Today I stumbled across notes my naturopath sent me following our first appointment over two years ago. The notes describe a plan of action for the natural treatment of my Psoriasis. Since that day I have felt better and I continue to learn about the foods that negatively impact my skin and one-by-one, removing them from my diet. There are foodstuff which impact my skin negatively but, time to time, I make an informed decision to eat or drink them. One of those items is beer; every now and again I will enjoy an ice cold IPA beer, my beer of choice. I know I shouldn’t but it’s my cheat and I enjoy it only once in awhile and I’m prepared for the side effects.
I have always had an open mind when it comes to learning and experimenting in the kitchen. I’m always trying new techniques and ingredients, and, most of all, listening to both my body and the people I trust in my life for new information and discovery.
Although changing my diet has changed my life, I know that there is still a long way to go in educating myself on the affects different foods have on my body.
When people attend my Clean (your) Soul Food cooking classes I always explain that they should use ingredients they and their family enjoy and are comfortable using based on personal preference and dietary restrictions. The food I cook is the food I love and create for me and my family. People should cook the foods they love and create with their family in mind. This can be something as simple as substituting one vegetable for another or using water in place of stock or using one fat over another in your cooking.
Growing up in professional kitchens my fat of choice was a combination of canola oil and unsalted butter whenever I was sautéing or searing foods on the stove-top. When I removed dairy from my diet, I stopped using butter and replaced it with combination of canola oil and olive oil. Although I use very little oil in my cooking, and the amount of canola I use is minimal, I still want to do what’s best for my skin.
Recently I took another step in my evolution.
I’m always evolving as a chef and as a Psoriatic, balancing the food I love to eat with the food I should be eating.
I’m always looking for ways to better my health and I’m glad I have people who are looking out for me.
Recently, I’ve heard from a few of them.
where there’s smoke…
I recently learned that canola oil can be inflammatory for my skin. I didn’t know that. And, thanks to my friends Regan, Lisa and my naturopath who reached out to me recently. I do now. I’m not ashamed or embarrassed, I feel empowered when I learn something new. If anything, I’m annoyed with myself that I continued to use something that negatively impacts my skin.
I want to teach people how to use the best ingredients to create amazing, flavourful, simple food but I also want to create food that is as good for Psoriasis sufferers too. I’m always learning. This is nothing new for me, I love learning. Over the years I’ve experimented with all kinds of oils and I really don’t love many of them. I bake with coconut oil but I don’t use it to cook savory dishes, I find it imparts too much flavour.
The smoke point of oil refers to the temperature in which you can heat oils until they smoke and burn, removing all of the good nutrients and turning into what could potentially be harmful for us to ingest. Choosing the right fat for cooking is critical, for both the flavour of food and your health.
Grapeseed, corn and vegetable oils are out of the question. I find they impart a rancid flavour profile and don’t achieve my desired smoke point, again, just my preference. I love olive oil and use it in everything from pesto to vinaigrettes and a drizzle to finish a bowl of pasta. But what can I use that will have a high enough smoke point but will also not impart too much flavour?
The answer is Avocado Oil.
Avocado oil has a very high smoke point, funny enough, higher than the canola oil I’ve been using. I had always been of the opinion that avocado oil was finishing oil, something to drizzle on a plate before it left the kitchen and not one to cook with at high temperatures, as it turns out, that was a learning opportunity for me too. I was wrong. Avocado Oil has a smoke point of over 500F. The highest of any fat I’ve ever cooked with on the stove-top.
A healthy oil, with a high smoke point that doesn’t negatively impact my skin. It’s a win/win/win.
the proof is in the puddin’
For one month I have been using avocado oil for sautéing, shallow frying and, believe it or not, baking too. The flavour profile of my food hasn’t changed at all but one thing has changed for sure, I feel better knowing that this oil is better for me.
There will never be a time where I claim to have all of the answers, certainly not a touch over two years into eating this way. There are so many knowledgeable people in my life and, thankfully, they care enough about me to call me out when something I’m doing does not reflect my end game of living Psoriasis-free.
To Regan, Lisa and Jodi, thank you for caring enough to say something and for challenging me to improve my health and the ingredients I cook with.
In business I always say that challenges are opportunities. Well, I feel like I was challenged and the result is having a better oil, with a higher smoke point and is good for me.
It’s a good day.
– Chef jw
