Tech;
I realize that Avocado's are Zone friendly; however (and I never heard of, until today),
what about Refined Avocado Oil?
(Though it's probably as prohibitively expensive as Macadamia Nut Oil ...
And since its Fatty Acid profile almost mimics Olive Oil - i would imaging that it is Favorable?
And, if so, then very surprised it is not mentioned one way or the other by Dr. Barry sears ???
.

John

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I did call, and I talked with, who else, but Dave Shrek (sic?).
He agreed that the REFINED (expellier pressed) Avocado Oil is favorable.
BUT make sure it is the REFINED, not the unrefined.
.
(Unrefined is greenish, colorful while refined is pale almst clear.
Though if in a colored bottle, that would be hard to tell.)
.
He also agreed with me that It probably, like Macadamia Nut oil,
is also a bit on the expensive side, when one can find it.
He also did agree with me, that in moderate amounts, coconut oil is also a good cooking oil, esp. for high heat.
.
He also added High Oleac Safflower oil is another, though probably also hard to find and expensive
healthy oil for heating (has a high smoke point).
.
Though he also reminded me, in three of these healthy oils, used for cooking: Light Olive Oil, Refined Avocado Oil, and High Oleac Safflower Oil -- that the polyphenols are still destroyed in the heating/cooking process, esp at high heats;
but, they are still good healthy favorable fats for cooking.
The ONE exception is the coconut oil, he stated that the beneficial Stearic Acid is not destroyed in cooking.

It's Schreck--Dave Schreck. :-)

By the way, he said microwaving is fine ... there was a discussion elsewhere in one of the threads about microwaving being bad for you, plants dying if you pour microwaved water into them, etc.

He said basically, first, that

"As you know Dr. Sears recommends high quality lean proteins and 8-12 servings of colorful non-starchy vegetables. Most of his recipes utilized stir frying, steaming, baking without the use of microwaves.

Any type of cooking will change the foods chemistry, microwaves heat the food by exciting the water molecules. There may be some concern with “off-gassing,” the evaporation of volatile chemicals in non-metallic materials (plastics). Therefore, it is suggested using tempered glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers to avoid this problem.

Bottom line: best to use your microwave to gently re-heat foods and sterilize your sponges or dish cloth."

BUT, after I gave him more details about how I cook in the microwave, e.g., just zap the veggies for 3 or 4 minutes and then eat them, or boil pollock, he said ...

"As long as you’re using approved microwavable containers you’ll be fine. Some believe microwaving may be better than standard cooking methods because you cannot overcook the food beyond 212 degrees. Others believe microwaves are dangerous.

Using a combination of steaming, sautéing, braising, baking and microwaving may offer the best benefit. Other forms of cooking add texture and flavor to the meal."

Based on his advice, I've decided to stick with microwaving everything as usual ... it's the easiest way for me to take care of myself ... BUT, I did stop using the plastic cover that I put over food to catch splats ... I use another microwaveable plate instead for that purpose ...

Alexy