Be a Healthy Vegan: Portion Control & Gourme Mist Oil and Vinegar Misters

UPDATED 5/23/2014

Gourmè Mist Oil & Vinegar Misters, recently featured on the Today Show segment “60 Second Shape Up,” can eliminate unneeded calories from your salads and your diet! Take a look, as Joy Bauer focuses on “belly busters”—-it doesn’t matter how many crunches you do if you don’t change your diet!

Vegan doesn’t always EQUAL healthy! We insiders all know that, don’t we? But maybe you newbies out there are under the hazy impression that if you go vegan, it just follows that you’re always eating healthy. Sorry, but no. Even more cloudy (with a chance of faux meatballs) is the idea that going vegan equals always losing weight. Nope. Here’s another myth: eating vegan means never having to worry about portion control. Not true.

So, class, what have we learned so far?

vegan ≠ always healthy

vegan ≠ always weight loss

vegan ≠ no portion control

The good news is that eating vegan CAN be all those beautiful things AND the whole rainbow and more. Dedicating as much of your diet as possible to a wide variety of whole, unprocessed, plant-based foods is the goal, even though we all have varying degrees of hitting that mark. Some days are easy and some days are hard or rushed or stressful. There are pitfalls, no doubt, and no one is perfect.

The idea of portion control might seem unnecessary in a vegan diet but that only holds true if your diet is only comprised of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains and cooked with lots of herbs and spices packed with flavor. Outside of these food groups, one finds that more may not necessarily better, specifically when it comes to oils and fats.

According the Vegetarian Resource Group:

“Vegan diets are free of cholesterol and are generally low in saturated fat. Thus eating a vegan diet makes it easy to conform to recommendations given to reduce the risk of major chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. High-fat foods, which should be used sparingly, include oils, margarine, nuts, nut butters, seed butters, avocado, and coconut.”

In nutrition expert John McDougall’s newsletter titled: “When Friends Ask: Why Do You Avoid Adding Vegetable Oils,” he explains the need for most of us to cut down on “healthy” oils and food loaded with “healthy” oils. He concluded the article saying this:

“Not a day goes by that I don’t hear someone say to me, “My diet is completely vegan, but I am still 40 pounds overweight.” …Many people fall short of their health and appearance goals because they have yet to eliminate all the added vegetable oils from their cooking. Eating out is a major stumbling block. More often than not, even after using the best communication skills with the waiter, the diner plate still glistens with an oil slick. Avoiding free vegetable oils is the last important hurdle for people seeking better health. Take the final step—just say “No” to these really unessential added oils.”

On the website, How to Live for Life, Dr. Fuhrman’s spin on the high calories in olive oil, nuts and seeds is this:

“Since raw nuts and seeds have been linked to reduced cholesterol levels and dramatic protection against sudden cardiac death, by reducing or eliminating oils and in their place using raw seeds and nuts, in dressings and dips, we can have a dramatic effect at reducing cardiovascular disease risk. These foods are essential for optimum health. Plus, we can consume significantly fewer calories and get the a much higher micronutrient value from nuts and seeds compared to olive oil – nuts contain about 40-50 calories per tablespoon, compared to 120 calories for olive oil.”

Every time I think about the fact that olive oil has 120 calories in 1 tablespoon, I’m flabbergasted. I find that salad dressing is one of my personal pitfalls because: 1) I eat a lot of salad, as you do, I’m sure, 2) salad dressing is as important to me in taste as the salad itself, 3) I lose track of how much dressing I’m pouring and 4) I’m in denial about how many calories are loaded in salad dressing.

Part of the joy derived from eating plant-based is learning to savor all the unique, natural flavors and nuances of your salads and fruits and vegetables without suffocating them in the usual dressings and sauces. There are lots of gadgets that help measure all kinds of food portions, from special plates and bowls to scales and scoopers to decks of cards and place mats. For my salads recently, I have been testing out a great product called Gourmè Mist. These oil and vinegar misters are perfect for portion control, convenience and flavor without the hassle of measuring or the added calories that come from spooning or pouring it on.

Gourmè Mist comes in a variety of olive oil and balsamic vinegar fine misters, each spray serving being only 5 calories! According to their website, each spray bottle is environmentally friendly, non aerosol, recyclable and disposable. The mister does not contain any alcohol, chemical propellants or additives. The fine mist controls the amount of spray that is released which eliminates the need for portion control. It’s uses abound: for use in dressings and sauces on salads, sandwiches and snacks, marinades, and can be used for grilling, sautéing, browning, roasting, basting and seasoning. The company is “committed to providing products that are a healthy alternative for you, your family and the environment.”

When I started taking into account how much olive oil and balsamic vinegar I usually use in so many of my daily cooking, I realized that I could substitute much of it with Gourmè Mist. One 6 oz bottle contains 354 sprays! So far, it’s lasting a very long time. I’ve put Gourmè Mist to many uses in my own recipes and I haven’t even scratched the surface with the recipes provided on their website by renowned professional executive Chef Julius Russell.

The website, gourmemist.com, lists how you can purchase this versatile and patented “revolutionary” product.

4 Gourmè Mist Recipes by Chef Julius Russell

MARINARA SAUCE

Ingredients

1 Gourmè Mist Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mister
3 cloves roasted garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 can (28 oz.) Italian plum tomatoes, undrained
3 fresh basil leaves
½ tsp. dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Method

1) Heat 2-3 sprays of the Gourmè Mist Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mister in a large skillet over medium heat.
2) Add shallots; cook and stir 3 minutes.
3) Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.
4) Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
5) Once done and seasoning has been adjusted lightly puree in a blender.

RAINBOW ROASTED BEETS

Ingredients

1 each candy stripe beet, red beet, and golden beet
1 Gourmè Mist Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mister
3 sprigs of thyme
3 cloves of peeled garlic, sliced thinly
1 shallot thinly sliced
salt and pepper

Method

1) Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2) Rinse the beets and trim off any leafy tops.
3) Toss with the garlic, shallot, thyme, oil and season with salt and pepper.
4) Wrap in aluminum foil and place in the oven.
5) Roast until tender and easily pierced with a knife, about 1 ½ hours .
6) Remove from the oven and let cool.
7) When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel using a paring knife or by scraping with a clean towel.
8) Slice the beets, lightly spray with Gourmè Mist Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mister, and season with salt and course ground black pepper.

ROASTED TOMATO SALSA

Ingredients

12 Roma (plum) tomatoes
2 cloves roasted garlic
1 small red onion, quartered
1 jalapeno
1 Gourmè Mist Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mister
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 Tbls. fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
¼ C. chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper

Method

1) Preheat the broiler.
2) In a medium baking dish, place the tomatoes, onion and jalapeno.
3) Spray with the Gourmè Mist Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mister, salt and pepper.
Note: If you prefer do this step out back on the grill it will reduce the heat in your kitchen and you will love the added “smoky grilled” taste of the fresh grilled vegetables.
4) Checking often, broil or grill 5 to 10 minutes or until the outsides of vegetables is lightly charred.
5) Remove vegetables from heat.
6) Remove and discard tomato cores, jalapeno stems and seeds if desired.
7) Toss all the roasted vegetables and garlic into a food processor a few at a time and coarsely chop.
8) Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in cumin, lime juice and cilantro.
9) Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

ROASTED GARLIC POTATOES

Ingredients

1 Gourmè Mist Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mister
2 Tbls. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
salt and pepper

Method

1) Preheat oven to 475 degrees F .
2) In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
3) Stir in potatoes until evenly coated.
4) Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.
5) Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

Click here to go to the Gourme Mist website

For information about Gourmè Mist contact

Watch the Today Show Video Featuring Gourmè Mist

Click here to read the Today Show article on Beating Belly Fat and Getting a Better Butt

To read more about the Vegetarian Resource Groups view of Fats & Oils

To read the article by John McDougall about Fats & Oils

To read more by Dr. Fuhrman about Olive Oils and Nuts

If you love salad dressing and you want to try some great recipes that use no oil at all, click on

10 Simple Salad Dressing For No-Oil Salad Dressings

xox Ellen