How to caramelize onion without oil

Sautéing and caramelizing onion is an essential skill to have if you're trying to lose weight and improve your health without counting calories or eating less.  You can easily save 100-400 calories by omitting oil when you cook and using water or veg stock instead.  

Just one tablespoon of oil has 120 calories and 12g of fat.  That's a "whole-lotta" calories and fat in the smallest quantity of food on earth!  Oil is scientifically the most calorie dense food on the planet.  

However, it takes more than just adding water to a pan to get awesome flavor sautéing without oil.  I've seen people pour a 1/2 cup of water into a cold pan and then add their onion just as they turn the stove on.  Ahh!  

That's going to taste more like a water-logged, steamed onion.  Not, sweet and golden brown onion that's full of flavor.

Learn how to sauté using vegetable stock instead of oil to create immense flavor on today's blog video below.  

There's also a correct temperature you want your pan to reach before you add any liquid or food to it.  I'll show you how to know when you've reached that correct temperature in today's video too.

Once you watched the video, scroll down and answer today's Take Control Now Question by clicking 'comment.'

Take Control Now Question

Have you sautéed without oil before?  What do you like and dislike about it?

5 Ways to Save Grocery Money on a Vegan Diet

People claim eating a healthy, plant-based diet is more expensive and thus a reason you might shy away from it.  Or maybe you use this as an excuse?  

Well no longer can you use money as an excuse for not eating a healthy, whole foods, plant-based diet. Why not?  Because here's 5 ways you'll actually save money on your groceries by not just eating healthier, but by losing 1-3 pounds a week AND reducing medications! (1,2,3).  Permanent weight-loss and medication reduction are highly likely when you fully adhere to a whole foods, plant-based diet for the long-term.

5 Ways to Save Grocery Money on a Vegan Diet

1. Buy beans, rice, pasta and potatoes as your staples.

Why?  Because they're cheaper per pound, they're more filling so you eat less calories throughout the day AND they're healthier for you than animal and refined foods!  

For example, Julieanna Hever, MS aka the Plant-Based Dietician, shared the below graphic with plant and animal food price differences on her blog describing additional ways to save money on a plant-based diet.  

                                                                 Graphic from www.plantbaseddietician.com

2. Don't buy organic.

Don't get me wrong, I love organic foods.  I work full-time on Spring Hill Organic vegetable farm in Albany, Oregon and I love eating our organic produce daily.  I'm thankful I don't work with pesticides or insecticides and that my surrounding ecosystem on the farm isn't threatened either.

However, severe heart disease and type II diabetes have been reversed on a whole food, plant-based diet without the food being organic or GMO free.  The Environmental Working Group (EWG) also states "the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh risks of pesticide exposure" (4).

You can opt to buy the dirtiest produce as organic and the least sprayed produce as inorganic as a way to save money on fruits and veggies.  Check out the cleanest and dirtiest fruits and veggies on the EWG's dirty dozen list here.

3. Don't buy refined junk food.

It's not just animal foods that are more expensive, refined junk food is too!  

Take Kettle Potato chips for example.  Around $2.72 per 5 oz. bag, these chips cost you about $8.16 per pound!  That's more expensive than most organic veggies!  Plus potato chips are dreadful for you.  Don't eat them.  Eat a baked potato with salsa instead!

Use my suggested staple foods in #1 (pasta, beans, rice, potatoes) as snacks instead of refined junk foods and not only will you save money, you'll save 100s of calories as well!  My favorite snacks are baked sweet potatoes or yams which run about $1.49 per pound.

4.  Don't buy oil.

This includes extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.  Not only is oil weight-promoting (it's 120 calories per tablespoon, the most calorie dense food on the planet and 100% fat) but severe heart disease was reversed without oil in the diet (1,2).  

Learn '5 Reasons Why Oil isn't a Health Food' and 'How to Sauté without Oil' on these episodes of Take Control Tuesdays. 

5. Save money on medication and health care.

When you adopt and adhere to a whole foods, plant-based diet, it's likely you'll prevent going on medication, eliminate the amount of meds you're on or, get off of them completely!  What a huge money saver that is!

You're likely to relieve yourself from colds, acne, low energy, arthritis, cancer, type II diabetes, erectile dysfunction and the list goes on! (5).  Now this, will save you money!

Take Control Now

What's the greatest insight you learned from today's episode?  What's a different way you save money on groceries by eating healthier?

Answer in the comments section below.

References

1. Ornish, D et al. Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease. JAMA. 1998 Dec 16;280(23):2001-7.
2. Esselstyn CB Jr., Updating a 12-year experience with arrest and reversal therapy for coronary heart disease (an overdue requiem for palliative cardiology). Am J Cardiol. 1999 Aug 1;84(3):339-41, A8.

3. Decreases in dietary glycemic index are related to weight loss among individuals following therapeutic diets for type 2 diabetes, J Nutr. 2011 Aug;141(8):1469-74. 

4. The Environmental Working Group, Shopper's Guide to Pesticide Produce. Accessed online September 2014.

5. Campbell, TC. 'Whole. Rethinking the Science of Nutrition' 2013. Ben Bella Books, Dallas, Texas.

How to Saute without Oil

Sautéing without oil is easier than you'd imagine.  You can create wonderful flavors while skipping 100s of unnecessary calories and fat.  Here's how.

Instructions:

1. Put any pan (non-stick, stainless steel, cast iron etc.) on medium-high heat.  
2. Add chopped onion and stir with a spatula.  Stir frequently.  
3. Once the bottom of the pan begins to brown, add 1-2 tablespoons of water or veggie broth.  Continue to stir the onion around.  The liquid will remove 'the brown' from the pan and give your food added flavor.
4. Repeat as many times as necessary until the onion is translucent.  Then, you're done!

Helpful tips and tricks

• Don't saute chopped garlic on its own.  It will burn!  Add chopped garlic to the onion and other veggies once they've been cooking to avoid burning.
• Celery, carrots and mushrooms also sauté well as the 'base' veggie.
• More water/liquid will equal a softer, 'steamed' flavor.
• Less liquid will create a crunchier, sweeter flavor.  You have to keep a closer eye on the pan and constantly stir.  Otherwise, it will burn with less liquid.
• Sometimes you won't need any liquid, especially if using a non-stick pan.
• Use fresh and dried herbs and spices to add flavor to your dish instead of oils.  

Why Shouldn't You Use Oil?  

Here's a recap from last week's episode '5 Reasons Why Oil is NOT a Health Food.'

1. Oil is low in nutritional value (1).
2. Oil damages your endothelial cells.
3. Cholesterol levels can be lowered quicker by eliminating oil and saturated fats together.
4. Oil is the most calorie dense food on the plant -- it's difficult to maintain a healthy weight when oil is a regular part of the diet.
5. Heart disease has been reversed with a plant-based, oil-free diet (2).

Take Control Now

What and when will you sauté without oil this week?  What are your thoughts about sautéing without oil?

Click 'comments' and type your answers below this article.  

Sources:

1.  USDA Nutrient Database. Olive Oil. Agricultural Research Services.   2.  Esselstyn, CB.  Resolving the Coronary Artery Epidemic Through Plant-Based Nutrition. Preventive Cardiology 2001; 4: 171-177.

5 Reasons Why Oil is NOT a Health Food

Oil is commonly marketed and advocated as a health food.  However, oil -- even olive oil, can really impede on your health goals.  I always avoid it as do leading health experts.  Here's five reasons why...

1. Oil is very low in nutritional value.

It has no minerals, no fiber, no protein, no carbohydrate and minimal vitamins.  However, it does have a heck of of a lot of calories and fat.

One tablespoon of olive oil is a hefty 120 calories.  Not only is it incredibly calorie dense, it also has 14g of fat in one tablespoon!  And 2g of that fat is saturated which we should avoid.  Olive oil does have trace amounts of vitamin E, vitamin K and phytosterols.  But so what!?  So do other whole foods, like the olives themselves!

For 120 calories of oil, I could eat 1.25 baked sweet potatoes.  I'd also get 0.2g of fat, 5g of fiber, actually feel like I ate something, get calcium, magnesium, Iron, phosphorous, potassium, vitamin C, B vitamins, folate, carotenoids, lycopene, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, all of the amino acids or protein and much more!

Looking at oil's nutritional profile, it really is nothing but pure liquid fat.

2.  Oil makes you fat.

It’s difficult for most people to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight when oil is a regular part of the diet.  Again, one tablespoon of oil is 120 calories.  I could eat 1.25 medium sweet potatoes for that may calories. 

But which of these foods is going to fill me up more?  The sweet potato of course. 

It has more bulk -- I’ll actually feel it sitting in my stomach; it has more fiber, which also helps us to feel full; and it’s full of nutrition that tells our nutrient receptors in our stomachs that we’ve gotten enough nutrition and it's time to stop eating.

Oil doesn’t do that.  It doesn’t make us feel full.  It just adds 100s of extra calories to your diet.  You’ll eat the same amount or quantity of food in a day whether there’s oil on it or not.  Or, you'll actually eat more because the fat makes it taste better.   

Oil is the most calorie dense food in the planet.  

3.  Oil damages your endothelial cells.

Our endothelial cells are a single layer of cells that line our blood vessels.  Our endothelial cells produce nitric oxide which helps our blood flow throughout our bodies. Oil damages those endothelial cells.  Thankfully, according to Dr. Esselstyn, the endothelial cells begin to heal themselves once you take the damaging foods out of the diet and start to eat a low-fat plant-based diet (1, 2).  Especially with lots of greens!

So start to get the meats, dairy, oils and refined foods out of your body!  Work on getting whole-grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes in your belly to start healing your artery walls ASAP!

4.  Heart disease has been reversed without oil. 

Dr. Esselstyn has successfully reversed severe heart disease with a low-fat, oil-free, plant-based diet.  Dr. Esselstyn eliminated all oils, meat, dairy, high-fat plant foods and refined foods in his patients.  In their place, he prescribed a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole-grains and legumes (3).

5.  Oils don't lower cholesterol.

This is only true if you replace saturated fats like butter and lard with unsaturated fats -- most vegetable oils.

However, if someone like me who doesn’t eat any oils, starts to do so, my cholesterol levels will increase.  

Likewise, if you were to stop eating saturated fats and vegetable oils, your cholesterol would decrease even quicker!  (especially if you're eating a whole foods, plant-based diet).

Take Control Now

How many times each day do you consume oil?  What is one way you can begin to cut oil out of your diet?

Sources: 1, 2, 3.