Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

I heard about high-oleic sunflower oil which has a lot less PUFAs than regular sunflower oil, about 4% according to nutritiondata. A close look shows that the n6:n3 ratio is 36:1 but perhaps with such low content that's not as important. Olive oil has 11% with 10:1 ratio, again according to nutritiondata.

With these properties I wonder if it wouldn't make an excellent oil for mayonnaise. Olive oil just tastes too strong and I wonder about the purity/health aspects of the lighter-tasting olive oils.

So, is high-oleic sunflower oil paleo?

I haven't found pure high-oleic sunflower oil for sale over here in Belgium yet though. I only found mixed oils which boost the PUFA back to 30% for some reason :-( Are they easy to find for sale in the US?

Update: I found some for sale in France, and just made excellent mayonnaise with it :-)

edited Sep 26 2011 at 12:30

asked Sep 8 2011 at 16:41

wmertens
775●3●11

FED at LiveCaveman.com · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-08 20:16:21Z UTC

From a recent MDA post...

"Dear Mark,

I’ve been reading a lot of labels on so-called “health” foods that have high-oleic sunflower or safflower oil listed as one of the ingredients. Since oleic acid is the monounsaturated fat so highly touted in avocados, olive oil, and almonds, what is your take on these oils?

Kevin

They’re actually not terrible. If you stick with reputable companies that cold-press or expeller-press their oils without chemical solvents or high heat, high-oleic sunflower and safflower oils are good in a pinch. They don’t taste like much of anything, making them good for homemade mayonnaise, and they contain vitamin E (if they’re expeller-pressed), making them resistant to oxidation. Furthermore, high-oleic sunflower and safflower seeds aren’t products of genetic modification, if you’re trying to avoid GMOs.

For flavor, I stick with butter, olive oil, coconut oil, or red palm oil every single time, but the high-oleic versions of sunflower and safflower oil are far superior to other vegetable and seed oils. Don’t let this answer be a gateway to vegan “healthy junk food” consumption, though…"

Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 2 · 2011-09-08 17:06:39Z UTC

I would definitely buy HO mayo at the store because I am lazy and hate making the stuff, but only as an occasional treat. I also would think that our health would be better off if the food industry switched to it, because it is definitely superior to canola, soy, or corn oil. I think I would trust it more if I knew more about the processing and whether it shows any sort of effect on animals the way canola does. I'm not anti-tech, I just know that science can take a long time to reveal dangers in man-made foods.

Matt · Answer 3 · 2011-09-26 16:38:32Z UTC

Is any isolated oil paleo, that's the real question. I'd say no, but then I'm not one for rigid historical accuracy. From a nutritional perspective though, 4% PUFA is pretty low. Better than most other seed oils out there, as good as many 'paleo' oils.

As long as you eat a variety of oils, I wouldn't think that high oleic sunflower couldn't be part of that rotation.

Katherine · Answer 4 · 2011-09-08 17:06:07Z UTC

I don't use it for cooking but do use it to make mayonnaise with half coconut oil. Per 2 egg yolks, I use 1/4c high oleic safflower or high oleic sunflower and 1/4c coconut oil.

High oleic sunflower has .5g less PUFA/TBSP than even high oleic safflower.

Mark · Answer 5 · 2012-07-10 02:19:09Z UTC

0

THIS IS THE MAYO I USE WHICH HAS EP/HO SAFFLOWER OIL AND IS DAIRY & SOY-FREE, ZERO CARBS:

http://www.followyourheart.com/products/soyfree-vegenaise/

answered Jul 10 at 2:19

Mark
79●4

	Hmmm... it's also pretty devoid of nutrients it seems. The egg yolk is what makes mayonnaise a somewhat acceptable food and this has lots of processed/isolated ingredients. Homemade mayonnaise just has oil, egg, lemon and salt/pepper... No carbs in there either... – wmertens Jul 10 at 19:43
	Unfortunately, many are allergic to eggs. – Mark Jul 15 at 0:21
	inrfood.com/ingredients/12361 – Mark Jul 15 at 0:54

Is high-oleic sunflower oil paleo?

5 Answers