During this holiday season, many of us are up to our eyeballs baking lots of goodies. Many recipes tell us to use different kinds of Vegetable Oils.
AVOID them all.
Vegetable oils are not exactly made from vegetables! The problem is that these highly processed polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and oxidize easily in the body. These oxidized fats cause inflammation and mutation in cells. In arterial cells, these mutations cause inflammation that can clog arteries. When these fats are incorporated into skin cells, their mutation can cause skin cancer.
Since vegetable oils are chemically produced, it’s not really surprising that they contain harmful chemicals. Most vegetable oils and their products contain BHA and BHT which are artificial antioxidants that help prevent food from oxidizing or spoiling too quickly. These chemicals have been shown to produce potential cancer causing compounds in the body, and have also been linked to liver/kidney damage, immune problems, infertility or sterility, high cholesterol and behavioral problems in children.
Oils to Avoid:
- Canola Oil
- Corn Oil
- Soybean Oil
- “Vegetable” oil
- Peanut Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Safflower Oil
- Cottonseed Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Margarine
- Shortening
- I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter (Yes, believe it certainly isn’t!)
- Smart Balance (Not so Smart!)
- Any fake butter or vegetable oils products
Instead, use the unprocessed fats our that our bodies need and crave. While the following are all substitutes for vegetable oils, you will notice that some aren’t fats at all and work as well.
Substitutions:
Oils:
- Cold pressed olive oil or extra light olive oil
- Coconut oil (make sure other ingredients are room temp as this can harden when it comes into contact with cold ingredients)
- Melted or solid organic or grass-fed butter
YES, these saturated fats are much better for you than the above processed stuff.
Please note to avoid substituting oils for solid fats when baking cookies, cakes, and pastries; it will make the dish greasy and dense. If you must do so, substitute 3 parts oil for every 4 parts solid fat and consider increasing the amount of sugar and eggs in the recipe. Pie crusts made with oil aren’t as flaky as those made with solid fat.
Oil substitutes:
- Applesauce
- Pureed Prunes (works great with chocolate)
- Apple Butter
- Pureed Dates (works great with chocolate)
- Bananas (same amount as oil but reduce the sugar in the recipe)
The above can replace up to ¾ of the oil/shortening in many recipes. Add with the liquid ingredients and reduce sugar in recipe if the fruit is sweetened.
- Yogurt (same amount as oil-great with brownies)
- Ricotta Cheese (works well in many yeast breads that call for solid fat, substitute no more than 3/4 of the fat with this.)
Remember, vegetables are usually your friend, but NEVER in the form of oil. Here’s to happy and healthy baking!