"What type of oil should I use?" is a question we've been hearing a lot lately.  There are so many different types of oil to choose from, and rumors and opinions abound about which oil is best, which is toxic, or which is most nutritious.  Then there's the question of saturated fats vs. trans fats vs. polyunsaturated fats vs. essential omega fats, that unless you majored in biochemistry in college it's easy to get confused!

This is a huge topic that can't be adequately covered in one newsletter article, which is why we're going to cover this in a several part series.

For the first part in this series, we want to address some rumors that are going around about Canola Oil and Olive Oil, two oils that for a long time we have been told are excellent sources of good dietary fats but lately have been called "toxic" and "dangerous" by some sources.  What's the truth?  (Read more)

Hi!  I love to eat well, but often don't have much time to cook.  I'm always looking for new, simple, quick, healthy recipe ideas that TASTE GOOD!  In this column I plan to share a favorite recipe with you each month.  Bon appetite!

Simple Salad Dressing:  As the weather heats up, I start to crave salads and fresh veggies.  But we have all heard that so many salad dressings aren't good for us, and if you've switched to oil and vinegar, you know that even that starts to get old after a while.  Here's a simple, yummy recipe for homemade salad dressing that will let you have your salad dressing and eat it too!

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp vinegar (balsamic or red wine are my favorites)
• 1 tsp chopped herbs (cilantro, oregano, basil, etc. etc.-use whatever you have!)
• 1 tbsp flax oil (optional)

 Stir all these ingredients together, whisk with a fork, then pour over your salad.  The oils are full of healthy fats (see Oil Article), the vinegar helps your digestion, and the herbs and mustard give it flavor.