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

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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!”

So now you’ve got Jeff’s take on adding “healthy” oils to your salads and vegetables. If you’re cooking veggies you have a few oil free options.  You can steam them on the stove, microwave them, or saute them in a non stick pan.

Jeff Novick on the Myth of Moderation Pt 1: Do All Foods Really Fit?

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I love watching presentations by Jeff Novick. First he always presents great information that challenges the beliefs of the mass public and secondly he is very engaging and entertaining while doing so. I also highly recommend his 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.

One of the objections I often hear from readers and friends about a low fat vegan diet, is that everything in moderation is ok. They argue that oil, sugar, meat, dairy etc. should be fine in moderation and that an oil free low fat vegan diet sounds too extreme.

The problem with “moderation” is that it’s sure hard to moderate your intake when we are surrounded by food at home, at the store and restaurants, where it’s difficult to be aware of just how much of one thing you are taking in. We don’t have regular lean times in the winter anymore. We don’t need to load up on fat to keep warm for the winter and make it through on less.

Most of us in fact will never willingly skip a meal or even a snack, because the media tells us it’s bad to skip breakfast and we have a tendency to not just eat when we’re hungry, but when we’re bored or celebrating as well.

So is it even possible in a world of abundance to self regulate this moderation? I think it would be quite difficult. And though it sounds extreme, aiming to have zero oil or animal products in your diet gives you a better chance of having low amounts of these foods in your diet, as opposed to too many. If you regularly opt to eat these foods you will inadvertently consume high amounts over the week or month as it adds up. The only way to truly avoid certain foods 100% is by making all of your food every day from scratch and I doubt that many of us are doing that on a weekly basis, let alone for the rest of our lives. So that’s why I make oil free vegan recipes and aim for no oil, no meat, no dairy. Because occasionally when I do eat out, it’s a guarantee there’s going to be some extra oil or fat in that dish and I don’t know how much of it there is.

Let’s hear what Jeff Novick has to say on moderation.

The Myth of Moderation Pt 1: Do All Foods Really Fit?

 

So if you like to consume everything in moderation, how can you be sure you are consuming the proper amounts of fruits, vegetables, water and getting enough vitamins, minerals and fibre? It’s very difficult to consume enough fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains every day when you start trying to add in meat, cheese, oils, alcohol desserts and snack foods every day.

Has any of this information changed your perception of moderation? Discuss.