Did you know that seed oils (such as canola oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil, etc) make up about 30% of the average American’s diet? Up until the 1960s, Americans got the majority of their fat intake from animal fats such as butter, lard, or tallow—which are now wrongfully blamed for the epidemic of heart disease and cancer. Seed oils are marketed as “heart healthy”, but as consumption of seed oils has dramatically risen, so has the rate of heart disease. Not to mention that the consumption of animal fats has decreased as well. You’d think if animal fats were really to blame for chronic disease, we’d be seeing drops in disease rates by now.
How are seed oils made?
Seeds oils are essentially an industrial byproduct. They go through a process of being pressed, heated, bleached, and then deodorized (because the oil is actually rancid). Below is a photo of canola oil production. What you’re looking at is whats used to make “vegetable shortening” products. I don’t know about you, but when I look at that, it makes me want to avoid seed oils even more.
Why are seed oils inflammatory?
Industrial seed oils are highly inflammatory because they contain high amounts of unstable fatty acids. As Dr. Cate Shannahan describes in her book, “Deep Nutrition”, these unstable fatty acids break down into toxins when heated and in our bodies when consumed.
How can I avoid eating seed oils?
A great way to start avoiding seed oil consumption is to stop eating processed foods. From what I’ve observed, about 99% of processed foods contain high amounts of seed oils. Start by changing your cooking oils at home to butter, ghee, tallow, or olive oil. Throw away any vegetable oils!
Unfortunately, there are many types of seed oils, so there is quite a list of ingredients to watch out for. Here’s are some of the main oils to avoid: canola oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil, ricebran oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower lechitin, etc.
Some common food items that contain seed oils are:
- Margerine
- Shortening
- Cereals and granola bars
- Chips, nuts, and other snacks
- Plant-based milks (oat milk, almond milk, soy milk)
The majority of restaurants in the USA use seed oils for cooking. If you want to avoid seed oils altogether, the best approach is to cook at home. You can always call ahead to ask about their cooking oils, and ask if its possible to cook with butter, tallow, or olive oil instead.
Visit our real food project directory to find more tips and products/brands that are seed oil free.