I know you have to be careful with these. Vegatable oil is ok in moderation though right?

Right. I have been using half olive and half corn oil to make my vinaigrette dressing.

I'm not sure what you are asking. Your profile says you are on Atkins. Atkins is a HIGH FAT DIET. You need to include lots of oil in your daily menu. Most of your calories should come from fat. That will stimulate your weight loss. I won't go into the explanation of how that works, because Atkins explains it in his book.

If you are not comfortable on a high fat diet, Atkins is probably not the plan for you.

I know its high fat lol. I have been using butter to fry with, and was unsure as to oil usage. And believe me I am very comfortable on a high fat diet.

i've read so many artilces on the benefits of olive oil and i've tested the theory out: it is very beneficial. I see great results right away: decreased craving, clear skin and even helps with the bowerl movements. I use it liberally on ALL my foods. It helps to think of the "French Paradox" or the "Italian Paradox" who indulges in olive oil and are the slimmest and most attractive looking people...Bon appetit - please keep us posted!

Can you please give some examples of how you use Olive Oil?

the taste of olive oil is amazing once you've tasted it. i find it nurturing and very intoxicatingly good. I resort to it whenever I have a sweet tooth as a healing tool.

It can be used like you use any other cooking oils except you can use olive oil uncooked too! Just add a few tbs. to your salads or your foods that have been cooked. I was very skeptical with the health benefits that experts were claiming of olive oil, until I've used it myself. it made a big difference in my life. i'm not afraid to use oils anymore. my skin is now smooth and clear. i substitute olive oil for mayonnaise and salad dressings and my cravings went away. it's easily digested and does not feel 'greasy' at all. it's just fattening enough to satisfy my cravings.

tips: buy extra virgin olive oil (they are the best ones) to use cooked or uncooked.

I use olive oil for cooking, frying, salad dressings, anything that calls for oil or butter, I use olive oil. I use the Bertolli extra light virgin olive oil. They're really light in color like canola oil, doesn't smell as strong, and it's really light tasting. I was using Pompeian before, but I like Bertolli a lot better.

After living in Sicily for several years. I love olive oils and use the Bertolli brand also.

I will heat some (low) temp. add whole cloves of garlic, cook it for a while strain the garlic out and use this as a baste for meats and also as a salad dressing. It's great.

"I know you have to be careful with these. Vegatable oil is ok in moderation though right?"

Astral, I think what you're asking is, "is vegetable oil a healthy oil?" and I believe the answer to that question is no. All of the commercial vegetable oils that you can buy in clear bottles on the shelf of your regular grocery store (with the exception of olive oil) have been partially hydrogenated to extend shelf life, and the manufacturing process that produces them involves truly awful chemicals.

Think about it this way: if you grind a bunch of olives between two stones you get olive oil. If you crushed a bunch of corn in the same manner, you'd get a milky, starchy fluid with almost no oil in it at all. It takes chemicals and a lot of technology to get that oil separated out and purified enough to use. And then, once you do get them extracted, the polyunsaturated oils are very unstable. They are easily damaged by light and heat and go rancid very quickly, so they either have to be refrigerated, or hydrogenated to have any shelf life at all. Even light will turn them, which is why all those clear bottles on the supermarket shelf are a dead giveaway.

Even if you buy cold-pressed polyunsaturated oil from a health food store, you shouldn't cook with the stuff. Heat damages it. Store it in the refrigerator, and use it on salads, or to make your own mayonaise.

Having said all that, do I think using vegetable oil will kill anyone? No. But if your concern is about the health benefits or lack thereof, you're better off cooking with olive oil, animal fats, or one of the tropical oils.

--Ruth

Ruth -
what do you say about peanut oil or sesame oil? do you know if they are healthy or not?

I've heard conflicting things about both of them. Fran McCullough, I think, likes both and thinks they're good for cooking. Others think you shouldn't heat them. I'm not sure who's right. Best bet, though, is again to look for cold-pressed sources rather than a commercial brand like Planters that you find on the grocery shelf because of the hydrogenation issue.

As for the dark, roasted sesame oil that you use in Chinese food -- it's almost certainly bad for you, but I use it in tiny amounts as a flavoring anyway because it's so delicious and I haven't found a substitute for that flavor. I figure if 98% of the fat I eat is good, and I'm managing to avoid the really evil stuff, an occasional tsp. of sesame oil won't kill me.

--Ruth

I love oil oil. However, when sauteeing I prefer peanut oil. It has a higher smoke point and a great flavor. I like to use olive oil over vegis or a plate of antipasto meats, vegis, olives and chesses.