Healthiest Cooking Oil

Following the Government’s recent Better Health strategy encouraging the country to lose weight to help reduce the effects of coronavirus and protect the NHS, a switch from a poured oil to Frylight allows you to easily reduce the amount of fat and calories in your diet – with no compromise.

The British Heart Foundation advise replacing poured cooking oils with a spray oil alternative to help reduce saturated fat intake too.

When compared to a tablespoon of pouring oil, Frylight has 95% less fat and over 100 fewer calories*.

Enabling healthier eating conversations

Recommending a switch to Frylight for those trying to lose weight can be invaluable.

Our 1 calorie cooking sprays enable people to continue to cook the meals they love, avoiding difficult to follow or unpalatable diets.

The Frylight expert panel

Frylight has recruited leading media medic Dr Sarah Jarvis and dietitian, consultant and nutritionist Helen Bond to compile easy-to-digest guidance and top tips sheets that can be downloaded and printed as handouts for your patients.

By working with our experts, we’re offering practical and consumer-friendly advice for making easy, low calorie swaps to reduce the fat and calorie content in everyday meals.

*Frylight contains at least 30% fewer calories and 30% less fat than regular oils and dispenses 1kcal/0.1g fat per spray. 5 sprays of Frylight (0.5g fat/5kcal) can replace 1 tablespoon of normal oil (15g fat/120kcal) in shallow frying.

Helen Bond, Dietician, Consultant Nutritionist
BSc (Hons), SRD, MBDA

Helen, like the 19th century German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach, truly believes that “You are what you eat”.

Helen is passionate about food, home cooking (especially on her beloved Aga!), and the impact it can have on peoples’ health, but Helen is also a realist and her philosophy is to provide nutritional advice that is based on sound science, yet is practical, simple and realistic for today’s busy lifestyles.

Follow Helen on Twitter @helenbond1

Helen Bond

Many of us have become accustomed to glugging unchecked amounts of oil into our pan and adding knobs of butter to our food whilst cooking. However, such behaviours can seriously affect our weight and overall health. The good news is that we can all make simple yet very effective changes to the way we cook to dramatically cut our fats, saturated fats, and calorie intake. In turn, this can help reduce our chances of becoming overweight or obese, and developing high cholesterol, heart disease and other health problems.

Here are my top tips for curbing fat intake:

Cut your root vegetables, such as carrots and parsnips larger for roasting. The more pieces you cut them into, the more surface area there is to absorb oil, which equals extra saturated fats and calories.
Using ‘light’ oil doesn’t necessarily mean it’s lower in calories and fat. More often than not, it just simply means the oil is lighter in colour and flavour!
Despite the recent media frenzy on the benefits of using pure coconut oil, there is sadly little conclusive evidence that using this type of oil is a healthier option compared to traditional oils. In fact, coconut oil is one of the few plant oils that’s loaded with saturated fats! For those still wanting a little taste of coconut without the calories, try using Frylight Coconut Oil. Five sprays of Frylight Coconut Oil – enough to coat a regular frying pan – contains just 5 calories and less than 0.5g saturated fats, compared with 135 calories and 13g saturated fats (65% of the recommended maximum saturated fat intake) per 15ml tablespoon of pure coconut oil.
Sweet potatoes are the health craze that has taken over the nation, and for good reason. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A – needed for a healthy immune system and vision. They‘re a perfect substitute for starchier potatoes, as a large one counts towards your 5-A Day. Spray with Frylight Sunflower Oil for the perfect crispy sweet potato fries – a healthier alternative to traditional chips.
With many flavoured oils on supermarket shelves, it’s easy to think that they’re a ‘healthier’ option compared to other standard oils. But try not to be fooled by this – they’re still oil and contain the same amount of fat and calories.

Dr Sarah Jarvis
MD

Dr Sarah Jarvis is a GP based in London who also works with the media to promote health generally. She is the health and medical reporter for The One Show, a regular guest on The Jeremy Vine Show on Radio Two and is a clinical consultant for health website Patient UK.

Follow Sarah on Twitter @DrSarahJarvis

Sarah Jarvis

Are saturated fats still ‘bad’?

With so much controversy in the media about the relative risks of fats and carbs, it’s hardly surprising our patients get confused.

My view is clear – just because we’re becoming more aware of the dangers of refined carbohydrates, we can’t afford to take our eye off the ball where saturated fats are concerned.

The British Heart Foundation continues to recommend choosing low fat options where possible, and so should we. There is strong evidence warning against a diet high in saturated fats – and despite longstanding healthcare professional advice, the average Briton’s intake of saturated fats is 20% higher than government guidelines.

Tips for patients:

Solid fat (at room temperature) is saturated fat. If you’re going to eat fats, ones which are liquid at room temperature are higher in mono and polyunsaturated fats.
Pure Coconut Oil is not a “get out of jail free” option! A single tablespoon contains around 120 calories, even if it is higher is medium-chain rather than long-chain fatty acids.
All fats are equally calorie-dense and excess weight contributes to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, as well as cancer.
Low fat processed foods may simply be replacing fat with sugar, preparing from scratch is always healthier and doesn’t need to be complicated.
Aim for wholegrain or wholemeal carbohydrates – not just for fibre but also to increase satiety and reduce the risk of obesity.
“Easy wins” include removing chicken skin and visible fat from red meat before cooking.
Grill rather than fry foods, or fry using a low fat cooking spray.

Healthcare Professionals