Today I switched my macronutrient targets (protein : carb : fat) in Cronometer from 35:40:25 to 25:60:15.

This is an attempt to keep my fat intake as low as possible, within reason, to allow me to err on the side of caloric surplus without much fat gain – or, hopefully, loss of abdominal adipose tissue.

No oils?

The recommendation from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and others is for a low-fat whole food plant-based diet. The most significant intervention toward reducing the risk of athersclerosis and cardiovascular disease is the elimination of oil from the diet.

I’ve found it’s much easier to comply with this recommendation when I make huge batches of high-fiber zero oil meals.

My first slow cooker meal, an entirely-plant jambalaya, was surprisingly tasty without oil, essentially fat-free excepting the miniscule amounts of fat in the vegetables.

Quinoa stew

A recent hearty quinoa “stew” couldn’t have been simpler:

• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 2 cups of quinoa
• a can of diced tomatoes
• a can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• every leftover vegetable I happened to have on hand: a handful each of diced celery and sliced crimini mushrooms
• italian seasoning
• minced garlic

I can easily use these meals for most of my calories for lunch and dinner for several days.

Most of the fat in my diet these days comes from soy milk from breakfast smoothies and the occasional Soylent Cafe Vanilla, which unfortunately is over half of my self-prescribed 35 g/day at 21 g.

If I find ways to eliminate these drinkable fat sources, I can easily increase my fat intake to a minimum healthy level with seeds, nuts, and avocados, still using no oil.

Missing you

The most surprising part of this change is the fact that I don’t miss the oil at all, especially in the complex main dishes. If I can’t even tell it’s missing, why have I bothered using it all these years to saute onions and garlic? (water works fine) Why is it in almost every recipe?