Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

Poison Ivy wrote:Don't you get a certain amount of oil from the plant foods you eat? It is just not refined.

Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives. Corn oil from corn?

What if you just eat green and black olives on your salads? Aren't you getting some oil, just not refined?

Yes, you get fat from plant foods, and that is good, if they are mostly low-fat plant foods. But when we say "oil," it would refer to processed oil. That is one of the reasons oil is not good for you, because it is processed and not a whole food. Also because eating the large amount of fat you get from oil is bad for your health.

When you get your fat from unprocessed foods, you are getting it in its natural form, packaged with many other nutrients and with fiber. And if those plant foods are mostly low-fat, you are not getting too much fat for your health.