Question
Claudia Dato
How critical is a no oil diet for someone who does not have heart disease nor family history of heart disease? Can you have a little oil on occasion without significant damage?
Answer
I can tell you that this is one of the most debated questions in the plant-based arena. You have a group of physicians and dieticians on this side who say oil is not good for you. And then you have the other side who say oil is good for you in moderation. If you have read Dr. Selten's book 2009 Bestseller, uh, he will say that moderation kills oils are highly, highly processed foods for people who may have heart disease or a history of heart disease. The processed oils can be an irritant to the endothelium, the internal linings of your arteries. So he advises all of his patients to avoid oil at all costs. I say this is something that you have to, uh, come to grips with about how you choose to cook. I can tell you for the people that I know who have had heart disease or who have reversed their heart disease, living an oil-free life is the way to go for them. But again, it's highly individualized. If I talk to my friend Jeff Novik, he is standing on the no oil podium. And, uh, I have a long list of no oil friends and as you know, um, I'm a no oil person as well. And it has seemed to work for me and kept me healthy. And there we go. So I say it's individual, I'm just sharing what I know from Dr. Selten's book. And, um, you know, a quick, very funny, well, not funny, but a quick story is that when Bill Clinton, former president had his heart attack in 2009, this book had just come out and Doc uh, bill Clinton got a copy of the book and went on David Letterman and mentioned this cookbook, I mean this book and how the book had saved his life. And from that, um, appearance on the David Letterman show, this book has become almost a guideline for so many people who wanna prevent or reverse heart disease.
