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I'm wondering about the Ayurvedic practice of oil pulling in relation to the FOK philosophy of NO OIL. Do we absorb the fat from the oil by swishing it our mouth?

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Recorded

This event was on June 18, 2024

Join Chef Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Eric is ready to answer them all.

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Question

Kelly Fujiwara

I'm wondering about the Ayurvedic practice of oil pulling in relation to the FOK philosophy of NO OIL. Do we absorb the fat from the oil by swishing it our mouth?

Answer

Um, you know, I don't, I don't know, um, uh, what we absorb, um, um, or how much we absorb of the oil that you choose when your oil pulling according to, uh, to the, uh, Ayurvedic, uh, tradition. Um, but, um, I mean, aside from that, um, the, the, uh, the, the, the benefits, um, you know, of using, for example, sesame oil, and this is based upon, um, a number of smaller scale studies, uh, done by Ayurvedic, uh, clinics and, and, uh, universities over the years. You know, it does show, uh, that sesame oil, it doesn't have to be sesame oil, but, but I'm taking sesame oil as an example. That's what I use each, each morning as well, um, does, uh, reduce, um, bacteria count. Um, so it does have that sort of a, a benefit, uh, within the mouth. And, um, um, it's said to, uh, maintain, uh, the, the health of your throat in case you're a singer, uh, said to be, uh, have some benefit. Um, but, uh, yeah, as, as it relates to a no oil diet, can't comment on that.

Eric Wynkoop

Director of Culinary Instruction

Eric Wynkoop previously served as a founding faculty member at The International Culinary School, instructor in anthropology at Portland State University, and Senior Instructor at the Le Cordon Bleu program at Western Culinary Institute, in Portland, Oregon. He holds Master’s Degrees in postsecondary education and cultural anthropology, as well as credentials in Ayurveda wellness and cooking. Eric has spent more than twenty years in the food and beverage industry. His experiences include banquet management, catering, personal chef, winery cellar hand, educator, textbook contributor, consultant, and ethnographer. He also brings food and cultural insight from nearly a decade of residence in Japan, studies in Mexico, and research in India as a Fulbright Scholar. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a dual degree in Japanese and Asian Studies, he went on to receive his formal culinary training at Western Culinary Institute, in Portland, Oregon. Eric’s role with Rouxbe is central to enhancing the student experience through quality course content and new course development at Rouxbe. Eric is also the lead instructor in Rouxbe courses, a role which he has enjoyed since 2016.