If you missed out on The Myth of Moderation Pt 1: check it out here.

As humans we tend to be fairly curious and like to test the limits of what we can and can’t do. Often when people opt for a new diet or eating plan they try to stretch the boundaries of what they are “supposed to do” and try to do what they perceive is acceptable, normal or even healthy. In the case of a low fat vegan diet, many people still believe just a “little bit” of oil can’t hurt anything, and in fact is good for you.

While I won’t argue that a healthy individual with no ailments would be harmed by a little bit of oil in one recipe eaten only once, a little bit of oil here or there does add up and it counts. I like to strive for a whole foods based diet as much as possible, and the fact is oil is a refined food and just isn’t included in the optimal diet.

We have plenty of opportunities to get omega 3’s from chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts, and omega 6’s from other nuts and avocados. Adding olive oil or coconut oil is not necessary for health, and you will benefit from more nutrients and antioxidants if you just ate the whole food instead.

Jeff Novick, MS, RD talks about the concept of adding just a little bit of oil to your salads or veggies and how that actually makes more of a difference than you think.

For more information, I also highly recommend Jeff Novick’s lecture From Oil To Nuts: The Essential Facts About Fat Oils. You can watch a free section of it on YouTube, but it’s definitely worth getting the whole lecture on DVD. He also has a short excerpt from Going Nuts Over Nuts his 2012 lecture on YouTube.

The Myth of Moderation Pt 2: The Impact of “Just A Little Oil!”