Blog
Striving to Live a Healthier, Happier Life
Avocado Oil
What is Cold Pressed Oil?
It’s possible that you know about refined, unrefined, and extra virgin cooking oils, but have you ever learned about cold-pressed oils? Cold-pressed unrefined oils are made using a different process than expeller-pressed oils. They can be a healthy and delicious flavor enhancer to foods, since cold-pressed oils are high-quality, with a better flavor profile than other cooking oils.
Here’s what you need to know about cold-pressed oils and how they can be beneficial for your health.
What is Cold Pressed Oil?
Cold-pressed oil refers to an ingredient that’s ground to a paste, then pressed by an oil stone, separating the oil from the ingredient. Cold-pressed oils can be made out of many different fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
To be considered cold-pressed, the ingredient must not be heated above 120 degrees Fahrenheit according to Penn State University. In Europe, the standards are even higher - temperatures may not exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit (or 27 Celsius).
Cold-pressed oils tend to have a more enjoyable flavor while retaining strong nutritional properties, like vitamin E, vitamin K, and unsaturated fats (ie: fats). It makes sense that they do. Cold-pressed oils are created with the “first pass” of the press and are the purest variety of oil available. However, many manufacturers see the cold-pressing process as inefficient, since the process creates a lower amount of oil than other manufacturing processes. Because of this, some manufacturers will try and eke out all the oil they can get from the olives, using heat, chemicals, or both to obtain more oil to sell on the market. This results in an inferior product with a strong flavor profile that is often not enjoyable. If you’ve ever had inexpensive olive oil from the supermarket, you’ve probably experienced expeller-pressed or refined oils. In fact, if you think you hate the flavor of olive oil, try finding a local supplier of cold-pressed oils before you make your final decision. It just might change your life!
History of Cold-Pressed Oil
The history of cold-pressed oils traces all the way back to the Indus Valley Civilization, roughly 5,000 years ago. This was discovered after charred remnants of ancient oil-pressing machines and sesame seeds were found among the ruins of Harappa. Since then, the majority of cold-pressed oil’s history and mastery originate from India.
People in India describe cold-pressed ingredients as “Chekku,” “Ghani,” and “Kolhu” oil. This traces back to an ancient instrument known as a Ghani. This was a mortar and pestle tool typically made from wood or stone. This long, oval-shaped device allowed people to crush oilseeds and create some of the first known cold-pressed oils.
How is Cold-Pressed Oil Made?
A variety of ingredients can be used to make cold-pressed oils. However, this process is commonly utilized to make olive, avocado, flaxseed, sunflower, pumpkin, and peanut oils. The process begins with fruits, seeds, or nuts being ground into a paste. This is slowly stirred to encourage the oil to separate from its solid parts.
Once the oil begins to separate and clump together, pressure is applied to the mixture. This enables the oil to come out. This can be done one of two ways: by stone or machine. If the oil is extracted by machine, manufacturers must keep it within a certain degree of temperature. Friction will inherently generate a mild amount of warmth, so it’s important to monitor heat build-up to classify it as cold-pressed.
Defining “Expeller Pressed”
When searching for cold-pressed oils, you might run into words like “expeller pressed.” What does this mean? Are there significant differences between oils that have been expeller-pressed and traditionally cold-pressed oils? There are minor differences between these methods of pressing, although they will still be raw oils.
“Expeller pressed” simply means that the oil was processed using a machine with mild amounts of heat. While this isn’t completely separate from stone-pressed oils, it’s important to do your research before purchasing a certain type of cold-pressed oil. Read the labels carefully and stick with consistent distributors. Cold-pressed oils fully retain their taste and nutritious properties, so it’s important to select ingredients that support your dietary choices.
Nutrients in Cold Pressed Oil
Their high nutritional value sets cold-pressed oils apart from more commonly seen brands in grocery stores. As stated above, cold-pressed oils are extremely high in unsaturated fats and vitamins. Cold-pressed oils also have powerful antioxidants and plant compounds like oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, and may be a major factor in the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
These have the potential to prevent a variety of chronic conditions, particularly cardiovascular diseases. Cold-pressed oils may contain at least 30 plant compounds that contribute to anti-inflammatory benefits and effective antioxidant properties.
To give you a better understanding of their nutritional value, just one tablespoon (15 ml) of cold-pressed oil can contain:
119 calories
2 grams of saturated fat
10 grams of monosaturated fat
1.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat
12.9% of the daily value (DV) of Vitamin E
6.8% of the DV of vitamin K
Potential Health Benefits of Cold Pressed Oil
Contains fats
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that people consume 20-35% of their calories from mostly unsaturated fats. Thankfully, that’s pretty much what cold-pressed oils are, with 71% of their unsaturated fats coming from something called oleic acid.
This specific unsaturated fat may contribute to lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Cold-pressed oils are also filled with omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which support the body’s immune system.
Potentially Reduces Inflammation
Recent studies suggest that the high amount of fats, antioxidants, and plant compounds found in cold-pressed oils may reduce inflammation.
Prolonged, low-grade inflammation may be associated with medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. In fact, a compound commonly found in cold-pressed oils called oleocanthal acts like ibuprofen. While researchers are still learning more about cold-pressed oils’ anti-inflammatory properties, it’s certainly a promising start.
Heart Healthy
Including cold-pressed oils in your cooking routine could reduce your risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, cardiovascular-related conditions continue to be the leading cause of death for people of all gender identities worldwide.
Thankfully, many studies have proven a correlation between foods made with cold-pressed oils and lower levels of LDL cholesterol. These same studies also found decreased levels of blood pressure with cold-pressed oils. These are all hopeful signs that cold-pressed oils are heart-healthy.
Cooking Uses of Cold Pressed Oil
Cold-pressed oils generally tend to be healthier ingredients for people on specific diets. Even if you don’t use cold-pressed oils for a particular purpose, many people find them to be quite tasty. They retain such a pleasant flavor that they can make a significant difference in your meal choices. Here are five ways to use cold pressed oils in cooking:
Salad Dressings
Drizzle cold-pressed oil, such as extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed avocado oil, over your salads to enhance their flavor. Combine it with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, or your favorite herbs and spices to create delicious and nutritious dressings.
Dipping Oil for Bread
Create a flavorful dipping oil for bread by combining cold-pressed olive oil with balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and a sprinkle of herbs. It serves as a tasty alternative to butter and adds a gourmet touch to your bread.
Marinades for Grilling
Use cold-pressed oils in marinades for meats, fish, or vegetables before grilling. The oil can help tenderize and infuse flavors into the ingredients. Consider blends with herbs, garlic, or citrus for added complexity.
Drizzling Over Cooked Vegetables
After roasting or steaming vegetables, drizzle them with a bit of cold-pressed oil for a finishing touch. This not only adds richness but also enhances the overall taste of the vegetables.
Homemade Pesto or Sauce
Incorporate cold-pressed oils into homemade pesto or sauces. Use basil, garlic, nuts, Parmesan cheese, and cold-pressed olive oil to create a vibrant pesto for pasta, or blend tomatoes, herbs, for a flavorful sauce.
Tip: It’s best to reserve cold-pressed oils for low to medium-temperature recipes since heat reduces the health benefits of cold-pressed oils. In other words, cold-pressed oils should be looked at as a flavor enhancement rather than a cooking oil.
If you’re looking for tasty snacks made with unrefined oils, look no further than Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips!
Also, if you enjoyed learning about cold-pressed oils, check out our blog featuring other helpful information about these kinds of ingredients. Please visit our online store to buy our delicious sweet potato chips!
Read more
Educational
Reducing the Hateful Eight: Are Seed Oils Healthy?
Over the past few years, health professionals have begun to state that seed oils aren’t good for you. Seed oils have become such pariahs, that they are referred to as the hateful eight. Those oils are:
Canola
Corn
Cottonseed
Soy
Sunflower
Safflower
Grapeseed
Rice Bran
These oils are blamed for many sicknesses and symptoms such as headaches and heart disease. However, sometimes seed oils are also listed as wonderful additions to meals thanks to their connection to weight loss and an increase in energy.
So, which is it? Are these seed oils actually bad for you or are they good for you? Keep reading to find out!
Why Seed Oils Are Bad for You
Many seed oils fall under the category of industrialized oil. These are highly processed and highly refined oils with harsh chemicals and heat to produce a consistent product.
What does this mean when it comes to The Hateful Eight?
Inflammation
When oils are heated and cooled on a regular basis, they begin to oxidize and form trans fats. Trans fats are inherently related to inflammation and so are oxidized fats and saturated fats. Fats can become rancid or oxidized over time. Seed oils skip the timeline and start on the shelf with oxidized, inflammation inducing fats. Read more on Getting Started with an Anti-Inflammatory Diet.
Repeated Heating
The other issue with seed oils is their use in restaurants, frying, and many snacks and preserved foods. Seed oils are used regularly to fry and cook different foods over and over again throughout the day. Not only are seed oils already heat processed, but the additional heating and cooling allows a dangerous build up of free-radicals and lipid peroxides.
Trans Fats
When seed oils are heated, one of the byproducts is trans fats. According to the American Heart Association, trans fats are related to higher blood cholesterol, an increase in inflammation as well as an increase in the number of heart attacks a person can have.
Imbalanced Omegas
Oils always contain a combination of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fats. Different oils are going to have different concentrations which changes some of the health benefits of different oils.
When it comes to seed oils, they have high concentrations of a polyunsaturated fat called omega-6. Omega-6 is important for human health, but an imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 relate to an increase in health issues. The general ratio of six to three that humans need is a 1:1 ratio.
What is the actual estimated ration? Somewhere between 10:1 and 20:1! This is why it is important to reduce or eliminate seed oils from your diet. Without the proper ratio, the increase in omega-6 relates directly to an increase in inflammation. (source: consumerreports.org)
Toxic Byproducts and Additives
One of the main solvents that are used to ensure that the oil is clean is hexane. Hexane is an organic chemical that is known for it’s carcinogenic properties and intensely funky smell. When hexane is used, companies have to reduce the smell and taste of the hexane processed oil by adding deodorants to the oil.
It isn’t clear if consumed hexane causes issues: when it is inhaled it can cause lung damage and additional health problems. Not only do seed oils have these potential hexane molecules, they also have trans fats and lipid peroxidases (essentially cell destroyers) that build up during the refining process.
Some oils have added synthetic antioxidants added to the oil in order to try and rebalance the oil. These antioxidants are BHA, BHT, and TBHQ which have been connected to carcinogenic and immune disrupting symptoms.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
While the abbreviation, PUFA, is fun to say, PUFAs are not exactly the best fat to eat. Seed oils, whether or not they are refined, are going to have PUFAs. Something to keep in mind is that polyunsaturated fats are prone to oxidation and will increase inflammation in the body. If you are consistently eating seed oils, then you are going to have a high concentration of PUFAs in your body.
Here's Jackson's Co-Founder Scott Reamer talking the Science behind PUFAs:
Genetic Modification and Evolutionary Mismatch
It should come as no surprise that seed oils, especially industrial seed oils, come from genetically modified plants. There is little to no research on how these genetic changes can affect the human body: sounds like another reason to avoid industrial seed oils.
Evolutionary mismatch is an interesting concept that highlights that human genes are matched to a modern environment. What this means is that there is an abundance of carbohydrates that the body isn’t meant to consistently process. When the biology and dietary needs of people aren’t taken into consideration, then snacks and other foods result in an increase in disease and weight gain. (Source: chriskresser.com)
Why Seed Oils Are Good for You
Like I stated earlier, there’s a lot of information out there about seed oils. The most interesting part about the demonization of seed oils is that it isn’t fully backed by research! Much of the data doesn’t support the arguments of internet “experts” even if the oil contains potentially dangerous chemicals.
The Human Body Needs Omega 6
Omega-6 is an extremely important fat. When it is found in whole foods, then the fat works well into any diet. Other research has shown that an increase in omega 6 relates to lower cholesterol, lower blood sugar, and reduced heart disease risk.
Phytochemicals Are Still There
Even though oils are generally healthier than other fats, they can still have a downside. At some point, it has been stated that seed oils lose most of their plant compounds (or phytochemicals) during the refinement process. That loss supposedly leads to additional health issues.
Ready for a surprise? Research doesn’t back the idea that phytochemicals are lost in the refinement process. (source: Goop.com)
Heart Health
Among many health concerns, one is the heart. Poly and monosaturated fats can lower blood cholesterol and there has been research from the 1900’s that relates to a decrease in LDLs with an increase in canola oil consumption. Additionally, there has been research that shows an increase in PUFA intake reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.
Not Inflammatory
At this point in time, there aren’t controlled human studies on the relationship between seed fats and an increase in inflammation. There have also been several studies on how an increase in omega-6 fats actually decreases the amount of inflammation in the human body.
Cold Pressed
Something to keep in mind is that if you can find cold pressed vegetable oil, the benefits are even greater. Regular oils are also okay, but cold pressed does remove additional issues of broken down fats.
The Bottom Line on Seed Oils
Seed Oils have been an increasingly used oil since the 1900’s. Since then, seed oils have a bad representation because, whether we like it or not, they are highly processed and refined. In this blog the commentary on pros and cons of seed oil have been covered. In our experience, seed oils can lead to dangerous inflammation in those with auto-immune diseases.
For most Americans, it is important to remember that the entire American diet needs to be changed. Seed oils in combination with the American diet lead to additional complications.
We don’t use seed oils because they can be related to health issues, and we stand by our statement: better ingredients lead to better snacks. Does this make seed oils inherently bad? No. Seed oils are under such fire right now that it is wise to decrease or eliminate seed oils from your diet.
Happy snacking!
Read more
Educational
Down With Sodium and Hurray for Flavorful Snacks!
It is a well-known fact that many people eat way too much salt. It’s everywhere especially in restaurants and in pre-prepared foods. According to the CDC, it is recommended to stay below 2,300 mg of sodium daily.
If that is the case, then how can you find low sodium snacks that are also good for your heart? They are so hard to find and even low sodium foods can have high sodium!
Why is too Much Salt a Bad Thing?
The body needs sodium. Without it in our bodies, our nerves begin to shut down and the human brain begins to have issues working.
There is a laundry list of side effects and potential diseases that can affect the body if the daily sodium intake is constantly too high. There’s the short term bloat, swelling, and inflammation; and then the long term heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, hypertension and kidney stones … and that’s the short list.
It doesn’t matter who you are: if you consume too much salt, there will be a side effect or two.
If that isn’t concerning enough, eating too much sodium can cause the body to add water to the circulatory system. The excess water causes water retention and increases blood volume to dangerous levels: this is why you feel thirsty when eating salty snacks. When blood levels are chronically high, this causes stress on the veins, arteries, and organs connected to the circulatory system which includes the kidneys.
How to Reduce Your Daily Sodium Intake
The fastest way to reduce daily sodium intake is to stick to low sodium snacks, foods, and unsalted variations of go-to snacks. Mass produced low-sodium options can still be full of salt. This is the reason why we have our Unsalted Sweet Potato Kettle Chips: healthier options, healthier ingredients, heroic snacks!
Other than religiously reading nutrition labels, here are a few pointers on how to reduce your daily sodium intake:
Anything that is pickled, brined, barbecued, cured, smoked, and more is going to have higher sodium content.
Ask for no salt or no added salt at restaurants.
Ask for the nutrition facts at chain restaurants.
Buy veggies that don’t have salty sauces included.
Check the sodium levels on all packaged foods.
Check your condiments and go for low or reduced salat versions.
Cook pastas, rice, and hot cereal without salt.
Cook your food in a variety of ways to bring out natural flavors.
Drain and rinse canned beans: most of the sodium is in the liquid!
Eat foods with higher potassium levels.
Look for unsalted canned vegetables.
Pick fresh and frozen meats without sodium solution.
Reduce sodium by combining low/no sodium food with regular food.
Season your food with anything from garlic to citrus.
Stick with portion control.
Taste before adding salt.
Another great way to reduce your sodium intake is to take a peep at the snacks we’ve collected below!
Low Sodium Snack Recipes
If you are on a low sodium diet, or you want to reduce your daily sodium intake, there are several snacks that you can quickly make and add to your meal plan.
Fruits and Vegetables - Naturally Low Sodium
Whole fruits and veggies are always a great low sodium snack.
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Clementines or oranges
Cucumber
Melon
Pineapple chunks
Raspberries
Strawberries
Edamame
Quick Homemade Low Sodium Snacks
These quick snacks can be prepared ahead of time or made in fifteen minutes.
Avocado Toast
Apple and Peanut Butter
Ants on a Log
Yogurt Parfait
Homemade Popcorn
Dates and Nut Butter
Prepared Low Sodium Snacks
Pre-prepared snacks are great to have in the refrigerator or pantry.
Veggies and Greek Yogurt Dip
Homemade trail mix
Kale Chips
Homemade hummus and Veggies
Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Fruit and Veggie Smoothies
Overnight Oats
Unsalted Snacks
Dried unsalted edamame
Unsalted nuts
Unsalted Sweet Potato Chips
Conclusion - Low Sodium Snacks
The best snack you can grab, in our opinion, is Jackson’s Unsalted Sweet Potato Kettle Chips. Unlike low-sodium foods or reduced-sodium foods, our chips boast exactly 0mg of sodium! Instead, the flavor in our chips comes directly from ancestral coconut oil and nutrient dense sweet potatoes.
Since salt can cause so much inflammation when eaten in excess, we decided long ago to have an unsalted version of our delicious chips. Not only can you snack on the several items we gave above, but you can also add our chips to any meal be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Check out our recipes here to get your creativity flowing!
Read more
Educational
Guide To Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFA)
Although they’re commonly associated with negative health effects, your approach to fats should not be as black-and-white as some may lead you to believe. In fact, some types of fats are quite beneficial. One of the most common but least talked about is polyunsaturated fats. Let’s discuss polyunsaturated fats (also known as PUFAs) and their role in your meal planning.
What Are Polyunsaturated Fats?
Polyunsaturated fats are a type of dietary fat that can be found in both plant and animal foods.
Polyunsaturated fat differs in makeup from saturated fats. The key difference is that saturated fats don’t contain any double bonds in their chemical structure. Meanwhile, unsaturated fats contain multiple double bonds. Polyunsaturated fats are a type of saturated fat that contain multiple double bonds.
Polyunsaturated fats include fatty acids called omega-3 and omega-6, which are essential for our bodies to function properly. You can only get these fatty acids from your diet, as your body does not produce them naturally. This makes it necessary to consume minor amounts of polyunsaturated fats.
Dangers Of Polyunsaturated Fats
Though there are a few known benefits to polyunsaturated fats, many Americans consume them in excess. Consuming polyunsaturated fats in an improper manner can be detrimental to your health over time. As such, it is important to familiarize yourself with the effects of polyunsaturated fats on your body.
Inflammation
Just as it is important to monitor the overall amount of polyunsaturated fat you consume, you should consider the ratio of omega-6 versus omega-3-heavy polyunsaturated fats in your diet. Most Americans consume far too much omega-6 as compared to omega-3. Omega-6 is known to be inflammatory and contributes to poor health. Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in oils like soybean and corn and are a part of most fried foods.
Oxidative Stress
Another subtle yet insidious danger associated with polyunsaturated fats is their susceptibility to oxidative damage. These fats are prone to oxidation, a process that generates harmful free radicals in your body. These free radicals can damage cells and DNA, potentially accelerating the aging process and increasing the risk of chronic diseases, including cancer.
High Calories
This calorie-dense fat does not fill you up quickly but contains a lot of calories. Try to use moderation when making meals containing polyunsaturated fats.
Here's Jackson's Co-Founder Scott Reamer breaking down why poluyunsaturated fats can be harmful:
What Foods Contain Polyunsaturated Fats?
Dietary fats can be found in particularly high concentrations in various foods. For example, plant-based oils are one of the most common sources of polyunsaturated fats. They are usually high in omega-6 fatty acids.
You can find polyunsaturated fats with omega-6 fatty acids in the following oils:
Soybean oil
Corn oil
Sunflower oil
Rapeseed oil
Olive oil
Flax oil
Safflower oil
Polyunsaturated fats, mostly in the form of omega-3’s are also present in the following foods:
Walnuts
Tofu
Soybeans
Avocados
Fish (especially salmon)
As you can see, omega-6 fatty acids are more prominent in oils while omega-3 fatty acids exist in nuts, soy, and fish. To ensure a proper balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, you should ensure that your diet is not heavier in omega-6s than omega-3s. Avoiding oils like soybean, corn, sunflower, and flax oil can make it significantly easier to cut down on the amount of polyunsaturated fat in your diet.
How To Reduce Polyunsatured Fats In Your Diet
Eating too many foods that are high in polyunsaturated fats can make you feel sick, drain your energy, and increase inflammation in your body. As such, if you believe you are consuming an excess of polyunsaturated fats, it is important to cut back as soon as possible. Thankfully, if you’re open to making changes, it isn’t too hard to portion these fats. Here are a few tips for minimizing the number of polyunsaturated fats in your diet.
Check Nutrition Labels
If you don’t know what is going into your body daily, it is impossible for you to determine how much polyunsaturated fat you are already consuming. This can also make it difficult to determine how much you need to portion to maintain a healthier diet. As such, it is important to check the nutrition labels and stay informed about the food you consume. You should pay special attention to the specific types of fats in your food.
Make Replacements
It isn’t always practical to completely remove all the foods you enjoy from your diet if they include high levels of polyunsaturated fats. Rather than eliminating foods from your diet, you can replace them with a better version of what you’re already eating.
For example, if your favorite food is fried chicken, you probably consume a lot of unhealthy polyunsaturated fat because of the oil the chicken is fried in. For a healthier option, you can opt for grilled or baked chicken instead of fried. Alternatively, you can replace oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats like corn oil with substitutes like coconut oil or avocado oil.
Cook at Home
When you cook your meals at home, you have better control over the ingredients and cooking methods. This allows you to choose healthier oils, control portion sizes, and minimize the use of polyunsaturated fat-laden cooking techniques.
Snack Smartly
Opt for snacks low in polyunsaturated fats like fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts (in moderation), yogurt, and consider Jackson's variety of Avocado Oil Kettle-Cooked Sweet Potato Chips for a satisfying, low-polyunsaturated fat alternative.
Increase Monounsaturated Fats
Focus on incorporating monounsaturated fats into your diet, which are considered heart-healthy. Foods like avocados, nuts, and olive oil are good sources of monounsaturated fats.Remember, it's essential to consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have specific health concerns or conditions.
Conclusion
While ingesting some polyunsaturated fats is necessary for your health, it’s best to consume these foods in moderation. Most Americans consume them to an excessive degree, contributing to inflammation and other health issues.
If you're a fan of snacks like potato chips but cringe at the thought of eliminating them from your diet, don't fret! Purchase a bag of Jackson's Sweet Potato chips! Our products don’t contain any polyunsaturated fats, making our sweet potato chips a better and tasty option for anyone living with dietary restrictions! Visit our online store to purchase our delicious non pufa sweet potato chips today!
Read more
Educational
How To Make Sweet Potato Chips [Recipe]
Today, we’re answering one of our most frequently asked questions: how can I make your delicious, crispy chips at home? Well, we’re excited to share our kitchen recipe with our amazing customers! We’ve spent many hours perfecting this sweet potato chip recipe in our home kitchen, commercial kitchen, and manufacturing facility. Even so, our sweet potato chip recipe stays the same regardless of where you’re cooking.
Cooking Supplies
Here's a quick list of things you’ll need to make Jackson’s Sweet Potato chips:
Sweet Potatoes
Coconut or Avocado Oil
Himalayan Sea Salt
Mandoline
Metal spatula, preferably a spider spatula
Wide and shallow pan or pot
Choosing Your Sweet Potato Chip Supplies
Purchasing the Best Pan
The most important tool is the pan or pot you use to cook the chips. We started with a Dutch oven, which worked well at first. However, it took a long time because we could only make small batches. Even so, we highly recommend using a Dutch oven if you have one!
We ended up working with a metal fabricator in our little town of Crested Butte, Colorado to make custom pans for us. We found that the best pots or pans to use for the sweet potato chips are wide (12+ inches square, oval, or round) and shallow (6 inches deep).
Selecting Your Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes from your local grocery store’s produce section should work well. We work with trusted and established farmers to grow varieties that fry better during certain seasons. We also ensure that they maintain their starch and sugar profiles over time.
However, we were purchasing sweet potatoes from the grocery store when we started experimenting in our kitchen. These worked fine, but fresh potatoes are always better than those that are stored for long periods of time. In most US grocery stores, the potatoes you see have probably been recently harvested and/or stored for a small amount of time from May to December.
Perfecting the Slicing Process
We use a mandoline to slice the homemade sweet potatoes because you can adjust the width. In general, thinner is better for the cooking process. If you leave the slices out to dry shortly after slicing (no more than 5 minutes), your potatoes will fry in the oil faster.
Peeling and Prepping your Potatoes
Wash, peel, and slice the sweet potatoes as thin as you can while maintaining a uniform thickness from the front of the slice to the back. Peeling the skin ahead of time isn’t required, but it can simplify the mandoline slicing process.
Bring the coconut or avocado oil to cooking temperature, ideally between 315-330 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an infrared thermometer from Amazon to help you keep track of the temperature. Ensure that the bottom of your pan has at least 3 inches of oil in it.
Standardizing the number of potatoes you slice and place in the oil can be one of the most difficult parts of the process. Generally speaking, the more oil you have in the pan, the more slices it can “support.” Vice versa, the less oil you apply, the fewer slices it can handle.
How to Fry Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips
Properly frying your slices can take about 6-8 minutes. They should be cooked slowly with 3 cups of oil for every duo of medium-sized potatoes per batch. Medium-sized potatoes should be about the size of an adult’s fist. Putting that together, around 6 cups of oil should support 4 medium-sized potatoes. Given the choice, always add more oil instead of slices. In other words, fry smaller batches with generous amounts of oil.
Once the oil has reached the target starting temperature, start throwing the sweet potato slices into the oil one at a time. This is critical because the slices will stick to each other and fry unevenly if applied incorrectly. While you are throwing them in the pot or pan, be sure to spread them out over the surface of the oil to prevent the slices from clumping.
The temperature will decrease substantially once you put the sweet potato slices in the oil (225-245 degrees Fahrenheit). However, the temperature will slowly rise as you continue the baking process. This happens because the water content in the potato vaporizes while the carbohydrates and fiber begin to crystallize.
Use a metal spatula to consistently stir the sweet potato slices to prevent them from adhering to each other once they’re in the oil. You’ll know that they’re close to completion when they stop bubbling. This is a sign that the slices’ water content has been vaporized. This typically happens within 6-8 minutes of placing them in the oil. However, this can depend on the amount of oil and sweet potato slices you placed in the pan. At this point, they should have a nice bright orange color with a slight brown tint.
Finishing Your Batch
Remove the sweet potatoes once they look slightly undercooked. This allows them to fry after they’ve been removed from the oil. It’s okay if they appear to be soft and pliable upon removal - this is an important part of the transition process.
They’ll proceed to stop cooking before the fibers and carbohydrates start stabilizing. They’ll start to stiffen 2-3 minutes after removal before finally crisping into a sweet potato chip after 5 minutes. If the homemade sweet potato slices haven’t completely stiffened by this point, cook them for a little bit longer and apply the same time to the next batch.
We use a metal colander to drain the oil from the kettle chips while holding them over the hot oil before flipping them onto a large salad bowl lined with paper towels to capture any excess oil. We try to season them one minute after exiting the oil to salt them while they are hot. This helps the oil adhere to the homemade slices properly.
Enjoy Your Homemade Sweet Potato Chips!
Once your hard work has paid off, it’s time to enjoy your freshly fried sweet potato chips! In our house, we use a 1-1 ratio: the cook gets a chip for every kettle chip they give away.
We know that making delicious sweet potato chips is a lot of work. If you need to compare your creation to some chips you know will be tasty, we've got you covered! Buy today or find us in a store near you!
Read more
Educational
Sweet Potatoes - The Breakdown
Lunch time comes around and suddenly it hits you: the salty snack craving for CHIPS! You try to hold out and not give in, but it’s too late. Your feet are already moving to the pantry and it’s time to dig in.
But here’s the big question: do you have traditional potato chips in your pantry, or do you have Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips? If you have traditional potato chips, then it’s going to be hard to dig out nutrition from them as well as satisfy that gnawing need to crunch.
From real oils to delicious sweet potatoes and carefully curated flavors, Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips are definitely the superior snack designed with you in mind.
How Sweet Potato Chips are Made
Now, we can’t speak to how other sweet potato chips are made, but here at Jackson’s we focus on using real oils, sea salt, and real sweet potatoes. These three ingredients are wonderful separate, but together, they create a heroic snack that helps keep you full, energized, and ready to face the day.
Clean Oils
When we mention clean oils, what exactly are we talking about?
Well, here’s the deal: most oils are processed and cleaned using chemicals, gumming agents, and a lot of heat to purify the oil. Vegetable oil, canola oil and more are consistently processed to the point that a great deal of their nutrition is lost.
We use avocado oil to kettle-fry our sweet potato chips. The oil that we use is obtained at their most nutrient dense state: it is our mission to provide a better-for-you and heroic snack! You can rest assured that whenever you eat Jackson’s potato chips, you are getting clean oils and non-GMO sweet potatoes.
Real non-GMO Sweet Potatoes
Rather than searching for mass produced sweet potatoes that have lost some of their nutrition and growing abilities, we get our sweet potatoes fresh from the farmer. Our sweet potatoes are non-GMO potatoes that have higher nutrition density, a sweeter taste, and a bright, beautiful orange color that is not because of dyes added to the potato.
With any food, keep in mind that flavors are going to be more intense because the plants themselves have not been bred to give a high yield. A higher yield leads to less nutrition in each potato since the plant has to send nutrients to multiple tubers.
A Note on Other Brands
While we aren’t going to put other brands on blast, there is a word to the wise to share: read the ingredients list. Other brands are going to have additional seasonings, copious amounts of salt, and more cheap stuff than you can shake your fist at.
Potato chips are meant to be an indulgent snack, and that is totally understandable! If you want to still indulge while also watching what you are eating without sacrificing flavor, then it’s a good idea to pick up a Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips Variety Pack. You won’t regret it!
Jackson’s Chips
There are baked chips, air fried chips, fried chips and kettle cooked. There are probably more but each of these methods yields an entirely different flavor. Another addition to that is you can also do high heat cooking or low heat cooking depending upon your goal.
With Jackson’s our goal is to get the cleanest nutrition to you in the most effective way possible. This could be through using an air fryer and lightly coating the sweet potatoes with either avocado oil or coconut oil.
However, that’s just not Jackson’s style. Instead, the chips are kettle cooked on low heat so that the oil maintains it’s nutrient value. The lower heat cooks the potatoes through and finishes them with a more uniform crunch (no soggy chips here!) without leaving them full of oil. Instead, the benefits of both the potato and oil are kept at their optimum level.
It’s honestly insane that potato chips can taste this good and be good for you!
Just the Nutrition Facts
Not only are sweet potatoes lower in the glycemic index – this is a chart that tells you how quickly the sugars from foods are going to go into your blood stream – but they are also high in fiber and other nutrients.
The fiber is key in lowering the glycemic index: fiber slows down how quickly your body breaks down nutrients and sugars so that your body absorbs them slowly. This avoids the high peaks and valleys of a blood sugar spike.
Micronutrients
Vitamins and minerals galore! Sweet potatoes and potatoes are often pitted against one another when the truth is that both of them are pretty similar. What sets sweet potatoes apart is their very high concentration of Vitamin A. In one serving of sweet potatoes, there’s enough vitamin A for most of your day! They also contain other critical vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, vitamin E and iron.
Macronutrients
If you still aren’t sold on how amazing Jackson’s sweet potato chips are, then let’s take a look at the nutrition facts from the Avocado Oil Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt.
This is all in a one ounce serving too! You’ll be surprised just how much that is especially when you start snacking. All of your core nutrients are here with Jackson’s sweet potato chips and then you also have the addition of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Are Sweet Potato Chips a Better-for-You Snack?
Sweet potato chips are a great alternative with natural sugars and the potential to decrease hypertension. The only downside with any cooked potato snack is the potential presence of acrylamide.
Acrylamide is a potential carcinogenic substance that is formed when the building blocks of proteins, amino acids, react with the sugars in the potatoes. One thing to keep in mind is that studies you may read on this are done with animals and with very high amounts of acrylamide which are extremely difficult to reach with a bag of chips.
Keep in mind that you must read the nutrition facts though: not every sweet potato chip is as heroic as Jackson’s. Happy snacking!
Read more
Educational
What is the difference between Refined and Unrefined Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil is extremely versatile in the ways that we can use it. From hair conditioner, to lotion and it’s many uses in cooking, coconut oil has become a part of everyday life.
There is a big difference between refined and unrefined coconut oil that gives the coconut oil different smoke points, different flavors, and even different uses! Unrefined coconut oil, aka Virgin coconut oil, hasn’t been touched by other chemicals and tastes strongly of coconut. If you have tried Jackson’s coconut oil chips, then you have tasted that sweet and healthy unrefined oil that we use to slow fry our chips at low temperatures. Refined coconut oil doesn’t have as strong of a coconut taste (if any) and it is very useful for frying.
Not only are there different tastes and uses, even the way that each type of coconut oil is processed is very different. In this blog we’re going to go over the different types of coconut oil, their uses, and what they can do for you.
How It’s Made, Coconut Oil Edition
There are so many ways that coconut oil, and oils in general, can be processed. There’s wet, dry, bleaching, extraction, cold, hot, etc. It’s insane! Let’s begin, shall we?
Hot vs. Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil
The only way to tell the difference between these two is by the label. Most visual factors stay the same such as the color, and when the oil is liquid or solid. The major difference is found in the ways that nutrients are kept intact, smoke point, shelf life, and flavor.
Cold-pressed coconut oil doesn’t use any heat to bring out the oils in the coconut. The meat and milk are generally shoved through a very powerful press that pushes everything out of the meat. It is believed that this type of processing keeps the nutrients in the oil.
On the other hand, expeller-pressed or hot-pressed coconut oil is almost like pressure cooking the coconut meat. In this process, steam and heat are used to get the oil out of the coconut. In many cases, heat can change the way chemical bonds form which can change how our body interacts with the nutrients.
Has this been proven? Not necessarily, but there is some evidence to the difference between the oils.
Wet vs. Dry Processing Coconut Oil
Dry processing coconut oil is often done through pressing dried coconut meat which is called copra. This type of drying is done through heat to help the water evaporate.
On the flip-side, wet processing coconut oil is when the fleshy fruit is pressed through a machine, without heat, to get both oil and milk from the coconut. Once the oil and milk are out, they are separated in a few different ways: fermentation, enzymes, or centrifuges.
Refined Coconut Oil
Each of the methods above are used for unrefined coconut oil. Once one of those methods is complete, the coconut oil is then packaged and sold. It isn’t the same case with refined coconut oil. Instead, once the oil is expressed from the coconut meat, it goes through several more steps.
Refining coconut oil means that the oil goes through the dry process, and then goes through additional clays, it’s deodorized through the expeller process, and other chemicals could be added in the process. Below are three of the main ways that coconut oil is refined:
Degumming – The oil is mixed with a degumming agent that removes thickening elements of the oil. This then changes the quality and texture of the oil which makes it a little bit smoother.
Neutralizing – Sodium hydroxide, also called lye, is added to the coconut oil to make soap with the free fatty acids that just float around.
Deodorizing – This step usually occurs in the beginning of the process through the expeller-pressed process. When the oil is heated to a certain temperature, the heat burns off the smell of coconut and can even remove the flavor as well.
Refined Coconut Oil vs. Virgin Coconut Oil
In the grand scheme of things, what does this mean? What does the processing differences, the tastes, all of this, what does it relate to? Well, let's break it down. The choice between refined and virgin coconut oil ultimately connects to your culinary goals and dietary preferences. It's a decision that can significantly influence the outcome of your dishes and your overall cooking experience.
Above all, it relates to what you want. Do you want more nutrition and a tasty coconut flavor? Then you want to work with virgin coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil retains the natural essence of coconuts and offers a more robust nutritional profile. It's perfect for those who relish the delightful tropical notes it imparts to their recipes and wish to enjoy the potential health benefits associated with its unaltered state.
What stays the same and what changes: Nutrition, Flavor, Smoke Point, MCT
This is the easier aspect of telling the difference between refined and unrefined coconut oil! Three major things are going to change: nutrition, flavor, and smoke point. What stays the same is the core of what coconut oil is: regular fatty acids and fatty acids called MCT.
While the nutrition does tend to stay similar, you will lose more micronutrients in refined oils just because of the process of running the oil through clays and other substances. The biggest draw to refined coconut oil is that it is practically tasteless, and the smoke point of refined coconut oil rises to between 400- 450° F as compared to unrefined oil with a smoke point of 350° F.
What stays the same is something called MCT: MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. Triglycerides are fatty acids that your body uses for long-term energy. Longer chains are harder for your body to break down and shorter chains are broken down too quickly. Medium chains are just right for the body to break down into energy!
What is MCT?
MCTs, or medium-chain triglycerides, are fatty acids found in coconut oil. They are quickly broken down and absorbed by the body, providing a quick burst of energy. Some studies suggest that MCTs may also have other health benefits, such as aiding weight management and improving cognitive function.
Cooking and Baking with Refined vs Unrefined Coconut Oil
If you are making a dish that would go well with the sweet flavor of coconut, then definitely go for unrefined coconut oil. However, most dishes are going to have other flavors that need to come through: therefore most people reach for refined coconut oil.
It’s important to remember that refined coconut oil, while flavorless, only lasts a few months. If you use the oil past that point, it could be rancid or growing mold. Check for an off smell or a yellow tint to the oil and throw it out immediately for your own safety.
When cooking with coconut oil, unrefined coconut oil is going to be better for sauteing and baking as long as you aren’t going above 350 F. If you are going to be frying or cooking at higher temperatures, then stick with refined coconut oil: the fatty chains aren’t going to break down at those higher temperatures and you’ll still get a great meal with some extra nutrition from the coconut oil. For more information, see our article Can You Use Coconut Oil Instead of Vegetable Oil?.
Conclusion
The last thing to mention about coconut oil, is that it is great for hair and skin. Virgin coconut oil that has been cold pressed is the best to use as a moisturizer for your hair and body. With how versatile the oil is, you may want to pick some up today!
If you want to taste the difference between refined and unrefined coconut oil, pick up a bag of Jackson’s coconut oil chips and a refined coconut oil from the store. What you will taste with the chips is a sweet coconut flavor because we use unrefined coconut oil at low temperatures so that you get the health benefits of both the sweet potatoes and the coconut oil. Try the refined oil with some veggies and you’ll really taste the difference.
Personally? I prefer unrefined coconut oil. Yum!
Try our Coconut Oil Chips HERE.
Read more
Educational
Eat Yourself Healthy by Eating the Rainbow
Roy G. Biv. If you have had an art class, the name Roy was very familiar when learning about the order of colors in the rainbow. Rainbows in the sky are caused by the reflection of sunlight on tiny particles of water in the air. However, the rainbow on your plate? That takes a bit more work but believe me, it tastes amazing! Having variety on your plate is a great way to get vitamins and minerals that your body desperately needs.
Ready to start eating the rainbow? Keep reading for tips, tricks, and lists that will help you get started today!
What is Eating the Rainbow?
The bare bones definition is eating foods that are colorful and try not to have a monotone plate of food. This means eating leafy greens, fresh fruits, cruciferous vegetables and colorful tubers such as sweet potatoes.
The reason that more and more health professionals are recommending the rainbow is because eating the rainbow can decrease heart disease, decrease the effects of chronic diseases, as well as boost your body, clear out toxins, and support a balanced body. Think of it this way, if you eat foods that are high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, your body is nourished and ready to face the day. Foods like purple cabbage, limes and oranges, eggplants and kale, are all going to be included in the rainbow and are going to be less processed than other foods.
Why does eating the rainbow decrease health issues you might ask? The nitty gritty science behind it is that fruits and vegetables that have stronger colors generally have more phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are chemicals that plants have that give them their distinct colors. While there are over 25,000 different kinds of phytonutrients, the most common ones that you have probably heard of are beta carotene, carotenoids and possibly even resveratrol which is found in red wines.
Dig Into the Rainbow
The following breakdown is going to group fruits and veggies by color, highlight the primary nutrients that your body needs, as well as give you a list to start you off on the right foot.
Red
Phytonutrients and Vitamins: contain lycopene and anthocyanins
Fruits and Veggies to Try:
Apples
Beets
Cherries
Cranberries
Grapes
Kidney beans
Pomegranate
Raspberries
Red onions
Red peppers
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Brief Benefits:
Foods rich in lycopene have been shown to decrease the chances of cancer and potentially reverse the progression of cancer. They also can help increase your circulation and decrease inflammation as well. It can be taken as a supplement however, it is still unknown whether or not synthetic lycopene is as bioavailable as lycopene obtained from cooked or fresh red foods.
Orange and Yellow
Phytonutrients and Vitamins: beta cryptothanxin, beta carotene, hesperidin, lutein, zeaxanthin, curcuminoids, Vitamin A, C, and K.
Fruits and Veggies to Try:
Apricot
Bananas
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Corn
Golden Beets
Grapefruit
Lemons
Mangoes
Orange peppers
Oranges
Papayas
Peaches
Pears
Pineapples
Pumpkin
Sweet potatoes
Winter squash
Yellow Peppers
Yellow summer squash
Brief Benefits:
Generally speaking, most of the items on this list have compounds that contribute to better immune function, better eye health, increased circulation (which is handy of you have cold hands and feet). Many of these fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes contain beta carotene which the body transforms to Vitamin A, yet another vitamin that is important to cell health and vision. Two of the biggest eye protectors found in orange and yellow foods are lutein and zeaxanthin: these two compounds build up in your retinas and repair damages from blue lights as well as sun damage or macular diseases.
Green
Phytonutrients and Vitamins: sulforaphane, isocyanate, indoles, lutein, isothiocyanates, isoflavones, Vitamin K, folate, calcium.
Fruits and Veggies to Try:
Arugula
Asparagus
Avocado
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Collard Greens
Edamame
Green apples
Green beans
Green cabbage
Green grapes
Herbs
Kale
Kiwi fruit
Mustard Greens
Peas
Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Swiss chard
Turnip Greens
Zucchini
Brief Benefits:
Many dark leafy greens contain sulforaphane, isocyanate and indoles that inhibit cancer causing compounds. They also can help limit cancer growth, boost your immune system and slow the rate of cognitive decline. One thing that isn’t listed in the properties for leafy greens or greens in general is the high amounts of fiber. The fiber allows your body to better absorb the nutrients that you are eating!
Blue, Indigo, and Violet
Phytonutrients and Vitamins: anthocyanins, resveratrol, polyphenols
Fruits and Veggies to Try:
Blackberries
Blueberries
Eggplant
Figs
Plums
Prunes
Purple cauliflower
Purple potatoes and sweet potatoes
Raisins
Red (purple) grapes
Red (purple) onions
Red (purple)cabbage
Brief Benefits:
Anthocyanins have been studied for quite some time and have been linked to a decrease in heart disease, repair oxidative stress, decrease inflammation and much more. So these can help if you are beginning an anti-inflammatory diet. These compounds are also great for cognitive health and with their antioxidant properties, they hunt down cell damaging free radicals in your body.
White and Brown
Phytonutrients and Vitamins: allicin, quercetin, kaempferol, sulforaphane
Fruits and Veggies to Try:
Cauliflower
Daikon
Garlic
Jicama
Leeks
Mushrooms
Parsnips
Shallots
Turnips
White and yellow onion
Brief Benefits:
Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower contain high amounts of cancer fighting sulforaphane just like broccoli does. Plants in the allium family contain allicin and quercetin which help boost your immune system, aid in dealing with allergies, keep your bones strong, and help your heart stay strong.
Tips and Tricks to Eating the Rainbow
Here are some general tips and tricks on how to eat the rainbow and things to keep in mind as you explore new foods.
Don't Focus Too Much on One Color (or Nutrients)
As you begin to explore new foods that might be absolutely foreign to you, it is a good idea to remember that you don’t want to focus on a single color. The goal of eating the rainbow is variety in what you are eating and not pigeon-holing yourself to one color or one type of nutrient.
The human body requires a great deal of micro and macronutrients. It’s important to remember that some of those nutrients are only accessible through specific foods or taking them in a multivitamin. Generally speaking, it is better to eat your nutrients rather than always going for a supplement (unless you truly need on as determined by a licensed physician). This is why it is so important to include several colors on your plate as you learn to eat the rainbow.
Try New Vegetables and Fruits
The lists in this post are far from extensive: there are fruits and vegetables all around the world that some people have access to, and others don’t. Trying new foods from your local Chinese market or from a local Indian market is going to open your eyes to some things that you might not have seen before.
While the foods in these lists are probably the most accessible kinds, it’s good to try new things when you can. If you tend to shop in season for your region, you’ll find better produce prices and you might be able to try something new and exotic like dragon fruit or even Buddha’s hand. There’s an endless variety of foods out there to try, so definitely see what you can find!
Avoid Processed Food
This is a general rule of thumb in many cases: the more processed a food is, the higher the chance that the food will cause an inflammatory response in your body or have some sort of toxin that’s just not all that good for you despite FDA approval.
There are many ways to look at eating the rainbow. Are you trying to expand your options and eat healthier? Or are you mainly wanting to grow your tastebuds? Depending on your individual case, you may want to keep heavier meats, higher fats, and processed foods in your diet.
If you are trying to maintain or increase your health, then it’s a good idea to decrease the amount of processed and preserved foods, high fat foods, red meat, and fattier meats too. Try switching your oil from canola oil to coconut oil or avocado oil, and always try new spice combinations for flavoring rather than a premixed package that might have compounds that your body doesn’t need.
Try Different Recipes to Expand Your Taste
Sometimes when you try new foods, you aren’t going to like the way the food tastes. For example, I despise arugula and most spring greens mixes because they are too bitter. However, if I cook some of those greens, or add arugula to a romaine-based salad, then the bitterness isn’t so bad. Another example is beets: I can’t stand beet juice! However, if I roast or pickle my beets, I can’t get enough of them!
The heart of the matter is this: just because a fruit or vegetable tastes gross or as an odd texture, doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to like it in some other form. Give yourself and these new foods a chance by trying out several different recipes!
Conclusion - Eat the Rainbow
Whether or not you already eat a balanced diet or even if you have favorite fruits and veggies, the biggest thing to take away is that you must have variety in your diet. Don’t worry about letting go of your favorites: instead incorporate them into recipes and new ways of cooking. Who knows, you might find your new favorite fruit or vegetable or tuber combination.
Click here to learn about Sweet Potatoes!
Read more
Educational
Get Started with Anti-inflammatory Dieting: A Beginner’s Guide
Anti-inflammatory diets focus on foods that have nutrients that decrease your body’s response to protect your organs and joints. While this physical response is important, many processed foods increase inflammation to uncomfortable or even painful levels. This increase is because the human body reacts to specific types of foods that trigger the inflammatory reaction when damage to the body hasn’t happened.
Just like how your body gets red and swollen when you twist your ankle or get a cut, when you eat the wrong foods your body becomes internally red and swollen. With highly processed foods around every corner, it’s hard to know where to start if you want to decrease inflammation. Some foods appear to be okay, but contain added sugars or even hidden trans fats.
This guide to beginning an anti-inflammatory diet contains information to understand why certain foods need to be added or removed, things to avoid, what to eat, and even a collection of delicious recipes!
Part I: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Because of the need to decrease inflammation (which is linked to heart health and joint related disease), there are several diets that focus on high nutrition foods that remove or decrease sugars and fatty meats. One such diet is the Mediterranean diet which focuses on healthy good fats and high nutrient foods: these foods are generally anti-inflammatory.
While an anti-inflammatory diet can sound intimidating, the goal is to eat colorful meals that are packed with anthocyanins, turmeric, omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol and more. Instead of eating fats that your body doesn’t readily use, a Mediterranean style anti-inflammatory diet focuses on fats from fish, nuts and nutrient dense oils like avocado oil and olive oil.
With this guide to an anti-inflammatory diet for beginners, you’ll find many suggestions for unprocessed foods, a decrease or lack of sugar (except what is found in food already), and foods that can control the effects of inflammatory disease such as arthritis. This type of diet is also handy for maintaining a healthy weight and decrease internal inflammation as well!
What is an anti-inflammatory diet?
An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on good fats, nutrient-dense foods, complex carbohydrates, legumes and fruits and vegetables. Like stated above, this diet is very close to a Mediterranean diet due to the focus on a lack of processed foods, and healthier meats such as fish and chicken.
Red meats are rare, and dark leafy greens are added into the diet. A variety of fruits and vegetables are also included as they too provide the body with what is needed to maintain balance and decrease inflammation.
What separates an anti-inflammatory diet from others is the focus on decreasing processed foods, sugar, and refined flours. Unlike the Mediterranean diet, which does allow some pasta, anti-inflammatory diets focus on whole grains and minimally processed bean pastas.
What is the goal of an anti-inflammatory diet?
First and foremost, to decrease inflammation. Not the inflammation that happens due to cuts or infections, instead this diet focuses on chronic inflammation. The difference is that chronic inflammation is linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and more. This is why an anti-inflammatory diet focuses on decreasing saturated fats and red meats. Eating this way has shown to relieve the discomfort related to those diseases as well as arthritis.
Keep in mind that with this beginner’s guide to an anti-inflammatory diet, each diet is different. Our bodies react differently to different foods, allergens, and more. Part of this diet is to be aware of what it is that your body needs. If certain foods cause you to feel bloated and result in your joints aching or feeling stiff, that food more than likely causes an inflammatory reaction in your body.
As you read this guide, remember to experiment and have fun adding the rainbow to your diet!
Part II: Beginner’s Guide to an Anti-inflammatory Diet
This guide will include meal ideas, what to avoid, and what to add into your diet while you are making the shift. The beginning will be different and a little difficult at times if you are used to eating processed foods or sugar regularly. Be patient with yourself and you’ll reach your goal of eating an anti-inflammatory diet.
An Anti-Inflammatory Food List
The following list contains foods that reduce inflammation that you can start adding into your diet. Keep in mind that there might be foods that cause an inflammatory response specific to your body because genetics play a large role in how our bodies react to foods.
Fruits and Veggies
Avocado
Beets
Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Cherries
Citrus Fruits
Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, collards, Swiss chard, etc.)
Pomegranate
Sweet Potato
Proteins, Fats and Grains
Eggs
Greek yogurt and kefir
Fish, especially salmon and tuna
Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, black beans, black-eyed peas, red kidney beans etc.)
Whole grains (quinoa, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, amaranth, and buckwheat, etc.)
Coconut Oil
Avocado Oil
Herbs and Spices
Garlic
Turmeric
Ginger
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Cinnamon
Inflammatory Foods to Avoid
Alcohol in excessive quantities
Baked goods
Candy
Cereals
Cheese
Chicken nuggets
Crackers
Cookies
Dehydrated soups
Gluten
Hot dogs
ice cream
Jarred tomato sauces
Juices
Microwaveable dinners
Processed and cured meats
Processed meats
Salad dressings
Saturated fats
Sauces
Soda
Soybean oil
Sugary cereals
Trans fats (found in fried foods and some baked goods)
Vegetable oil
White Bread
These items include added sugars, saturated fats that can clog up your arteries, and preservatives that are known to cause inflammation. Avoiding these foods will help decrease the inflammation in the body. For example, alcohols are converted into sugars in the body. When the body has too much sugar, this triggers an inflammatory response. Recall the next day after having a night out with friends? The body can feel swollen and achy compared to the day before. While many of the items affect most people, there are some items that may not cause an inflammatory response (such as cheeses and dairy). Keep in mind that some items may not be inflammatory for you, however, most preservatives do affect the vast majority of the human population.
Anti-Inflammatory Recipes
If you want to begin working in foods that are good for inflammation, it helps to have an anti-inflammatory meal plan, diet plan, and of course, delicious recipes you’ll begin to crave!
For a meal plan or diet plan, it is important to include variety in your day. Try to have different types of berries every morning, a different protein with each meal, and work with varying combinations of herbs and oils. Adding in new spices and changing up your combinations helps bring out new and interesting combinations. Who knows, you may find a new favorite recipe.
Meal Prep
Prepping items ahead of time makes the transition to working with an anti-inflammatory diet much easier than prepping right before eating. With the vegetables and fruits, peel and cut them as you would like so that way you can have fresh veggies with every meal. Make sure all fruits and vegetables are cleaned before you eat them and prepare any herbs that you need to.
If you want to prepare meals and freeze them, don’t thoroughly cook the vegetables and store the prepared food in glass containers (or bags) for easy defrosting and reheating in the oven.
Breakfast
Turn to natural ingredients in homemade smoothies, such as berries, honey, and Greek or non-dairy yogurt. Some egg dishes, particularly those made with organic eggs, can help lower inflammation as well. Want toast? Try something gluten- and wheat-free, like rice breads.
Oat porridge with berries
Buckwheat and chia seed porridge
Buckwheat berry pancakes
Scrambled eggs with turmeric
Smoked salmon, avocado, and poached eggs on toast
Mediterranean Board
Lunch and Dinner
Mediterranean Grain Bowls With Lentils and Chickpeas
Greek Style Roasted White Beans With Summer Vegetables
Snacks
Fresh nuts and veggies will play a large role in prepping and reaching for some healthy snacks. Have cut up carrots, or cucumbers, pre-peeled fruit, and fresh nuts on hand for a quick pick me up. You can also make a quick avocado dip or even a Stuffed Mushroom, yum!
Sides and Soups
With soups and salads, stick to the darker greens and make sure that the soups aren’t too heavy in veggies from the nightshade family (they can cause inflammation), and with soups, low sodium or plant based bases are delicious on their own.
Creamy Greek Salad Pasta Recipe
Vibrant Orange and Arugula Salad
Mediterranean White Beans With Artichoke and Tomato
Desserts
Look for healthy alternatives such as chopped fruit and melted dark chocolate (strawberries and chocolate are a great go to) or work in vanilla and honey to things like yogurt and ricotta cheese. Try adding some dark chocolate to freshly popped popcorn made with olive or avocado oil: this can help stop the snack craving as well as satisfy the sweet craving. If you need a little extra sweet, sprinkle some turbinado or unprocessed sugar for an extra kick of savory sweetness. Definitely check out this list of ten recipes for anti-inflammatory desserts: they look scrumptious!
Anti Inflammatory Diet Beginners Guide Recap
If you are wanting to go on an anti-inflammatory diet plan, starting small and working in recipes will help you start out. Cooking veggies either by stir-frying or baking will keep the nutrients intact and bring out the savory flavors. Adding berries to your morning cereal packs a punch of antioxidants into your morning. Mix and match and have fun with your anti-inflammatory diet!
Liked this blog? Check out: A Vegan Anti-inflammatory Diet: What You Need to Know
Read more
Company
Megan & Scott Reamer of Jackson’s: 5 Important Business Lessons We Learned While Being On The Shark Tank
Our founders, Megan and Scott Reamer, were recently featured in an article on medium.com and Authority Magazine.
Read more
No articles found.
