Seed oils

(this is part of https://asymmetricalawareness.com/diet-and-nutrition/)

The negatives of seed oils is something I only found out about a few years ago. If there is any section of this website I hope people pay close attention to, it is this one. It made a HUGE difference for me when I started eliminating them from my diet. The IBS issues I had off and on for years basically disappeared after I started diligently avoiding them. I don’t think this issue is widely known or emphasized enough. I’ve seen plenty of chips and other products made with all organic ingredients by small businesses that are undoubtedly intended to be as healthy as possible, yet contain vegetable seed oils. It is not easy to avoid them, b/c they are in SO many things, from restaurants to all kinds of stuff at the grocery store. Even something as simple as a can of organic refried beans can contain seed oils.

Below is a video by Dr Eric Berg, citing the negative effects of seed oils – especially when used in cooking and in things like corn or potato chips. According to a study he references, only heavy smoking and obesity are worse than seed oils. Seed oils are much more dangerous then even high levels of sugar, according to the same study. He specifically lists corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, canola, peanut, and cotton seed oils as those to avoid, as well as generic so called “vegetable oil”. He says that they all are highly inflammatory, and that it is a huge mistake to think that unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated. McD’s fries are cooked in canola oil, making them one of the unhealthiest foods out there, much as I know many people love them. Not all oils are bad, however. Healthy alternatives include olive, coconut, or avocado oil, as well as butter, ghee, lard, or tallow. His opinion on seed oils is echoed by many, so I trust his advice, and have done all that I can to avoid them. Eliminating these oils made a big difference not only in my stomach health, but interestingly, my sinuses. Unfortunately, just about all kinds of chips are often cooked in these “bad” oils: potato, sweet potato, pretzels, or corn/tortilla. Which makes all of them a poor snack choice to say the least – unless they are cooked in “good” oils. However, there are alternatives emerging for snacks cooked in much healthier oils. The only brand of chips I now eat is called Siete, they are made out of cassava flour and cooked in avocado oil. But even chips cooked in good oils tend to be high in carbs, and not particularly healthy, and should be eaten in moderation.

When people talk about “processed foods” being bad, seed oils can be a big part of that. Seed oils are found in ingredient lists in many cereals, breads, or english muffins, or even in things like granola, protein bars, trail mixes, or soups. If you intend to avoid some of these unhealthy oils, you really need to be very diligent about reading food labels on whatever you are used to eating. This is something to be aware of when eating out as well. Something as simple as chicken and vegetables over rice can be healthy or unhealthy depending on the kind of oil it is cooked in. It is unfortunately not easy to find restaurants where seed oils are not used, especially in chain restaurants. You pretty much have to ask what they cook stuff in. EVEN SALADS can have seed oils b/c of the salad dressing used. Most sushi places are ok if you avoid things like shrimp tempura which might be cooked in oils. A lot of Greek restaurants cook stuff in olive oil, and tend to be pretty healthy.

I should mention: I don’t want to create anxiety or obsession about the need to avoid seed oils (or anything else for that matter). Seed oils are not so toxic that having a meal where you are unaware or even knowingly eat something cooked in them will automatically give you an upset stomach or make you sick (although it can, I can attest to that). As long as people avoid them most of the time, even if they have them once in a while they will likely avoid chronic inflammation and the problems they cause. It is probably not possible for the most diligent person to avoid them 100 percent of the time, esp while traveling, eating in restaurants, etc. So like anything else, just do your best to avoid them without making too much of it when you can’t.