Just the other day, I was asked a good question about the need to incorporate oil in the diet with the aim of absorbing certain key nutrients that require the presence of Fats for absorption. These key nutrients include lycopene, beta carotene (precursor to Vitamin A), Vitamin D, E and K. All these nutrients perform key functions in the body and hence are required. Other than Vitamin D, all the other nutrients can be easily found in many of our plant-based whole foods.
There are many health dangers from consuming vegetables Oils and excessive dairy as part of our daily diet. So what is the best way to add Fats into our diet?
Some of the best sources of healthy fats are found in seeds and nuts. The nutrient profile of these sources of Fats is immensely beneficial to our health, if we use them correctly. So as an example, when having a salad instead of adding olive oil, sprinkle few chopped almonds or walnuts or even ground up flax or chia seeds. This way you will get plenty of healthy Fats that are really good for the brain/joints and will also help absorb key nutrients into your body.
Note: When using nuts, be mindful of the quantity as they are quite fattening due to their high fat content.
When cooking (especially if cooking Indian foods) absorption of key nutrients becomes even more easier. A great number of spices that are used in south Asian cooking are in the form of seeds e.g. coriander seeds, fennel seeds, onion seeds, cumin seeds, black cumin seeds, shredded coconuts etc and the list goes on. All these seeds are loaded with healthy Fats that help absorb the various nutrients from food.
As I mentioned many times, when you cook with spices there is absolutely no need to use any oil. Spices have been used for thousands of years to enhance flavors and nutrient profile of the food so continue to use them.
So all those who are concerned about not getting enough healthy Fats should be completely at ease about getting enough of them from nuts and various spices that are typically used in cooking.
Here is a good website with a large collection of recipes for oil free healthy cooking. Just be mindful of the recipes as some of them use Cashews and peanuts which are also quite fattening when used in large quantities.
https://sharan-india.org/healthy-recipes/
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