Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [27]
• Limit intake of oils high in the omega-6 fat linoleic acid. These include corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, and to a lesser extent, peanut and sesame oils. Watch for prepared foods that include these oils toward the top of the ingredient list.
• Get most of your fat from foods that provide monounsaturated fat. Best sources are nuts, nut butters, avocados, and olives, and olive, canola, or high-oleic safflower and sunflower oils.
• Be sure to meet your needs for the essential omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Follow the guidelines on page 55 to make sure you’re getting enough of this fat.
• Consider taking a DHA supplement. Vegans over the age of sixty, especially, should consider taking a DHA (or DHA plus EPA) supplement of 200 to 300 milligrams a day. Younger vegans might consider taking this much every two to three days.
VEGETABLE OILS IN VEGAN DIETS
You don’t have to include vegetable oils in your diet, but they can fit into a healthy vegan eating plan. Not all vegetable oils are equal, though. Since vegans tend to have a high ratio of LA to ALA in their diets, it’s a good idea to choose oils that are low in LA. Another consideration is the smoke point of oils. Oils with a low smoke point begin to break down at high temperatures, producing potentially toxic compounds. Smoke point is affected by the type of fatty acids in the oil as well as processing. Oils with a higher monounsaturated fat content have a higher smoke point, which makes them better for cooking. Cold-pressed or unrefined oils have a higher percentage of protective phytochemicals, but they also have a lower smoke point, so they are better to use in dressings than for cooking.
For baking and cooking, choose these oils most often:
• Extra virgin olive oil: All types of olive oil are high in monounsaturated fats, but extra virgin olive oil also contains compounds that may protect against heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Its smoke point is only moderately high, so use it only for sautéing foods at lower temperatures or for cold or warm salads.
• Canola oil: It is high in monounsaturated fats and has a somewhat higher smoke point than olive oil.
• High-oleic sunflower or safflower oils: These are special hybrids grown to produce an oil that is rich in monounsaturated fat. They must say “high oleic” on the label.
• Almond, avocado, hazelnut, and macadamia nut oils: These are all rich in monounsaturated fats, and their high smoke points make them a good choice for cooking. They tend to be expensive, but you may want to splurge on them occasionally for special dishes.
Minimize these oils in your diet:
• Corn, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils (unless labeled as “high oleic”). These are popular for frying because they have high smoke points. But all are high in the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid (LA) and should be minimized in the diet. Anything labeled “vegetable oil” is almost always soybean oil.
• Peanut and sesame oils: These are moderately high in monounsaturated fats and have a relatively high smoke point, but both—particularly sesame oil—have a fairly high LA content.
Use these oils only as supplements:
• Flaxseed and hempseed oils: Because of their very high ALA content (especially for flaxseed), these oils are generally used in small quantities as a supplement—perhaps sprinkled over vegetables. They have low smoke points and should never be heated.
WHAT ABOUT COCONUT OIL?
Packed with saturated fat—it has more than either butter or lard—coconut oil has developed a surprising reputation as a health food. This is partly because some research has shown coconut oil to have antimicrobial properties. Also, the main fat in coconut oil, which is called lauric acid, raises good HDL cholesterol, producing a favorable cholesterol profile. Virgin coconut oil contains a number of protective phytochemicals as well and, for people eating healthy diets containing plenty of fiber-rich plant foods, coconut oil consumption isn’t associated with heart disease. Cooks may like it for its appealing flavor as well as the