Why no oil?

Let’s talk about oil.

This topic is so confusing that I have a dirty secret to confess. With a little back story…

When I first started down the path of teaching people how to eat whole food, plant based and oil free, I worked in a cardiologist’s office. He was a dedicated follower of Dr Caldwell Esselstyn and both of them were absolutely adamant - NO OIL.

Naturally, when I would teach my students (the patients of the cardiologist) how to cook without oil, they would ask me - why no oil?

I love explaining the why’s of eating WFPB to people. I firmly believe that having an understanding of what is happening in our body is a really important part of establishing a sustainable lifestyle.

But my dirty secret was this - I didn’t really understand the science of the no-oil dictate. I really tested the patience of that revolutionary cardiologist. I would corner him, as he was trying to get out the door after a busy day and apologetically ask - can you explain the no-oil thing to me, one more time?

He would sigh and go through it again.

My brain would juggle the terminology - endothelial response… artery function… impairment of vasoreactivity… elasticity…dilate…endothelial dysfunction…hyperemia…postprandial state…

I felt like I was back in my high school Physics class where I felt like I was always the one with their hand raised saying, I don’t understand. I couldn’t somehow stretch my brain to put all the pieces together to fully understand what was being explained to me.

Eventually - I got the cardiologist to write it out. Which incidentally did not clarify it at all for me - it was a lot of science-intensive words that I could individually define but…

So in that nutrition class I borrowed authority - I would tell my students that the doctor felt passionately about the oil factor and then I would read out loud his explanation. It always left a bad taste in my mouth because I don’t think any of the students really understood the explanation any better than I did.

It also left me with a dread of the question. Why no oil?

Eventually I came to the realization that I just had to dig in and figure this out! It took me a couple of days of research, reading, scientific journals and flat out googling and I think I have an explanation that I can actually communicate in layman’s terms.

Our blood vessels have this thin inner lining - it is called the endothelium. It is made up of endothelial cells. It controls the function of every artery in our body. It allows our arteries to contract and dilate so that our blood can flow and deliver necessary nutrients to tissues and clear out toxins before they can accumulate.

It’s an important system. The elasticity of the artery walls determine how well this system works.

When we eat non-whole-food fat - it robs the endothelium of this elasticity. So then - the walls of our arteries become stiff and can’t expand or contract properly. It’s like a deer caught in the headlights of a car - there is a kind of temporary paralysis.

This is a well documented effect - and usually involves scenarios where someone drinks a big fatty milkshake or eats a burger and fries. What is important to realize is that the same thing happens with fat from oils - including virgin olive oils. It’s not as dramatic, but it still happens. Oil cripples endothelial function.

The same thing does not happen with fat that comes from whole foods.

I hope that explanation helps you to understand what is happening.

Some of my confusion on the topic came from understanding the endothelium and the role it plays in long term health and longevity. So here is a quick bonus explanation of that :)

Endothelial cells live for about thirty years. We can replace them to some degree but essentially what happens as we age is that those endothelial cells die. As the total population shrinks, they get spread thinner and thinner and simply cannot function as magnificently as a full quota in younger bodies. The overall health of the endothelium is important for a number of chronic conditions - heart, diabetes, cancer, kidney.

This is a slower, long term debilitation. Whereas the fat/oil impact is a more acute temporary thing. Both are impacting the endothelium but are actually two separate topics. 

The big picture - eating all the wonderful variety of whole food that comes from plants is the best way to preserve your endothelial cells and create new ones for longevity and long term health. There is also documentation that drinking green tea is helpful.

Avoiding oils (and saturated fat) is the best way to avoid endothelial impairment after eating. 

Your Food Joy Coach

Justine

PS Interesting in how to sauté an onion without oil - and still have it smell and taste delish? Click here for a video that shows you how.