I received the following email today:
Michael,
I do wish you would at least try the Enova oil before you continue to trash it in your postings for all the world to see. I have used Enova in salad dressings, baked breads, cakes, grilling marinades, etc. It works exactly the SAME as a regular cooking oil. Whoever it was that said it tastes bitter has obviously never even tried the oil because it has NO taste whatsoever. It is a very light and a very clean oil that is NOT synthetic at all. It is made from all natual soy and canola (which it clearly says on the label and in the TV commercial). If it was syntheitc, I would not serve it to my family. It also has the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, which is not easy to obtain.
I have done my own research on this and it has been shown in studies that people who used Enova oil in place of all other oils lost an average of 1-2 pounds more per month than those who didn't use Enova. Enova is being sold as a miracle diet drug, but just one of the many options you can use to live a healthier life. The reason I feel so strongly about this is that I use it for my family and we like it and think it is worth the extra cost. I just couldn't read all the blatant inaccuracies in these postings without calling them out and asking you to try it before this goes any further.
Thanks
To my email friend, I'm sorry if I offended you - but I think I stated back at the beginning of this discussion it was something new that I needed to investigate more.
Ironically, I was about to post a follow-up to my previous messages after spending half-a-day in the library at the medical school and talking to a nutritionists over lunch (okay gang, you owe me $6.50 for her lunch).
The use of the term "synthetic" was not correct - I should have said, "altered". Canola and Soy oils are 95-99% Triglycerides, like most oils. Humm ... a short 3-position glycerol backbone with sort, medium, or long (of various combinations) fatty-acids attached to it. Enova Oil is "processed" so that 80% of the fat molicules are altered so that only 20% are Triglycerides, and 70% of the remaining 80% of the fat is diglycerides, the rest is monoglycerides. Basically what they have done ... the glycerol backbone has three positions for fatty acids to attach to ... and they have found a way (probably thru heat processing?) to knock off one of the fatty-acids so it only has 2 attached to it.
This would metabolize differently in the body, do to how certain lypoproteins bond to different fats, and how they are then metabolized by the body. Instead of providing "sustained" fuel over a long period of time it would burn off quickly and then the body would have to resort to burning "stored" fats for energy to compensate. If I under it right.
So - I was wrong - Enova Oil is not "synthetic" - it is in fact merely "chemically altered" natural oils.
As for the weight loss claims .... you have to read the fine print ... and the rest of the research. They only claim weight loss when Enova Oil is used as part of a "calorie restricted" diet. Okay .. I can live with that. But, here's the other shoe .... a pound is 3,500 calories - Enova Oil is 120 Calories per tablespoon (about the same as all other fats) - so for every 3,500 calories you consume over what you expend, you gain a pound. For every 3,500 calories you expend over what you consume, you lose a pound.
Enova Oil might actually turn out to be better for you than "unmodified" oils. Since the body needs about 30% of it's daily dietary intake to be fat ... it would definately be a better alternative especially if you are cutting natural fats from your diet.
Three ironic observations:
It seems 10-20 years ago mono and diglycerides were added to cooking oils ... but people got onto the kick of not wanting "additives" to their foods and quit buying them. It might be that Enova is just a "retro" refit?
Mono and Di glycerides are emulsifiers ...so you can get a better oil and vinegar dressing using Enova Oil.
Shirley Corriher did some research on oils to use in marinades and discovered that oils that contain high amounts of mono and diglycerides penetrate the meat deeper in the same amount of time as oils that were lower in them.
The bottom line:
As I said in a previous post ... I don't use a lot of oil in cooking. I use fats for specific reasons in baking, and for flavoring in cooking. If I used a lot of oil ... I would give Enova a try. But, since I don't ... it's not worth the expense for me. But, that is just personal preference.