Have you seen posts about seed oils being bad for you and wondered if it’s a legitimate concern? Okay, I’m here to break it down for you.
Remember when all you heard was how good canola oil was for you, especially with the stamp of approval from the Heart Association right on the front of the bottle? Yeah, me too, and my husband along with millions of Americans also fell for it…
Industrially processed vegetable and seed oils like canola, soybean, and corn oil aren’t inherently harmful because of the plants they come from. The issue is how they’re made and how often we’re consuming them.
Examples are: soybean oil, canola oil (also referred to as rapeseed oil), corn oil, cottonwood oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and other general vegetable oil blends.
These oils go through high heat processing, chemical extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing which lead to oxidation before they ever reach your plate. Then they’re repeatedly reheated in restaurants and packaged foods, making them even more unstable. So you’re flooding your body with an excess amount of oxidation which causes inflammation throughout every cell in the body which then leads to metabolic misfirings down to the cell level (cardiovascular problems, insulin resistance, cell membrane health decline, increase in fat storage signaling). How ironic since these oils were approved by the Heart Association. 🥴
And here’s the part most people don’t realize: the fats you eat quite literally become part of your cells. Your cell membranes, your brain, your hormone signaling. Over time, the quality of those fats matters.
This isn’t about fear or perfection. Your body is resilient.
If this has been the majority of your diet, you can increase your intake of omega-3s (salmon, eggs, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, etc.) to help balance out the effects while adding better-for-you oils.
So, what do you look for when buying oils? Look to labels for “cold-pressed” or “expeller-pressed” or “unrefined.” Extra virgin olive oil (from one source location, as in it should not be a mix from several different countries), avocado oil, ghee, butter, coconut oil.
Follow along for more approachable, real-life wellness guidance.
Everyday Oils That Support Your Body
