print. I wonder what the macular degeneration percentage is of the Italian community with their common usage of olive oil through the generations.
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It's a fascinating topic. Quirky Jo has gone back to lard, butter and olive oil for her cooking and she seems to keep up with what's healthy and what's not.
Thanks for the heads up on the book by Mary Enig. I've ordered it. I'm hoping to study nutrition and dietetics next year, so I reckon it will be a handy reference book.
I've read recently that rice bran oil is bad!! I love it, especially in skin care products. We eat butter, EVOO & Rice bran oil. I see all the chemicals that go on the canola crop, so I don't touch canola oil.
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OK, there goes my canola into the bin.
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My canola will be in the bin too :(
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Rice bran oil . . Cyndi's opinion http://changinghabits.com.au/_blog/Changing_Habits/post/rice-bran-oil--the-healthy-alternative-or-so-you-think/
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Thank you everyone for your input. So, what I can deduce from this is that....
1. Everyone is as confused about this as me because.....
2. The 'experts' change their mind every day depending on the weather!
3. I'm using pretty much the same as everyone else - olive oil for most, butter for spread and rice bran for high temps.
What I didn't consider is that even though a person might choose butter over margarine for one reason, it might be the very reason that it would be a bad choice for somebody else. For example, a person with high cholesterol should probably choose margarine over butter. We do not have high cholesterol (DH does but works away so I don't actually have to consider him in the vast majority of my cooking) and so I think we have made the right decision for our personal circumstances to choose butter as our spread. Everything in moderation I suppose!
What is everyone's opinion on my addition of rice bran oil to make my butter spreadable? Yes or no? I don't like leaving it out on the side cause I think it goes a bit rancid tasting (just my opinion). Is there a better choice?
Thank you for the website links and also the heads up on the book. It's given me some good reading material for tonight. I'll definitely look into purchasing the book.
Again, that's for helping me out. I really appreciate the input.
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I like the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon & Mary Enig. It talks about the way people used to eat naturally, rather than the low fat & processed stuff available now.
I use EVOO(not for high temperatures), coconut oil & butter when needed. I think if you look back heart disease seems to be more prevalent now, along with type 2 diabetes & obesity. People eat low fat everything, & margarine, & it doesn't seem to be helping. I prefer to eat the way my grandmother did & she lived to be 97. I know she used to eat dripping, along with lots of people at that time, & they didn't seem to have as much heart disease. I believe that food made by God (natural), rather than scientific man-made chemical foods, must be best for us.
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Thanks GF for the link. So if rice bran is out, what to use for high temp???
*confused*
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I've always been confused on the same topic. No answers here, but I've been interested in everyone's replies...
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2. The 'experts' change their mind every day depending on the weather!
Or depending on who is funding their research. :-))
From everything that I have read, butter and olive oil are the best. Olive oil has a fairly high smoke point so you can use it for most frying and despite what people say it still retains much of its goodness when heated. You can use a light olive oil when you don't want the flavour. Avocado is a good substitute for butter as a spread.
No matter which fat you use you should use it sparingly.
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I've found this really interesting. Thanks everyone for the links.
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Hi, following on from reading Cyndi O'meara's book and Nourishing traditions I have moved back to butter, with coconut oil for most things and macadamia oil:
As with everyone else there are multiple points of view. the following is from Wikipedia based on a very quick reference search for this reply.
Macadamia oil has become very popular in Modern Australian cuisine.[dubious – discuss] It is an excellent frying oil due to its high heat capacity. Several properties of macadamia oil are particularly important for use as an edible oil:
It contains up to 85% monounsaturated fats
has an unrefrigerated shelf life of one to two years
a smoke point of 410 °F (210 °C)
Has more oleic acid (a good fatty acid) than olive oil. Anti-inflammatory properties may help with memory and asthma.
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Hi J1202me, welcome to the forum with your first posting. I see you joined us in March 2011 so we'd love you to pop over to the Introduce Yourself thread on the home page and tell us a bit more about yourself, as a seasoned Thermomix user you must have plenty of recipes you could share with us or if you have been using some of our recipes, perhaps you'd like to tell us your favourites.
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Lord, I have a 4L tin of Rice Bran oil and now I've read what Cyndi O'Meara wrote about it.
Grapeseed oil is another light oil similar to Rice Bran with a high smoking point. It is cold pressed, so at least that sounds better than cold filtered. But now I read it's too high in Polyunsaturated Fats which can be bad for you in high amounts: http://butterbeliever.com/is-grapeseed-oil-healthy/ (http://butterbeliever.com/is-grapeseed-oil-healthy/)
Oh hell, I'm going back to OO and EVOO. I don't fry at high heat anyway.
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Yes we also were using rice bran oil quite a lot until I read what Cindy wrote. Olive oil for us now too ...
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I think it's the safest bet. I have rice bran oil to use up but don't think I will use it again. I'm going to use light olive oil for shallow frying, olive oil for the majority and EVOO for salad dressings. I'm thinking the only really high heat cooking I do is wok frying so perhaps peanut oil (?????????). We don't deep fry anything really. I still don't know what to use for mayonnaise/butter etc cause I'm still not keen on the OO taste in that sort of thing. Any hi heat baking (as inYorkshire puddings and things) I'm going to just use rendered duck fat. So, so, so confusing. Thank you all for helping me out.
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Duck Fat is divine!! I recommend ghee for high fat frying.
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Thank you MJ. I was going to visit an Asian shop next week so will but some ghee when I'm there. Do you recommend that for wok frying?
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Warning contains personal opinions!
This is a really interesting topic and even more interesting to read peoples views based on what they have read.
If I described the way I eat it would be primal/paleo I have done alot of reading on the subject and find that this way of eating allows me to keep me weight down effortlessly, have tons of energy and enjoy food, ( So without hijacking the thread I am a butter and olive oil cook ) We eat virtually no processed food, if I look back at my family 2 generations ago they ate fresh produce, meat dairy and lots of fat ( compared to these days ) , cooked everything from scratch, most of my relatives lived to their 80's or 90's, very few of them were over weight and they didn't have heart or sugar problems, if I compare this to the generation above me...they are overweight, have high blood pressure, diabeties etc etc start there day with a pile of pills the doctors insists they take. They have mainly the same genetics but are nowhere as healthy, the only changes are lifestyle and food, so I have stopped reading/researching past my family history as popular opinion changes with every new lot of research, so I try to eat as much as possible like my grandparents and their parents.
I would say the majority of the people on this Thermomix forum are here because they are trying to introduce more "unprocessed" foods into their diet so I think we are all doing better than the average consumer these days.
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Thank you MJ. I was going to visit an Asian shop next week so will but some ghee when I'm there. Do you recommend that for wok frying?
Brumington you can easily make your own Ghee. I am not sure how the price compares though. There is no need to refrigerate Ghee either and can be used in all cooking and deep frying including wok frying.
Gert
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I totally agree with you Deeau :)
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Yep, I'm inclined to agree too.
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I agree too.
The less un processed and more natural the food the better.