Forums: January 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: Bob Harper and Olive Oil
Created on: 01/04/10 01:46 PM Views: 2050 Replies: 8
smday Joined: 12/31/09 Location: Kansas City Posts: 52	Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 1:46 PM I am a fan of The Biggest Loser and enjoy the trainer tips which are part of the show. However, on one show, Bob Harper instructed his charges (and indirectly the viewers) that adding olive oil to your diet is a health benefit because the added oil helps in the body's uptake of nutrients. I was a bit appalled by his claim but figured it shows that some myths are so deeply held that even some of the top folks get it wrong. I note on Bob's 21-day vegan kickstart recipe page for "macaroni and not cheese" that the recipe instructions say to saute the onions until translucent but does not list olive oil (or any other oil) as an ingredient. My question for Susan Levin is this: Have you convinced Bob that added olive oil is not a health benefit or did you just remove the olive oil from his recipe without his concurrence? I would love to see him retract his misinformation regarding olive oil on a future episode of The Biggest Loser.
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1212	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 1:59 PM Good question. We don't begrudge any celebrities and/or chefs for their recipes including Bob Harper. But the recipe in question is actually one Bob recommends from his friend Rip Esselstyn's cookbook, The Engine 2 Diet. Rip is a vegan firefighter from Austin, Texas who will be making an appearance on the Kickstart next week. The recipe is unchanged as Rip is very much into the low-fat way of eating. Rip's dad Dr. Esselstyn from the Cleveland Clinic, undoubtedly a huge influence on Rip's lifestyle, will be discussing more about fat later this week. Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
Loni Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 11	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 2:15 PM I am a bit dismayed on the demonization of olive oil and other healthy fats for that matter when it comes to vegan/vegetarian life style. Olive oil is good for your heart and can be used to make an awesome vinigrette for salads. I know that some advise agenst using olive oil for stir frys or saute's because of the chemical change that occurs when exposed to high tempratures. However the one Vegan friendly oil I know of that has a high temprature point is Grape Seed Oil. Grape Seed Oil has a very nutueral flavour so it can be used in place of basic vegetable oil in recipes for baked goods as well as sautes. Not to mention is adaquat in Essential Fatty Acids which are great for your heart, joints, and brain! Not all fats are EVIL! Stop Demonizing them!
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
smday Joined: 12/31/09 Location: Kansas City Posts: 52	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 2:18 PM Thanks Susan. Maybe Bob will tune in next week as well. Actually Dr. Esselstein's book is one the top four on my list of books scientifically demonstrating the benefits of a low-fat whole food plant-based diet. The other three are (1)The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; (2) Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease and (3) your own Dr. Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes. Rip's book was helpful for the type of easy recipes that you also are providing here. I really appreciate your kickstart program even though I am in my 4th year.
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
VeganRecipeGuy Joined: 01/03/10 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 2:25 PM I am not aware of any study that demonstrates a correlation between longer life, and any diet that includes more than 30 grams of dietary fat of any kind. In fact, I have always found the reverse to be true. While vegetable oil may aid heart health, it also increases your chance of gallblader removal, along with other health problems. The "healthy fat" people have a lot to say until you ask them about mortality studies. Then the conversation goes a little quiet. I realize you need healthy fat, but I have never seen it demonstrated that you need more than 30 grams of it in any given day. www
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
Loni Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 11	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 3:24 PM Helo VeganRecipeGuy, I am simply stating that one need not fear EFA in moderation. I have come across those who are so fatphobic that they freak with 1gm fat in something they consume. I do understand about some of the studies on mortality rates of high fat diets. However nothing is ever black and white. There are too many factors to concider: Were the high fat eaters just eating saturated fat and eating lots of starch and sugar? If so, were they also sedentary? Or Did the high fat eaters just consume Omaga 3 or 6 or 9 sources of EFAs with lots of protien while avoiding vegetables and fruit?(That can reak havoc on ones colon!) It is always good to look at research articles but it is also good to always question the details that they failed to include and/or neglected to mention. It's a no brainer: everything in moderation and in balance according to each person's individaul health needs and goals.
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
VeganRecipeGuy Joined: 01/03/10 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 3:58 PM I agree with everything you are saying Loni. However there are a lot of sites out there saying things like, "coconut oil burns more calories than it contains" and the like. We have a big planet, and diets are wide and varied. Someplace there is a tribe or culture doing almost everything you can think of. If there were a study of a long-lived people getting 33% of their calories from fat, I would be very interested in reading it. So far the China Study and the work done by Ornish, Fuhrman, and Bernard seem to be pretty convincing witout a real rebuttle in the world of peer-review. www
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
smday Joined: 12/31/09 Location: Kansas City Posts: 52	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 5:04 PM And of course I am objecting to the characterization of olive oil as heart healthy (it isn't) or that it is otherwise a needed component of a low calorie diet (like Bob Harper was espousing to the biggest loser contestants). Read the approved health claim for olive oil. It says if you replace butter with olive oil in your existing diet, that you will enjoy health benefits. We know now that the consumption of olive oil slows down blood flow and is heart UNHEALTHY (but a step up from butter or hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in that it doesn't affect your cholesterol quite as adversely as those choices). Jeff Novick's take on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfBKauKVi4M
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
Harmonicgogiberry Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 47	RE: Bob Harper and Olive Oil Posted Monday, January 4, 2010 at 5:28 PM I love olive oil and will continue to use it in moderation. It's not an animal product! I'm not ready to give up everything that might be fattening. Food is to be enjoyed!
	Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom

New Topic Reply Subscription Options

Page: 1

There are 135 active user sessions right now.