If you want to improve your health, lose weight, feel more energetic, avoid toxins and lower your risk of disease, stop eating toxic seed oils.
Industrial seed oils are hiding in nearly every box of processed food, in almost every restaurant (not just fast food), and even foods you may think are "healthy."
They are disguised with a harmless-sounding name: vegetable oil.
Luckily, there are so many healthy alternatives to choose for your kitchen and your body.
Toxic Seed Oils You Should Avoid:
- Canola
- Corn
- Cottonseed
- Sunflower
- Safflower
- Soy
- Grapeseed
- Rice bran
Healthy Alternatives:
- Grass fed butter
- Olive oil
- Avocado oil
- Coconut oil
- Ghee
- Lard
- Tallow
Why Seed Oils are Toxic
Seed oils contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which you actually need a small quantity of in your diet (1-3% of your daily food intake).
But with how common these seed oils are in all our foods, it's more common to see PUFAs around 30% of people's daily food intake.
This correlates directly to feeling hungry and lethargic all the time, eating more calories when you’re not actually hungry, gaining weight, and suffering from chronic health issues.
The underlying component of eating too many PUFAs is inflammation, which is responsible for heart attacks, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune conditions, and cancer.
Inflammation is not always easy to spot, which is why a lot of "healthy young people" are not as healthy as they seem and their immune systems suffer as a result.
I've learned a lot about seed oils from my favorite podcast, Wise Traditions. You can read the transcript of one of the best episodes about toxic seed oils here.
Tips for Buying Healthier Groceries:
If you are just now learning about seed oils, you may be shocked the next time you go grocery shopping.
Remember: you will find seed oils listed under ingredients, not the nutrition label.
Simple Mills has the most delicious and all-natural crackers, cookies, and cake and brownie mixes with actually healthy ingredients. You might not find them at every grocery store, but if you do some searching you can probably find a selection in your area or you can order from their website or on Amazon.
Look for potato chips made with avocado or coconut oil.
Be sure to check the ingredients for extra "filler" oils they may not have listed on the front of the bag.
Try eliminating toxic seed oils from your home, researching ways you could make one food yourself that you usually buy at a store, and asking what kinds of oils are used at your favorite restaurant.
Fat Fiction Documentary:
I encourage you to watch this free documentary Fat Fiction with an open mind. If you're like me, you will be amazed and angered by the blatant lies we have been told about "good" and "bad" foods and what causes the diseases that are so prevalent in our society.
This documentary explains the whole mess of the food pyramid and food systems, the history of how low-fat foods rose in popularity, and the direct link to increased diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Do your best to eliminate your toxic load:
Although I believe everyone could benefit from not eating seed oils, everyone's body is different.
People react to food differently and have their own health journeys.
I personally feel best when I eat a high-fat, low-carb, high-red meat and dairy diet, but I know that is not true for everyone. I am highly sensitive to seed oils but some people may not even notice any effects from eating them.
I also want to remind you that the goal is not to be perfect, but to try your best and listen to your body and your intuition.
It is impossible to live a 100% nontoxic life and you can drive yourself mad by worrying about every little thing that could potentially harm you.
If you are starting from a diet high in seed oils, it is ok to slip up and eat a little bit. Especially when you are learning how to:
- order at restaurants
- snack when traveling
- eat during a busy work day
- feed your family on a budget
- eat what makes you feel your best
Set a goal to eliminate seed oils from your diet for a set time like a week or a month, then notice how you feel if you consume them again. Symptoms of toxicity can be unnoticeable if you have a high tolerance and shockingly apparent once your body has detoxed.
Your toxic load will still be monumentally smaller than most people and you should remind yourself to be proud of the effort you are making towards your health.
Toxic seed oils are responsible for a lot more diseases and symptoms than most people realize. If you are suffering from symptoms of which you can't find the source, consider eliminating seed oils from your diet. There are so many healthy oils to choose from when stocking your kitchen.