The Vegan OIL FREE Diet | Are Vegetable Oils Really UNHEALTHY For You??

Hi everyone, welcome to Abbey's Kitchen! In today’s diet review, I will be chatting all about a new diet trend that I have been seeing A LOT online – the vegan oil-free diet. I’ll be taking a scientific look at the FACTS on vegetable oils, and answering the question – are vegetable oils BAD for your health?

A reminder that everything in this video is for entertainment purposes only and you should always seek the advice of a health care provider for your unique case.

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If this video was helpful leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

Xoxo Abbey

Contribution by: Giselle Segovia RD MHSc

[abcxyz]

Can you do a video about sugar? Specifically comparing “natural” sugars like honey or agave with things like more traditional sugars. I’ve heard of influencers talking about natural sugar and “processed” sugar and it would be interesting to see an actual nutritional comparison between them all.

[ellen]

I can't eat oil or I'll break down in extreme pain, so I disagree with you. We don't NEED oil, we need fat, so there's no harm to go without. And for me it was the best thing I've done and a huge blessing. I applaud all the vegan doctors and Mic the vegan for spreading the word. My life quality has gone up significantly.

[amyhatch]

When looking at the "healthiness" of any food you have to ask: healthy compared to what? If you compare the health outcomes of people cooking their food in lard or butter vs olive oil then obviously the health outcomes are better with the olive oil.

If you are trying to lose weight, a very easy way to cut down on calories is to remove highly processed foods from our diets, as they have most or all of water and fibre removed, so they're more calories for less volume. Sugars (including coconut sugars, date sugars etc) and oils fall into this category. Oil is actually 120 calories per tablespoon, and lots of recipes do actually contain several tablespoons per serving.

However, you have to weigh up the cost benefit analysis of eating oil. If you add 1 tbsp of oil to a 4 serving stir fry, and this is enough to make the difference between you eating all those healthy veggies and not eating them, then of course the oil is adding a benefit in this case.

You dont lose out on any of the benefits of fats by eating them in their whole food forms, including the benefit of increased satiety BUT you also get the added benefit of being able to eat more volume for less calories, added fibre etc. The same applies to adding coconut flakes rather than coconut sugar.

There are some people out there who clearly have disordered thinking around oil which prevents them from eating at restaurants or enjoying the occasional donut, but there are lots of us who recognise that oil is not a health food, and that the whole food sources of plant based oils (flaxseeds instead of flax oil, walnuts instead of walnut oil etc) are always better for us than oil, and that we should use oil sparingly if we can

[toridanielle]

i'm vegan and i reeeally don't like this trend. thankfully, it seems to be falling to the wayside as compared to maybe 3-4 years ago when it was REALLY popular amongst plant-based influencers. oil adds flavor and satiety to meals! and i really don't think that a tablespoon (or less) of olive oil to saute some veggies, tofu, etc is gonna kill me.

[lography]

I understand that you're a dietitian but you're saying "vegan doctor" as if their research is biased. Those doctors went vegan and oil-free because of what their research showed. That's why so many heart surgeons go vegan. People will agree with you because it's nice to hear good things about our habits. Even I eat oil, but I don't pretend it's healthy. Most people eat not only meat but deep-fried food. They're not eating cold-pressed extra-virgin whatever, they're eating cheap, refined canola oil that could power a modified Volkswagen. I know you're not responsible for what others eat, but you're presenting yourself as an authority even though the science isn't clear that we need oil.

You can put this advice below the fold of your description: "A reminder that everything in this video is for entertainment purposes only and you should always seek the advice of a health care provider for your unique case". But, if that's the case then why make the video at all? Doesn't that invalidate what you said - Plus, doctors like Esselstyn and the countless others who contributed to those studies are health-care professionals, but you're saying not to trust them?

There are a lot of people here now being quite rude as they've come from Mic the Vegan's response video and I don't think that's called for - guys we can be nice and have an open dialogue here - I can see why people are flustered though because it seems you're gambling people's health for views. Anyway, you seem like a nice person Abbey and you're working hard on your SEO and whatnot, but remember. Your videos affect real people. Many people will take your advice, and if they get heart disease, then what...

[stevesklenka]

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn is a highly reputable cardiologist, who’s been stationed in a world renown Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, and who’s recommendations are based on unbiased and correct interpretation of scientific research that’s not funded by the industry. His recommendation for avoiding oils is correct and undoubtedly will stand the test of time.

[mally]

if eating oil is wrong, i don't wanna be right. ever.

[lollyb]

Most plant based people don't avoid oil because of calories or fat it's because they are processed and not a whole food, processing causes oxidation which causes oxidative stress in the body which is a cause for chronic disease and other things like AGEs which u don't want, i don't think having oil in your diet every now and then is bad but i rather eat it from a whole food like nuts, seeds, avocado or algae oil.

[Looksthatkale]

I wish you could have touched on whole foods plant based vegans lowering their LDL cholesterol by cutting out oils. There's a few vegans on youtube who have touched on this. Their diet was very balanced and unprocessed but their LDL was too high, and it wasn't till they cut out oils that it went down to a healthy range.

[TinaWavelet]

When I eat an oily food, next day I get a pimple on my face. When Im oil free whole week my face clears up. Then I eat something oily and again a new pimple up on my face next day. Moreover, I feel heaviness in my stomach after an oily meal. Therefore, I conclude from my own experience of my body reaction to oily meals, oily meals harm me. Now prove to me the opposite when my body and skin says no to oil.

[jalpenobaby]

Thank you Abbey ❤️ my phobia of oil was truly disabling. I started intuitive eating per your recommendation last month. I’m loving my olive oil, getting my period back, and most importantly, nourishing a healthy relationship with food. Would love to see a video on sugar. We love you!

[carlysmithdd]

This video should be renamed “Triggering Mic the Vegan for 21 minutes”

Glad an actual, qualified and registered dietician made this!

[ifithrewmyguitaroutt]

Significant misrepresentation of "oil-free diet" and its advocates. I also find it interesting that she didn't actually go into detail about any of the Dr. Esselstyn's clinical studies. Not a single one. It's pretty easy to refute points when you don't examine them in any detail.

[alexdee]

Many experts recommend consuming foods in their whole form. In the case of oil, only the fat has been left behind, and virtually all of the other nutrients (fiber, protein, carbohydrates, water, minerals, etc.) have been removed. Oil is the most concentrated form of calories we know, and without the other nutrients (especially water and fiber), the body can not easily sense that those calories were consumed. Most people like Abbey have heard and read that olive oil is healthy, and that they should be consuming it often. This common misconception comes from the presence of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet, which is heart-healthy compared to the standard American diet. For instance, Dr. Greger (a medical doctor!) looked deeper into the research on how olive oil affects artery function. All oils, including olive oil, have been shown to cause a constant and significant decrease in endothelial function after meals. However, just adding some vegetables to a fatty meal can partially restore blood flow and arterial function. It turns out that the Mediterranean diet is healthier for the heart than the standard American diet because it is rich in fruits and vegetables. In other words, it is healthier despite the oil.

[Lillypad]

😄 was this a bit of a response to Gojiman? Just wanted to state I'm not an oil free vegan. However I don't think Dr. Esselstyn should be discredited because he has helped a lot of people and he is an educated Doctor that at least follows his own advice.

[axisaudio]

To be fair I think Dr. Essylstein recommends a low fat vegan diet with no oils or 10% of calories from fat for patients who have suffered from heart disease and are trying to reverse it. For a heart healthy patient he’s acknowledge that you can up the fat intake.

[anyanorrie]

Please watch Mic the Vegans response video to this. A lot of the studies you link actually compare olive oil to butter and of course olive oil is going to be better for heart health than butter.

[annala]

I think the thing with the vegan, oil-free diet is that it can be safe and healthy. I think some people on that diet get defensive because they are sometimes being told "you need to eat oil" or "cooking/eating without oil IS disordered eating". I try to limit cooking with oil. I don't totally eliminate it but There are so many things that cook fine with water or other liquids and oil is not needed. I eat plenty of dietary fat (nuts, tahini, avocado, etc.) but I just pick and choose where I use oil.

[NoExitLoveNow]

We know that oil is a concentrated, high calorie, nutrition sparse, processed food. Choosing to not eat it is a reasonable thing. This is especially true if you are gaining undesired weight. That said, don't stress out. Eat as healthily as you feel comfortable with.

[viar]

i’m just confused as to why you need oil. it’s so many calories and you can eat so much more actual food if you just didn’t use oil. what’s the point?