# Enova Oil



## htc (Jan 8, 2005)

Has anyone tried cooking with this? I keep seeing commercials on TV for this oil, but haven't tried it.


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 8, 2005)

I must admit that I've never heard of it before. I did run out to their website and read a bit about it ... on the first quick read some sounds good, some I question, some I doubt, and some claims sound more like "Snake" oil than a true dietary "Enova"-tion. I'll definately need to do more research before I have an opinion. 

But, I will see if I can't find a bottle at my local Kroger and give it a try.

Thanks for mentioning it!


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## lyndalou (Jan 9, 2005)

Please let us know what you think, Michael.


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## Audeo (Jan 9, 2005)

Indeed, Michael, please do!  Have you tried it, htc?

I'd not heard of it before now either.  Having a trip to the grocery planned for myself today, I'll take a look around, too.


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## htc (Jan 9, 2005)

I haven't tried it or actually even noticed it at the grocery store. I just keep seeing lots of commercials for it on TV.


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 13, 2005)

htc - if we knew where you lived (where you're seeing all of these ads on TV) it would sure help in tracking this Enova stuff down. I've been to 4 stores and have not found it.

What bothers me right off the top is ... it's "synthetic" - manufactured, not natural. 

Next, there is no information on what vitamins or minerals it contains. 

We know that olive oil contains fats and acids that are both good for lowering chloesterol and in preventing cancer.

Gosh but I wish I could talk "The Chairman" at "Iron Chef" to give me a chemistry lab to test the claims on things like this, and making a roux in a microwave .....


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## middie (Jan 13, 2005)

i've wondered about that myself. i have only seen commercials but i have not seen it in the stores yet.


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## htc (Jan 14, 2005)

Michael, that's one of the things I thought was suspect as well.  Usually when you read up on different types of oils, you know exactly what it's derived from.  

BTW, I am in Oregon. Still haven't seen it in a grocery store though.


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 15, 2005)

Okay, here's the website for the "official" Enova Oil info: http://www.enovaoil.com

Something in the back of my brain isn't digesting something they said ... but can't put my finger on it. One thing that does scare the boogers out of me is seeing it's a product from ADM - and I trust those folks like I would my 12-year old grand-daughter out on a date with Kobe Bryant.

In my thinking - ADM is too busy creating "artificial" food ... and if in 2022 we are eating Soylent Green - I am sure ADM will be bringing it to us.

I still haven't found Enova oil - but I have 2 more stores on my side of town to try tomorrow.


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## Audeo (Jan 15, 2005)

I found the stuff in my neighborhood Albertson's for a whopping $6.99 for a 20-ounce bottle!

I back you up, Michael, on the opinions you are forming here!   This stuff just sounds "Too Good to be True" and we all know the rest of that addage....


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 19, 2005)

Audeo - found the Enova oil at my Albertson's, too! Funny, I thought the Enova site said Kroger was a carrier .... but they don't have it. Hey, come on over to my side of town to shop - the 20oz bottle of Enova was only $4.99! And, right below that was a gallon of "pure" olive oil for $5.49.

I guess I'll just keep wondering what Enova oil taste like ....

And, I don't use enough oil in cooking to make it worth my while to buy a big bottle of anything other than a really good EVOO.


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## Audeo (Jan 22, 2005)

Well, isn't that something!  I guess our prices here are due to our proximity to "Colleywood"!

I am definitely behind you all the way regarding not using much oil to begin with and keeping olive oil on hand!  Same here!

Thanks for the invite!!!


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## luvs (Jan 26, 2005)

it looks funny. off in color and really cloudy. and at $6.99 for 20 oz., i'd say stick with nice, healthy olive oil.


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## MochaBean04 (Feb 11, 2005)

I work at Wegmans, (grocery store eastern side of US) and they is a lady who comes in and demos new products so that we have a chance to taste them before buying them.  She had a setup with some of this oil and italian bread.  It is honeslty really gross.  it tastes like a very bitterish sour italian dressing.  i honeslty do not recomend it.  Im sticking with olive oil. . .


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## htc (Feb 11, 2005)

Mocha, thanks for the heads up. I've never bought it, so am very glad now that I didn't waste my money!


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## Michael in FtW (Mar 6, 2005)

Is ADM trying to blind us with "science"? .....   

The 25-cent quick tour ... Saturated fats raise the bad (LDL and VLDL) cholesterol, Poly-unsaturated fats lower all cholesterol (the good and bad), and Mono-unsaturated raises the good (HDL) and lowers the bad cholesterol. LDL leaves deposits of cholesterol and HDL helps to pick them up and sweep them away. Simplified explanation ....

Part 2 - how things get labeled ... normally things are labeled in rounded up percentages to a whole number. Enova Oil has it's saturated fat content labeled as 0.5g - which everyone else would round up to 1g. BUT - they don't decimalize the unsaturated fats .... humm .... so there is a missing 0.5g of fat!

Now - I got a bottle of Kroger "Natural Blended Oil" - which is also a blend of canola and soybean oils. Humm .... looking at the label .... it also has a missing 1g of fat due to the rounding process. ARRGH!!!

But ... here is what I come up with ..... Enova oil is about $7 - Kroger oil was $0.79 on sale (48 fl oz). And, the Kroker oil had more good fats than the Enova .......

Enova : 1g Sat ..  8g Poly-unsat ..  5g Mono-unsat - Calories: 120 Tbsp
Kroger: 1g Sat ..  5g Poly-unsat ..  7g Mono-unsat - Calories: 120 Tbsp

From that - it would seem that the Kroger oil was actually a little healthier, and a heck of a lot cheaper! Actually, not a lot of difference other than the price.

I'm still not done .... there are the tri, di. and mono glycerides ... I think I understand them but I'm trying to hook up with a food chemist to get this all straight. I'll let you know when I learn more ...


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 13, 2005)

Michael; you are a research engine.  You get it done.  Thanks for all of your inputs.  They are appreciated.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit (Mar 13, 2005)

D'ont think it's worth starting a new thread on the subject,but what are your favorite oils?mines are,EVOO(allpurposes),peanut(salads,asians,seasoning cookwares),roasted sessame seeds(asian),walnut(some fryed potatoes dishes,salads),butter.                           Found a site selling food grade beef tallow ,I'm tempted to buy 5gl for deep frying meats & potatoes.What are your choices?That enova stuff looks pretty scary(like some kind of rendered BF goodrich tires).


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## Michael in FtW (Mar 14, 2005)

Well, Ifit I look at three things - utility (melting point for baking, smoke point for cooking), flavor, and nutritional value. For everyday use it's usually one of 3 olive oils (EVOO, Pure or Lite) ... sometimes I use vegetable oils. I have no problem with lard or Crisco or butter .... each has a purpose and flavor in baking and cooking. Because of the flavor, I generally only use peanut oil for Asian dishes .... I know it's "supposed" to be a neutral flavor but try making a batch of brownies with it instead of vegetable oil. Nut and seed oils such as walnut, sessame are for flavoring, not for cooking.

As for using tallow for frying ..... I probably wouldn't unless there is some specific unique flavor you're trying to impart to a specific dish. If I remember right ... it's got about twice the saturated fat of lard. To be honest ... I don't think I've run into more than 5-6 recipes that called for tallow ... and they were VERY old English recipes.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 14, 2005)

Another great oil that is very versatile, healthy for a veggie oil (but it's actually a seed oil), is absolutley neutral in flavor, and has a relatively high smoke point is suflower oil.  I use it for almost all of my frying.  Occasionally I'll use butter or peanut oil.  But as Michael said, those are not neutral flavors.  The same is true of olive oils, especially EVOO.

Safflower oil is pretty good stuff as well.  Another advantage of sunflower oil is that it is the second most widely produced cooking oil on the planet.  That helps keep the cost down.  Unfortunately, it's harder to find than is canola oil, which I don't use.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit (Mar 14, 2005)

Thank you for the reply Michael.By " tallow"I mean rendered animal fat(like lard),which the frenchs& belgians swear by for potatoes,I read that if you respect the proper oil temperature in deep frying ,the absortion of oil by the food is minimal(true or not?).Also I do agree that nuts derived oils have a distinct flavor,but this can be used to advantage.For exemple,I make a dish from my french province(Limousin)witch simply does not work with anything else but walnut oil(thinly sliced potatoes,rubed with oil,layered with garlic,bacon,S&P,cast iron frypan,500F oven,till top layer potatoes is brown).I guess the use of fats in cookig(regardless of health considerations,& i'm too old for that)is really an empirycal matter.Whatever taste good works(For you anyway).Btw,canola allways tasted acrid,almost chemical to me.You?


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## jpmcgrew (Mar 14, 2005)

I bought a bottle of the stuff at walmart still a bit leary  on trying it.Still I really want to believe their claims.

You guys are right sounds too good to be true.


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## Michael in FtW (Mar 15, 2005)

To borrow from the lyrics of Foreigner:

_... Blinded by science, I’m on the run ..._
_I wonder ’bout the lies I’ve been reading_
_I wonder where this madness is leading ..._

I've just spent the past 2-3 hours reading what Australia had to say in approving ENOVA oil for sale down under. It's a PDF file - you can read it here: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/_srcfiles/A505_DAG_oil_FAR_Final.pdf

Basically - it probably won't hurt you, but don't count on shedding any weight using it, or lowering your triglyceride blood levels. The majority of the research done at this point just doesn't support it.


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## Michael in FtW (Apr 11, 2005)

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.
> 
> ...


 
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.


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## Andy M. (Apr 11, 2005)

Michael:

Thanks for the research and for sharing it with us.

After reading the Australian documents, I decided to defer using Enova in place of other oils.  I prefer to know a little more about the effects of a new product before I use it.

Besides, I like olive oil's and butter's flavor.

Thanks again,

Andy M.


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## norgeskog (Apr 13, 2005)

It looks to me to be messed around with oils.  Here is the nutrition facts I printed from the web page Michael referred us to:

serving size 1 Tbs
calories 120, all from fat
Total fat 14 grams
  Saturated far 0.5g
  Trans fat 0g
  Polyunsaturated far 8g
  monounsaturated fat 5g
cholesterol 0mg
sodium 0mg
carbohudrate 0g
protein 0g
Vitamen E 30%

INGREDIENTS:  diacylglycerol oil; made from soybean oil and canola oil, antioxidant (vitamin E and C Palmitate) to maintain freshness and polyglycerol esters of fatty acids.

sounds like messed around with oils to me.  I will stick to olive oil and/or butter, especially since I heard that canola has been linked to macular degenearation.


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## admanjc71 (Apr 26, 2005)

*Enova Oil is Good Stuff*

I think it is always a great idea to be skeptical about anything that sounds too good to be true, especially with things you put into your body.  After the whole debacle with Olestra and Olean years ago...a synthetic fat substitute that was designed to not be absorbed by the body (and thereby traveling directly through you, causing unpleasant side-effects), I can understand anyone's hesitancy to trust an oil product that makes health claims.  By doing some research on my own, I have discovered that Enova oil was researched in Japan for over 15 years before it was introduced to the public (except they call it "Econa Oil") in 1998.  It has since become the most popular brand of cooking oil on the shelves in that country and it is endorsed by FOSHU (the Japanese equivalent of our FDA).  

Basically, from the sounds of it, they take natural soy and canola oil and treat it with a natural enzyme in order to break down the fat-storable properties in the oil's molecular structure.  Therefore, when you ingest it, you metabolize it, burning it off as energy in the liver instead of storing it as fat within the body.

As for the taste, my family and I have found Enova oil is very light and has literally NO taste (much as you wouldn't have a taste from a canola oil, either).  It has not altered or changed the taste of anything I have made for my family.  From blueberry muffins to salad dressings to marinades and sautee'ing, there is no noticeable difference between Enova and my regular cooking oils.  The difference isn't in the taste or texture so much as it's in the health benefits I know I am getting from it.  Granted, I don't believe I am going to lose 20 pounds in 6 months just by switching to Enova oil, but neither do I think the same thing about using Splenda or drinking Diet Coke each day, either.  It is merely one extra thing I can do to help my family eat better.

I do wish they made a flavored line or an infused line of olive flavored or garlic flavored, but maybe that's on the horizon for them since it is still so new in the US.


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## Andy M. (Apr 26, 2005)

admanjc71 said:
			
		

> ...Therefore, when you ingest it, you metabolize it, burning it off as energy in the liver instead of storing it as fat within the body...


 
adman:

This would suggest that, while your energy needs are being met by the enova oil, other foods are being stored as fat in its place, with a net gain or loss of zero. 

If you ingest 3000 calories and your body burns 2000, 1000 calories will be stored in the body for later use. Does it matter to the body if the fat is from the food you eat as opposed to the oil it was cooked in?


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## admanjc71 (May 5, 2005)

*MSNBC article on Enova*

I was curious about your question, so I looked to the internet for more information.  As it turns out, there was an article posted on on MSNBC a week ago where they had a registered dietician recently write all about Enova and other oils.  Here is the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7668049

Or, to save you the trouble, here is the full text in copy/paste:

By Karen Collins, R.D.
Registered Dietitian
Special to MSNBC.com
Updated: 12:57 p.m. ET April 29, 2005

Choosing among the many cooking oils: Olive or canola? Pick one based on your health needs.

Many different cooking and salad oils are available today. Fortunately, there are a number of healthful options, so you should pick one or several of these based on how you intend to use it and your particular health concerns.

The newest cooking and salad oil, Enova oil, is made from soybean and canola oils. Its manufacturer claims it helps reduce body fat.

While fats and oils normally have a chemical structure consisting of a “backbone” with three fatty acid arms on it, this oil is specially processed, so that most of the fat is composed of a backbone and two arms, also known as a diacylglycerol (DAG). 

This type of oil is digested and absorbed just like other fats, but the body handles it differently because of its unique structure. Instead of circulating through the body, DAGs seem to go directly to the liver to be burned for energy.

While one brief study has shown that DAG oil increases fat burning, the rate of increase would make a difference of only three to four pounds a year. Based on the results of four- and six-month studies, substituting one to three tablespoons of Enova oil for the oil or margarine you now use might produce four to six pounds of weight loss per year. (Note that this possible weight loss depends on replacing your current oil with Enova, not adding it to what oils you currently eat.)


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## Andy M. (May 5, 2005)

Maybe I'm a slow learner, but this still sounds like spurious science to me.  It can only make sense if enova makes you body burn *MORE* energy to do the same amount of work...


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