FitSugar

Corn Oil vs. Canola Oil

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:30:00 -0800

Since Hanukkah is coming up on Dec. 4, I thought it'd be a great idea to chat about oil. When you look on a shelf at the store, there are many kinds of oil to choose from, and I always thought that canola and corn oil were the same thing. I was way off.

Corn oil is made from the germ of corn. Canola oil is actually produced from rapeseed oil and was originally made in Canada. The word canola comes from "Canadian Oil, Low Acid." Some people think that canola oil is unhealthy because rapeseed oil contains high amounts of erucic acid, which is know to have harmful effects. Don't worry though, canola oil is now made from a new plant that is similar to the rapeseed plant, but has a much lower erucic acid content.

So how do they compare nutritionally? To see the chart read more

	Corn oil	Canola oil
Serving Size	1 Tbsp	1 Tbsp
Calories	120	120
Total Fat	14g	14g
Saturated Fat	2g	1g
Polyunsaturated Fat	8g	4g
Monounsaturated Fat	4g	9g
Sodium	0g	0g
Fiber	0g	0g
Sugars	0g	0g
Protein	0g	0g

As you can see, canola oil is so great because like olive oil, it's low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. This kind of fat is good to consume because it can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol. Another thing, corn oil contains more polyunsaturated fat than canola oil. This type of fat has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, but too much can lower your HDL (good) cholesterol.

Fit's Tips: Canola oil is a great choice when it comes to baking and sautéing, because it has a high burn point, meaning it doesn't start smoking until it reaches 238°Celsius. Just for reference, olive oil's burn point is 190°Celsius.

Snack Attack: Oscar Night Popcorn

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0800

Whenever I curl up on the couch in front of a good movie, I have to have a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. So the same goes for the Oscars - a night celebrating all the movies we love. Now I'm not talking about microwave popcorn here, there's way too much garbage in it.

There's two ways I make it:

1. The old-fashioned way:

Take a 1 quart size saucepan and pour enough canola oil on bottom just to cover it with a thin layer. You can also use olive oil, but I don't think it tastes as good.
Now pour 1/4 cup loose popcorn kernels in, shaking the pan a little to coat them with the oil.
Turn the burner on between medium and high. Place a top on the pan and shake it constantly from side to side over the heat. You get to work your arms a little bit too.
You'll start to hear the kernels begin to pop. Once the popping slows down a great deal, take the pan off the heat and pour the popcorn into another bowl.
Allow it to cool off a bit before sprinkling it with salt.

Want to know an incredibly easy way to make popcorn without the oil? Then read more

2. Fat-Free Popcorn: When my dad was on the Pritikin Diet, he couldn't eat any fat, and we used to make popcorn like this all the time. Here's what you do.

Take a small brown bag, the kind you use for lunches, and open it up.
Pour enough popcorn kernels in to cover the bottom of the bag.
Close the bag by folding the opened end tightly 3 times.
Place the entire bag in the microwave, with the folded side on the bottom.
Cook for about 2 1/2 minutes, or until the popping slows down. If it cooks for too long, you'll have yourself a bag of burnt popcorn.
The popcorn tastes just like it came out of an air popper. Add salt for more flavor.

Got a great (and healthy) snack to share? Join the Snack Attack Group and tell us all! I may even feature your snack right here on FitSugar!

Ditching Trans Fat: The Benefits Exceed the Cost

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:30:00 -0800

We're all excited about about how many cities, states and companies are banning trans fats, but how are they going to deliver the same beloved French Fries and fried chicken that so many of their customers crave?

This Chicago restaurant owner, Ina Pinkney, might have paved the way - she eliminated trans fat from her menu a few years ago, and made the switch to Canola oil. She says that going trans fat free was a recipe for success.

She feared that the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils used in her foods were endangering her customers' health. Using Canola oil is not only healthier for her customers, but it's cheaper for her - she says it cooks so much better, so she uses less oil.

The oil's "fry life" and taste are virtually the same, but Canola oil is about 30% more expensive than partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. That's why a lot of restaurant owners are reluctant to make the switch. They just need to talk to Ina since she thinks it is cost beneficial.

But in the end switching over to Canola oil will prove beneficial because if patrons know the food is healthier, they'll probably be eating it more often (and MORE of it).

That's Nutty

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:30:00 -0800

Nuts! Fish!? Seeds?!? Omega 3s can cause some culinary confusion. If you're looking to get more of them in your diet here's a few simple ways:

Walnut Oil: I use this in salad dressings regularly using equal parts walnut oil to olive oil. Then I add a little white wine vinegar and some Dijon mustard. Plus, I throw some toasted walnuts onto the salad. Be sure to refrigerate your oil after you open it.
Flax seeds: My favorite way to sneak flax seeds into my diet is Uncle Sam Cereal. It is simply toasted whole wheat flakes and flax seeds. Taste wise the cereal would benefit with some added fresh fruit. Plus my kids love it, which I love since the cereal hardly has any sugar in it!
Canola Oil: Canola oil is great to cook with and is the best oil when making a stir fry. It tastes much lighter than olive oil which makes it suitable for baking as well.
Source

Don't Blow Your Healthy Habits at the Movies This Weekend

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:53 -0800

It's a big movie weekend, for sure. With New Moon finally out, I've already committed myself to spend an afternoon at the theater - the only complication is that I'm not so fond of the movie-theater fare. It's an admittedly challenging place to stick to healthy food choices, since there usually aren't any to begin with. Just in case you don't believe me, recent research is revealing just how unhealthy movie popcorn can be - and it's probably a lot worse than you think.

An article from WebMd highlights the Center for Science in the Public Interest's findings on the state of popcorn, which claims movie theater popcorn is just about as bad for you as "a pound of baby back ribs and a scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream or maybe two Big Macs" - and that's before you even add the butter. For the study, researchers sent samples of popcorn and toppings from three different movie theater chains and compared their findings to the chains' own nutritional information. What they found is likely to make you rethink how you view your movie treat.

The study's results show that the calorie count of movie theater popcorn ranges from just about 400 to 1,200 calories, and contains an alarming serving of saturated fat that's equivalent to three days worth of your daily recommended portion, and anywhere from 200 (in the smallest 6-cup size serving) to 1,500 milligrams of sodium. Additionally, the study revealed that both AMC and Regal theaters pop their popcorn in coconut oil, which has a saturated fat content of a whopping 90 percent. Cinemark theaters, which pops their popcorn in canola oil, earns the rep as the healthiest chain, with a significantly lower saturated fat content - ranging from 2 grams in the 420-calorie small size to 5 grams in the 910-calorie large popcorn bucket. But, keep in mind that popcorn is usually just a part of the order - add a soda or your choice of candy, and your order is easily nearing 1,700 calories.

To learn about healthier options at the movies read more.

To avoid a serious caloric overload on your movie outing, the solutions are simple. Opt to share a small, unbuttered popcorn, and request that it be popped without salt (according to the article, these chains will happily oblige), or knosh on something healthy before you head out. If you can, bring a small bag of almonds or a piece of fruit along. Be smart about your choices, and don't let one afternoon at the movies spoil your healthy habits. It's totally fine to indulge every now and then, but a 1,200-calorie serving of popcorn that packs more saturated fat than you need in three days is hardly a treat for your bod or health.

Cooking with OIL

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 11:30:00 -0800

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.

Your Healthy Food Swaps

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:00:27 -0800

Since decadent foods like ice cream, baked treats, and fried foods tend to be high in the calorie department, it's good to have a few healthy food swap ideas up your sleeve. Here are some shared by fellow FitSugar readers.

"Avocado instead of mayo . . . sure it may have fat in it but it's healthy fat and tastes delicious. Hummus instead of cream in sauces and soups . . . adds a ton of flavor and protein." - mamasitamalita
"I use balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette) on my salads without any oil. It gives the same powerful flavor kick but for a lot less calories." - laellavita
"Replace ranch dressing on my salad with cottage cheese." - genipher85

For more great ideas, keep reading

Don't Fear the MUFA

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:00:06 -0700

After years of being treated with disdain, dietary fat has slowly been making its way off the nutritional black list. Now that omega-3 fatty acid is almost a household word, it is time to embrace the MUFAs - monounsaturated fatty acids. A diet rich in this type of fat has been found to reduce abdominal fat better than a diet high in carbs - even without exercise. In fact, this is the cornerstone of Prevention's Flat Belly Diet.

If you're dieting, don't fear the MUFAs; while they might not be the magic bullet for belly fat (even if you incorporate them into your diet, you still need to keep a watch on your caloric intake and exercise), they do make dieting easier. Full of fat-soluble vitamins, MUFAs are satisfying to eat and help you feel full and satiated, nipping in the bud two common complaints of dieters: boredom and hunger.

To learn where you can find the almost-mythic fatty acid, keep on reading.

Is Palm Oil the New Trans Fat?

FitSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:00:17 -0700

Partially hydrogenated oil is a type of trans fat that has gotten a lot of flak, and rightfully so. This chemically altered fat is known to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and increase your chance of developing coronary heart disease. Many companies are replacing hydrogenated oil with palm oil, saying that's it's a healthier option.

On nutritional labels you might see this ingredient listed as palm-fruit oil, since it's extracted from the fruit of the oil palm tree. This is not to be confused with palm kernel oil, which comes from the palm seed found inside the fruit. Eighty-six percent of the fat in palm kernel oil is saturated (the unhealthy fat), and 50 percent of the fat from palm-fruit oil is saturated, so it's the better choice of the two, but is palm oil considered healthy? To find out read more.

Palm oil is high in saturated fat, and so are butter, whole milk, ground beef, and skin from chicken. These fats should be limited just like trans fats; they clog your arteries and can lead to heart problems. Small amounts of palm oil are seen as safe, but I wouldn't go out of your way to eat foods containing it, and would instead look for foods made with canola or olive oils.

Palm oil has also been in the news over the past couple years for environmental reasons. The palm fruit is found in rain forests, and the production of palm oil is leading to deforestation, which is in turn driving orangutans to near extinction. So if you're concerned about your health and the well-being of the planet, I'm sure you'll be diligently label reading the next time you hit the grocery store.

Whole Wheat Pita vs. Whole Wheat Bread

FitSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:00:24 -0700

When it comes to sandwiches, I have been opting for whole wheat pita these days instead of whole wheat bread.

It has been an interesting change of pace and I thought maybe fewer calories as well. Rather than assuming pita was better nutritionally for me than whole wheat bread, I decided to compare them side by side. To see which whole wheat bread type is the victor, just read more.

	1 slice pita bread Trader Joe's	1 slice bread Milton's
Calories	130	110
Total Fat (g)	0	0.5
Saturated Fat (g)	0	0
Carbs (g)	26	22
Fiber (g)	4	5
Protein (g)	5	5
Sugar (g)	1	4
Sodium (mg)	200	220

I know bread products vary nutritionally from brand to brand, but these are the two types of whole wheat breads we typically have on hand. Calorically speaking, I only use one slice of pita rather than two slices of regular sliced bread, so pita is certainly lower in calories. Two pieces of Milton's sliced bread provide 10 grams of fiber; however, this is unusual since most sliced whole wheat bread contains only two to three grams of fiber per slice. Looking at these stats, I feel OK mixing it up between these two brands and types of bread. Take a look below at the ingredients.

Ingredients	Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pita	Milton's Whole Wheat Bread
	Stone ground whole wheat flour, water, fresh yeast, canola oil, salt, sesame seeds	Whole wheat flour, water, honey, vital wheat gluten, yeast. Contains 2 percent of less of: oat fiber, calcium sulfate, distilled vinegar, soybean oil, wheat bran, cultured wheat flour, ascorbic acid enzymes