oils

As you know, I have been pretty thrilled about all the bans on trans fat happening worldwide, but of course food makers are finding a way to still make food cheap and unhealthy, without the trans fat. Enter Interesterified Oils.

Being confused about it myself, I decided to look to Mr. Seth Braun, natural health expert and author of healthyfastandcheap.com, because he's really done his research on this new type of oil:

Food manufacturers are getting around the trans fat labeling by mixing small amounts of fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oils and calling “interesterified oil.” They claim that fully hydrogenated oil is healthier. Since there is less trans fat, they can sell this product to food manufacturers for use in commercial dressings, baked goods, candies and anything else that used to have partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list.

In plain english, interestification means mixing fully hydrogenated oil with liquid polyunsaturate oil to produce a consistency similar to partially hydrogenated oil, which is the source of trans fats. The solution to the trans fat problem; from the manufacturer perspective!

So what's the moral of the story? Read those labels folks. Food makers are in the business of not only making food, but also in the business of making money. If it has interesterified oils listed, chances are it has trans fat too.

If you or someone you know is a health nut, you've got to check out Whole Foods Companion, by Dianne Onstad. It's the ultimate resource guide for everything you eat.

You can look up any fruit, vegetable, legume, grain, seed, nut, herb, spice or oil and find out tons of information.

Each ingredient is listed, including nutritional value (like on the labels you see on all foods), general information, buying tips, culinary uses, and health benefits. You can also find out the history of each ingredient, where they came from, how they were named, and the traditions they are associated with.

When I looked up almonds, I found out that they are actually a fruit. You can soak, crush and strain almonds to make almond milk. This book is full of interesting tidbits like this.

It's a perfect companion to cookbooks and is a detailed and valuable guide to natural foods. You'll learn so much about foods you've been eating your whole life. Plus, you'll discover new foods you've never even heard of.

Fit's Tips: Here's a great gift idea - Give a copy of Whole Foods Companion and your favorite cookbook to the chef in your life.

Peanut, sunflower, safflower, sesame, and olive oils are all healthy oils.

To keep them that way, you don't want to overheat them. If an oil cooks for too long (you'll know because it changes color), it can become damaged, not to mention ruin its taste. To preserve the nutritious properties and the flavor of unrefined oils, try the "wet-sauté" technique:

• Pour around a 1/4 cup of water in a stir fry pan and heat just below boiling.
• Add the food and cook it a few minutes in the hot water.
• Add the oil, stirring frequently.
• After a minute or two, remove the pan from the heat. The less time the oil spends in the hot pan, the better.

Fit's Tip: Cook the food. Then add the oil.

There's a lot of talk these days about OIL. But do you know which oils are healthy and which ones you should avoid? Then threre's the question of how to store them - it's hard not to get confused. I'm here to set you straight.

Healthiest Oils: Flax seed, olive and canola oils. They actually reduce your bad cholesterol.

Unhealthiest Oils: Cottonseed, palm kernel, and coconut oils. They are high in saturated fat, and potentially raise your cholesterol.

You should purchase oils in small quantities so they don't spoil. Pour them into dark glass bottles (unless you bought them that way already) and store them in a cool, dark place. Unrefined oils should be refrigerated, except for olive oil which can hang in your cupboard.

Fit's Tip: Remember that oils are liquid fats. Even the "good" oils still average a whopping 120 calories per tablespoon - so use them sparingly. Pour the oil into a spoon first, then drizzle it on your salad or into your frying pan.

It's the end of a very long day. You've cooked, you've cleaned and you've tucked the kids in bed. There is nothing on tv, you're sick of your book (and your husband for that matter) and all you want to do is unwind. Here's a thought: Take a bath.

Almost everyone has a tub but not everyone uses it for bathing (ironic, really). One way to calm down after a hard day is to draw yourself a bath.

Not into soaking in plain, old bath water, then read more