Why are seed oils “bad”?
the most commonly used Seed oils are the following:
Canola oil (aka rapeseed oil).
Corn oil.
Cottonseed.
Grapeseed oil.
Soybean oil.
Sunflower oil.
Safflower oil.
Rice bran oil
Peanut oil.
These oils are high in polyunsaturated fats and omega 6, which when consumed in high quantities can cause inflammation in the body.
They are usually used in ultra processed foods but are sometimes added to foods marketed as “healthy” as well.
Some of these oils would contain nutrients such as vitamin E and phenols, if not for the way they are made. The refining process of seed oils includes bleaching and deodorizing to help with taste and shelf life. It also removes and strips the oils from their nutrients and antioxidants.
These oils are cheaper, therefore being used in all kinds of packaged foods even when considered “minimally processed” they are also the go to oils in restaurants, especially canola oil, often used for deep frying.
Seed oils even as organic and unrefined, are still high in omega 6 which we previously touched upon. Omega 6 is a fatty acid that in very small amounts are essential, however we need more omega 3s in our diets and too much omega 6 will throw off your body’s ratio of omega 6 to omega 3, leading to inflammation in the body.
Although a little bit of inflammation can be a good thing, it’s your body’s way of healing cell damage. However chronic inflammation that keeps showing up can lead to diseases such as:
Athritis
Heart diseas
Metabolic syndrome
Stroke
Type 2 diabetes
and more.
For this reason, we want to try and increase our omega 3 intake and limit the omega 6s.
The best oils to use would be
Olive oil - best for low heat cooking
Avocado oil - can be used for high heat cooking as well as low heat.
Coconut oil- should only be used for low heat cooking
These oils are higher in monounsaturated fats, which are heart healthy. Since they are not seed based, they do not go through the same type of processing, so they are unrefined and have a lot of nutritional benefits.
Cooking oils at very high temperatures like deep frying for ex. can strip the oils from their nutrients and
omega 3s, leaving the less healthy fats in the pan.
In general, it’s best to limit your oil intake both seed and otherwise. You do not need abundance of these fats in your diet adding just a little bit here and there is enough to provide those omega 3s that are necessary.
We get omega 3 in so many other forms as well, that it does not need to be consumed only through oils which are automatically less in nutritional value.
Foods containing omega 3s include:
Avocado
Walnuts and other nuts
Fish and sea foods
Seeds such as Flaxseed and chia seeds
Some berries
And more.
These foods also contain so many other beneficial nutrients like vitamin E, fiber, antioxidants and more.
These foods are good for skin and brain health as well as your heart.
To conclude here are the 3 main points we covered:
1: Avoiding seed oils seems to be your best bet and in doing so you will be avoiding most highly processed food as well.
2: Sticking with olive, avocado and coconut oils for at home cooking and baking, is the healthy choice. And being conscious not to use abundance of oil in general, will keep you safe from inflammation.
3: Understanding that there are vital nutrients our body’s need to prevent diseases, can help us make healthier choices in our daily diets.
In general, it’s important to note that keeping a healthy kitchen at home, and being conscious of your food intake at mostly every meal does not mean that you need to be afraid of outside food
In fact, by adapting these new habits into your lifestyle, your body is building a healthy resistance which in turn will be beneficial for the occasional going out to eat with friends or family or treating yourself to something not necessarily labeled “healthy”
By avoiding these things completely, we become rigid and overly obsessed with being clean and healthy but on the other hand if you train your body to be healthy most of time, the occassional treat will not harm you since health becomes your body’s overall armor.
Than you can live a Balanced life without fear and feel joy in the pleasures of life which include family outings for many. And most importantly stressing over what you put in your body will be more harmful to the in the long run than consuming the occasional “unhealthy” foods.
More about stress and what it does to your body in another blog post!
