Are you looking for ways to make your hospital menu healthier without sacrificing taste? If you work in hospital food service management, chances are the answer to that question is “yes.” One of the simplest ways to do this is to cook with healthier oils and skip the unhealthier varieties – as well as butter. According to a recent article published in Food Service Director Magazine, while people may have believed in the past that all types of oil and fat lead to weight gain, that’s not true.
In fact, olive and canola have been found to potentially help boost one’s overall health, which is why you may want to consider incorporating them into your recipes if you’re looking to improve clinical nutrition.
Working to add in oil
The news source spoke to Art Kessler, food service director at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., who explained that Noodle Works, the Italian pasta station at the school, often uses olive oil with canola for dishes like pasta with vegetables, garlic and marinara sauce.
Additionally, people have been working these oils into their menus by changing the recipes of some people’s favorite dishes, like pizza.
“I’ve swapped out vegetable oil for extra-virgin olive oil in our pizza sauce and in the whole-grain pizza dough,” Tracie Wilson, executive chef at Bend-LaPine School District, in Bend, Ore., told the magazine. “I’ve found the olive oil works better with the high-gluten dough, and the students love the full flavor in the pizza sauce.”
Tips for cooking
TLC offered some suggestions for cooking with olive oil. First, the news source explained that you can use multipurpose fine virgin olive oil in almost any recipe. This variety is less expensive than extra-virgin olive oils, yet will likely add a similar flavor to your food.
Furthermore, you can also use olive oil to bake, even though this is something that most chefs don’t normally do. TLC explained that if you use olive oil instead of butter in your recipe the end result will boast 25 percent less fat, fewer calories, and more heart-healthy nutrients.
So the next time you decide to try out a new recipe, consider the many benefits of olive oil.