Oil-free is the new big trend, and it’s here to stay! Why oil-free? Oil is essentially fat that is mechanically pressed out of whole foods, like olives, avocados, seeds, etc.

It’s best to limit the amount of added oils consumed because they are super high in fat and we’re trying to stick to a low-fat diet here, people! Additionally, when you press out all the fat, you’re also eliminating all the fiber and other nutrients that make up a well rounded whole food, plant-based diet.

Why oil-free?

“Our immune system can’t function very well in an oil-slick“, as Dr. Neal Barnard likes to say.

If you look at most packaged foods in the grocery store, you’ll start to notice that nearly all of them contain oil. If you’re eating packaged food often, and also drizzling oil on all your homemade food, consider the amount of oil and fat you’re adding to your diet on a daily basis.

I’ve found it’s best to just limit oils where you can, such as in salads, while cooking, and when making marinades.

So, how do you cook without oil? Most of us, especially professional chefs like myself, have been trained to cook basically everything with oil, making oil-free cooking a difficult transition. Though, with a little practice and an adjustment in your thinking, it’s not very hard at all.

Here’s a quick video about how eating added oils affect our bodies from Dr. Esselstyn:

5 benefits of oil-free cooking

Some benefits to cooking without added oils I’ve noticed are:

More flavorful food

It’s easier to taste the food, especially vegetables, when they aren’t slathered in oil.

Feeling better after eating

When I don’t add oil to my food it helps my stomach not feel bad after eating. Now, when I eat a meal that contains a lot of oil, I notice that my belly feels full of oil which isn’t very pleasant.

Less skin breakouts

I’ve noticed that when I don’t add oil to my food, my skin has less breakouts than when I’m eating food that’s been cooked in oil, which makes sense because it means I’m eating less fats.

More energy after eating

Because I’m not eating a bunch of oil I’ve noticed that I feel more energetic after eating, rather than slow and sluggish.

Less greasy kitchen

When you don’t cook with oil your kitchen doesn’t get that layer of oil all over your stove, walls and cooking equipment. It makes for much easier cleaning. Also, think about it: Oil will stick to your walls? Imagine what it’s sticking to inside your body.

8 tips for oil-free cooking

Instead of adding oil, here’s a few substitutions you can make during your weekly meal prep:

Use whole food fats instead of oil, such as whole pitted olives.
Add a small amount of nuts and seeds to your salads to get fat into your dish without using oils.
Instead of adding oil to your pan, add 1-3 tablespoons of water to sauté your food and prevent sticking.
Add a little water to the pan if your food starts to stick. This will help the food stop sticking to the pan, and also do something called “deglazing” which gathers all the delicious flavor off the pan.
Choose stainless steel cookware which is like non-stick cookware without the teflon chemicals.
Use wooden spoons and spatulas, or stainless steel spoons and spatulas, instead of plastic.
Cook with a lower heat to sauté your food, ideally medium or medium-low heat.
If you’re serving food to people who are hesitant to “oil-free cooking”, just don’t tell them there’s no added oils! Most likely they won’t be able to tell the difference.

Oil-free recipes

Here’s three basic oil-free salad dressing recipes
Here’s a recipe for oil-free Kale Salad
Here’s a recipe for easy oil-free Hummus
Here’s a recipe for an oil-free Tempeh Tostada Salad
Easy vegan coffee cake recipe (oil-free, whole grain)
Easy Baked Cauliflower Florets (oil-free, GF, vegan)
Easy vegan chocolate cake recipe (oil-free, whole grain)
Big list of easy vegan dinner recipes (oil-free, whole grain, plant-based)

More information on oil-free cooking

Check out this episode of The Exam Room Podcast presented by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, “How to cook without oil” for more information on why we should cook oil-free and how lots of added oils and excessive fats harm our bodies.

Ready to kick your oil habit?

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Why oil-free? Learn why you should eliminate added oils from your diet

Why oil-free?