Day 1 - Choosing the Right Oils

Day 1 - Monday
8 am: 2-egg omelette with diced tomato and 1 tbs. leftover homemade guacamole, made in canola oil
12:30 pm: Mixed green salad with chicken breast, tomato, cucumber, carrots, green peppers, slivered almonds, olive oil
8 pm: OPEN MEAL - mushroom penne pasta from Rollin' Oats cafe; 2 glasses red wine

Notes: (1) I didn't go to the grocery store on Sunday like I'd planned, so I was ill-prepared for dinner on Day One!! I figured since we'd be grabbing something "out" anyway, I might as well get something I'll enjoy! :) Shooting for only 2 "open meals" per week.

(2) Why canola oil for the omelette? In my dietary fat intake, I'm looking for an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 3-to-1, or preferably 2-to-1. Omega 3 and Omega 6 are two types of polyunsaturated fat. Omega 3's improve blood chemistry and reduce risk of many chronic diseases. Omega 6's are also unsaturated fat but these are the kinds found in vegetable oils, baked and snack foods. Not good for you when you get too much at the expense of omega 3's. Again, ideal balance is no more than 3-to1 (omega-6 to omega-3). For this reason, flaxseed oil is the best at a ratio of 0.24. However, I recently learned that junk is expensive!!! $15 for a medium-sized bottle. Not at all practical for families on a budget. Next is canola oil, with a ratio of 2.0. This oil is widely available at grocery stores for about the same price as olive or vegetable oils. In my mind, this makes it by far the ideal choice. Olive oil actually has a ratio of 13.1 ... pretty high. This is because its saturated fat content is 13.5% vs. 7.1% saturated in canola oil. It does have better flavor though. So, if you are going to use olive oil, it's best to blend it with canola. I put it on my salad because that's all they have at work and for salads, canola oil just sounds gross.