Seed Oils

For decades now, we have grown accustomed to fear fat. We are bombarded with low-fat and no-fat dairy, medical professionals telling us to eat less meat or even better "impossible meat" instead. But is that really the best advice?

NO!

Human bodies need saturated fat to survive. It helps our brain develop as infants and children, it is the nutrients for our brains to help keep it running smoothly and efficiently and it gives us energy! But over the years, we've been on the bandwagon of eating lower-fat, higher processed foods to avoid the "dangerous" saturated fat that will ravage our bodies.  So, we have turned to seed oils instead, being told that they are healthier for us to consume. Lately however, seed oils are finally beginning to get a bad rap in this country. For instance, researchers are beginning to see a correlation of high consumption of seed oils to the rise in colon cancer!

So why are seed oils so bad for you?

They can cause inflammation in the body

It is widely accepted now that inflammation in the human body is the root cause of all of our ailments and diseases. When something is inflamed, it hurts and it takes longer to heal sometimes even causing a bigger issue.  Think of a wound that gets inflamed. It's more sore than usual and it hampers your ability to function normal. If it gets infected, it can cause a host of problems such as the dreaded sepsis! So, imagine if our entire body is inflamed due to seed oil overload. Think diabetes, cancers, heart disease, auto-immune disorders.

The Omega 6:3 ratio is out of range

It is believed that most Americans have way to much Omega 6 to their Omega 3 ratio. It is a delicate balance to achieve and while most people don't eat enough omega 3 enriched foods (think fish) and way too much omega 6s (think seed oils), our ratio is out of balance, causing inflammation. I suggest researching this topic on your own and figure out how to rebalance your omega ratio.

They are void of nutritional value

The amazing thing about saturated fat is that it's full of nutrition that we need to survive. Contrary, seed oils don't provide any nutritional value to us and in fact, harms us instead. Cottonseed oil, in my opinion is the worst seed oil as it was considered a waste product up to about 100 years ago when they decided to use it in food. BTW, cotton is sprayed with non-food grade herbicides since cotton is not classified as a food per the FDA.

How to avoid seed oils then?

The first step, if applicable, is to stop eating "impossible meat" which is laden with seed oils and all sorts of unnatural  ingredients. Go back to that 100% ground beef patty and embrace meat again. Stop cooking with seed oils.  This is easier than you think.  Throw out all of your grapeseed, canola and soybean oil and use olive oil for light sauteing and even butter, coconut oil, and ghee for cooking. Your body will thank you.

Some salad dressings now made by smaller companies are popping up on the shelves that don't contain seed oils! Most of them use avocado oil instead.  Reach for those.  They are a tad more expensive than the mainstream brands but so much healthier for you!  Or better yet, make your dressings at home with olive oil--it's significantly more inexpensive anyway!

This one is harder but start looking at processed food ingredients with a fine-toothed comb.  Most processed foods will contain at least one seed oil, even organic brands use them. It takes some work to find products that aren't abundantly full of seed oils but many are out there and by eliminating some of these products from your diet, you will be on a path to a more whole foods diet by default!