Seed Oils: Are we throwing the baby out with the bathwater? YES.

My take on seed oils and broad statements

Jan 24, 2025

Many of us in the natural health field have known for decades that rancid seed oils, hydrogenated fats, and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contribute to the obesity and overall health crisis we are witnessing here in the US (metabolic issues). Poor food choices are at the root of this for many people. (SUGAR) Excess sugar, rancid seed oils, hydrogenated fats, and HFCS ALL contribute to metabolic disease. It's not hidden ingredients. It’s not ‘seed oils’. It's over consumption and not understanding what food does to the body. It can harm you or help you. Most would rather have a quick meal than take time to actually look at ingredients and whip up something from scratch.

When I see broad statements like 'seed oils are all poison' I shake my head bc yet again the message gets muddled in the messaging. The devil is in the details. Not all seed oils are 'poison' and in fact I suggest and use seed oils a lot. For example, evening primrose oil helps with PMS. Grape seed oil is excellent for skin and to cook with due to its fat content. Borage oil, carrot seed oil, raspberry seed oil, pumpkin seed oil....all have therapeutic benefits inside and outside the body. It's all about the ratio and its all about the source. Butter has a great ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 as do many other fats including seed oils. Now the messaging has everyone taking JUST omega 3. I say don't restrict to ONE oil. We will probably find out eventually that Omega 3’s ‘promote inflammation’.

All fats are good for you (in certain ratios) and its best to get in food, but supplementing is sometimes a good idea for certain health conditions like Type II Diabetes (TTDM). ALA (alpha linolenic acid) is an omega 3. It is known to help reduce insulin resistance on a cellular level. Ok...great, but don't restrict all the other wonderful oils. Other oils help with the cellular dysfunction that occurs in TTDM, like saturated fats or fats contained in animal products. These fats contain cholesterol which goes on to make steroidal hormones in the body as well as the cellular membrane of all cells in the body. It’s important for metabolic health. The problem is people are not getting good ratios of fats and they are getting horrible sources of fats aka hydrogenated oils.

This website linked below gives you an idea of the different fat concentrations in different oils. Take a look and keep in mind:

Get all sorts of fats in your diet
I am not buying at all Omega 6's are 'pro-inflammatory'. Link on that below.
Butter has a great ratio as does beef tallow.
We need to normalize using beef tallow and lard in our diets again. (and yes, keep butter)
Margarine is poison, throw it away.
Yes, you can cook with extra virgin olive oil. Mix with butter to increase smoke point.
Consider that most omega 6s on the market are in the form of hydrogenated oil (crisco) and rapeseed oil aka canola oil, which is a GMO product. So these 'seed' oils ARE poison, not because they are high in Linoleic acid, but bc they are highly processed and adulterated. Major canola and veggie oil brands routinely add detergents in the oils to keep them from going bad bc they are that old. Dump anything in a clear plastic container. These are all rancid fats which creates inflammation in the body.
Casey and Cally Means come out of the word work (seemingly) to let us all know that the metabolic issues of our population are due to seed oils, but the reality is it's not so simple. Rancid oils like crisco and canola DO cause inflammation, while many other 'seed oils' do not. Our issues in this country cannot be reduced to 'seed oils are poison' (and red dye too). Sugar consumption, not moving enough daily, thyroid health, over-use of medications including those i n j e c t e d as well as ingested are to blame. Yes, I think we need to get the additives and preservatives OUT, but we cannot lose sight of the big picture, and we can't let this myopic message stand out among all the rest.

https://exrx.net/Nutrition/FatComparison

https://www.nutraingredients.com/.../Are-omega-6-fats.../

🌻 Embrace the beauty on the inside, with the beauty from the outside!

Sara Woods Kender
sara@sarasherbs.com
Clinical Herbalist
Reiki Master/Teacher/Psychic Medium/Munay-Ki Attuned

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