DETROIT – You may have heard it on television talk shows or read about it in a popular women's magazine - "Take inches off your waist without changing your diet or exercise!"
A claim with some merit based on a 2009 study led by Dr. Martha Belury, Professor of Human Nutrition at Ohio State University which found that safflower oil can help reduce abdominal fat and may help to increase muscle mass in post-menopausal women.
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Dr. Belury continued to investigate the positive benefits of Safflower oil and found that this healthy fat, in modest amounts, not only reduced belly fat but helped to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease and improved blood sugar control-reducing risk for type 2 diabetes.
Safflower oil is a polyunsaturated fat made up of about 78 percent lenoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that must be supplied by the diet. Dr. Belury's research used small amounts of this oil, about 1 2/3 teaspoons every day to yield the positive health benefits.
You don't need to buy safflower oil supplements since you can easily add safflower oil to your daily diet in simple, familiar recipes. A serving size of 1 and 2/3 tsp. provides about 65 calories and 7g fat; so I would recommend substituting the safflower oil for another fat in your diet, once or twice a day, to avoid increasing your daily total fat and calorie intake.
You can get your daily dose of lenoleic acid using sunflower seeds (about 3 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. per day). Similar to safflower oil, sunflower seeds, and the oils from the seeds, contain about 68 percent lenoleic acid. Pick up some safflower oil during your next trip to Meijer (or other grocery stores) and get cooking with safflower oil using the recipes below.
Recipes:
Baked Tilapia Packets
Serves 4
1 lb. Meijer Tilapia fillets (4 – 4 oz. fillets)
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, finely chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
2 green onions (green part only), finely chopped
1-2 tsp jalapeno, chopped (optional, add to taste)
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp safflower oil
1 dash sesame oil
2 tsp. Reduced sodium Soy Sauce
4 tsp maple syrup
Directions:
1. PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees.
2. COMBINE all topping ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. PLACE a fillet on a large square of foil and divide topping evenly among fillets, spreading it over the top. Fold foil to form packets, crimping it tightly. Place on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 175, Fat 8g, Cholesterol 55mg, Sodium 95 mg, Carbohydrate 5g, Fiber 0g, Protein 21g.
Lemony Green Bean Salad
Serves 6
1 1/2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 tbsp. Safflower Oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 cups diagonally sliced celery
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. grated lemon peel
Directions:
1. Cook green beans in lightly salted boiling water 5 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge beans into a bowl of ice water. Drain; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and celery; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add green beans, lemon juice, parsley and lemon peel to skillet; stir to combine. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until beans are heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 80, Fat 4g, Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 45mg, Carbohydrate 9g, Fiber 4g, Protein 2g.
Recipe adapted from TryFoods Int'l., meijermealbox.com
Safflower Herb Salad Dressing
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Meijer granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. McCormick dried basil
1 tsp. McCormick dill weed
1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced
Directions:
Whisk ingredients together and serve over tossed green salads or mix in pasta salads.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calorie 103, Fat 11g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 117 mg, Carbohydrate 1.5g, Fiber 0g, Protein 0g