Olive Oil Substitute?

I have a great nutrition plan, but I’d like to cook with something other than olive oil. What are some healthy, low calorie alternatives? Cooking chicken breast in a couple of TBS of olive oil kind of defeats the purpose of eating chicken breast. I could just eat steak instead. Suggestions?

all oil has the same amount of calories, no matter what type of oil.

You could try cooking methods that don’t need any lubrication: poaching or roasting, for example.

But why are you using a couple of tbsp of oil to cook a chicken breast? Even for cooking methods that need oil, like pan frying, that’s a ridiculous amount of oil. You really don’t need anywhere need that much if the pan is at the right temperature (meat sticks to the pan if the temperature is wrong)

I’ve read some good things about Macadamia Oil, but haven’t had any luck finding it in stores yet.

Water is pretty much low cal and you can boil the chicken in it. Whit a little luck it is also healthy and cheap.
Using olive oil is actually quit healthy and you need to have some fats in your food anyway. The use of healthy fats won’t make you fat. Bad food and eating to much will make you fat :)

I use Canola oil is Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed (LEAR) oil which contains less than 1 percent erucic acid.This is good for health, as it is hygiene, and pure. and recomended by Doctors.It does not contain cholostrol which is good for health.

six pack abs

I can only second gymslimmin, Macadamie oil is really good and gives a very fine taste. However, I is hard to find and does not go cheap.

Basically, as said before, most kind of oils have around the same caloric value. The reason to use oil instead of butter mostly lies within the Cholesterol, because if you look at calories only, using (a moderate amount) butter would be the better deal.

My 2cents,

Oliver

// The K-Plan // Healthier. Fitter. Slimmer.
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What about coconut oil?

I use the Pam olive oil spray. I seem to use a lot less of it then when I use regular olive oil.

A sprayer is a great way to use less oil, regardless of kind. I love my Mr. Misto. Or you can try cooking in broth, baking or grilling.
Pamela

www.ThrivePersonalFitness.com

George Foreman grill doesn’t need oil

@JETisdale, your assumption that the fat in Olive Oil is on par with the fat in steak suggests that all fats are created equal, which is not the case.

Other than protein, fat is the only other essential macronutrient, meaning that it cannot be produced by the body and must be consumed via diet. You need to add fat to your diet — the key is what types of fat you choose.

You want to limit your intake of saturated fats (butter, animal fats, full fat dairy products) and focus on fats that are rich in Omega-3.

Good choices are seafood (salmon, black cod, mackerel, lake trout are excellent choices), avocado, flax oil (note: you should not heat flax oil), olive oil, seeds and mixed nuts.

While you certainly need to watch your overall (healthy) fat intake since even these healthy fats are calorie dense, there’s absolutely no reason not to use some olive oil for for cooking. With that said, you do not need to use a “couple” of Tablespoons to cook a chicken breast. A little oil goes a long way.

Again, you need healthy fats in your diet! Just work in the olive oil you use for cooking into your food journal so that you stay on target with your macronutrients.

Susan
www.CatapultFitnessBlog.com

@susannyny I couldn’t have said it any better.
My experience at the moment is that I have a hard time consuming enough fats. I do really have to work hard to get to about 30% of my daily intake from fats. In my case we are talking about a lot of fats but even so, I find it more difficult than protein or carbs…..

Thanks you @wedzir.

I’ve had issues with fat intake in the past as well. For me the solution is to incorporate some avocado in to my meals, using olive oil as a finishing product rather than just cooking with it and adding seeds in to my salad. Little changes that add up!

Susan
www.CatapultFitnessBlog.com

My suggestions are:

*Olive Oil Spray – I personally use the organic brands

*Chicken Broth – it is very low calorie and if you watch the sodium content, you are good to go. I bought the Swanson’s Organic – 1 Cup = 15 calories

I started using macadamia nut oil. It’s great!

Someone mentioned their misto sprayer. I have one as well (not sure if it’s that brand but it’s the same concept). Not only do I use less oil in my cooking because I’m spraying it instead of pouring it but it’s also way cheaper in the long run than prepackaged cooking spray.

interesting to find this topic. i recently purchased Spectrum organic olive oil spray, and have been lightly spraying chicken breasts with some Mrs Dash and then broiling or baking. I was not sure if these oils were made to spray directly onto food, or more to coat the bottom of a pan and was curious if anyone knew if it was healthy to spray right onto food before cooking… i read the can, and there are some ingredients in there besides the organic oil, ingredients that create the spray…. anyone know anything more about these sprays? thanks!

Thanks for the feedback! I think I’m going to try the olive oil spray to use less. That was my goal. And just for clarification on the 2 TBS I currently use in cooking, that’s for cooking 1 pack of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in half (1.5 lbs, 6 pieces).

I also think I’m just going to start using the grill a lot more. It’s already started warming up here in FL, and this would cut out the fat & calories that I’m trying to avoid. I’m trying to drop weight for an upcoming basketball season.

Just to throw in a stick in the discussion. Fat is not the enemy. Your body needs fat to function properly. I have been spending the last few weeks just trying to up the amount of fats :)

I agree with @wedzir fat is needed. Heck I often have to drink olive oil, or fish oil just to get my daily intake.

@kungukeif, I thought I was the only one doing that. I either drink it or throw it in a shake and even then it is hard to get enough

@wedzir haha, great minds think alike, or great trainers? Yeah I also oils to my shakes when I eat shakes. Since I am trying to cut I am focusing on whole food sources of protein to try and keep the thermogic effect up.

I aim for at least 20% fat in my diet. When I eat alot of chicken breast the fat in my diet is very low, too low.

I’ll just re-post what I’ve already posted on this thread in regards to Olive Oil …

… Other than protein, fat is the only other essential macronutrient, meaning that it cannot be produced by the body and must be consumed via diet. You need to add fat to your diet — the key is what types of fat you choose.

You want to limit your intake of saturated fats (butter, animal fats, full fat dairy products) and focus on fats that are rich in Omega-3.

Good choices are seafood (salmon, black cod, mackerel, lake trout are excellent choices), avocado, flax oil (note: you should not heat flax oil), olive oil, seeds and mixed nuts.

While you certainly need to watch your overall (healthy) fat intake since even these healthy fats are calorie dense, there’s absolutely no reason not to use some olive oil for for cooking. With that said, you do not need to use a “couple” of Tablespoons to cook a chicken breast. A little oil goes a long way.

Again, you need healthy fats in your diet! Just work in the olive oil you use for cooking into your food journal so that you stay on target with your macronutrients.

Personally, I add Flax Oil in to my post-workout shakes.

An EXCELLENT book to read on this subject is “Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill” by Udo Erasmus.

Susan
www.CatapultFitnessBlog.com

Can only answer what I’ve seen people doing Paleo use. Some of these aren’t exactly low calorie, but using a tablespoon or less isn’t going to hurt anything.
Coconut Oil is the most popular choice.
Other nut oils except for peanut such as Macademia.
Bacon Fat or Lard is also a popular one that is used.
Nothing is wrong with olive oil though if you just want to keep using that.

@ wedzir and kungfukeif: I also put fish oil and olive in my breakfast smoothies and drink fish oil straight up every day! I eat paleo, so because I eat no grains my daily fat intake is high. It’s usually around 35 to 40%, but it could be as high as 50%. Body fat loss has never been easier, and hunger is a thing of the past. Go fat! :)