Feinsinger column: Why oils may raise health concerns

There are three major macronutrients that the body needs in large amounts: fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Among them, fat delivers the most calories, with 9 calories per gram compared with 4 for protein and carbohydrates. Oil is a form of fat, and one tablespoon of any fat contains about 120 calories. Because oils are processed rather than whole foods, much of their nutrition is stripped away, leaving a product that is calorie-heavy but nutrient-poor. Fat also tends to be highly palatable, which is one reason food manufacturers add oils, salt, and sugar to many products to boost sales and profits.

The Mediterranean diet is often praised as a healthy eating pattern, and it is healthier than the standard American diet. But its supposed benefits are frequently attributed to olive and canola oils when, in fact, the real advantages come from its emphasis on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and herbs and spices. Even so, people following that diet still experience heart attacks and strokes, while those eating a whole-food, plant-based diet without salt, sugar, or added oil have far lower rates of these diseases.

Beyond their calorie content, oils are considered unhealthy for several reasons:

• Vegetable oil can inflame the endothelial lining of arteries, encouraging atherosclerotic plaque and, eventually, plaque rupture, which can trigger heart attacks and most strokes.
• Healthy arteries should remain flexible and open, but laboratory studies show that oils can make them stiffer and more constricted.
• Oils are absorbed quickly and stored as fat soon after eating. Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of books including “Eat to Live,” has described vegetable oils as going from “two minutes from lips to hips.”
• All oils contain saturated fat, which prompts the liver to produce more LDL, or bad cholesterol. Canola oil contains the least saturated fat at 7%, olive oil has 15%, and coconut oil has the most at 93%, making coconut oil especially unhealthy. Online praise for coconut products is often tied to people profiting from their sale.
• When oil reaches its smoke point, such as when cooking pancakes in an oiled pan, it signals that carcinogenic compounds are forming.
• The ideal omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in the blood is about 1-to-1 or 2-to-1, but many Americans have ratios between 10-to-1 and 30-to-1, reflecting too much omega-6 and too little omega-3, largely because of added oils. That imbalance is linked to inflammation, depression, heart disease, and diabetes.

Cooking without oil is simple. For a vegetable stir-fry, lower the heat and use water, soy sauce, sherry, wine, vinegar, or low-sodium vegetable broth instead. If a baking recipe calls for oil, try ground flaxseed, unsweetened applesauce, or both. For salad dressing ideas, search for oil-free recipes. And when ordering vegetable stir-fry at a Chinese restaurant, ask for little or no oil, since vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini can soak up a surprising amount of it.

That does not mean all fats should be avoided. The body still needs beneficial fats, including omega-3. Here are a few ways to get enough:

• All plants contain healthy polyunsaturated fat.
• Eating fish once or twice a week can provide omega-3, though fish oil supplements are no longer recommended.
• A handful of walnuts and a heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseed can provide adequate omega-3.
• To make sure you are getting enough omega-3, consider a liquid algae omega-3 supplement from DrFuhrman.com, which is made in a lab, shipped in a glass bottle, and free of microplastics.