We started eliminating seed oils from our diet a few months ago to support our overall health and well-being. I am by no means an expert and I’m still learning new things everyday to improve myself.
There will be links to different studies, articles, and videos I found helpful in learning more about the effects of seed oils on overall health in the resources section.
First, what are seed oils and where do we find them?
Grab any snack out of your pantry and I’m 99% sure there is a type of seed oil listed in the ingredients. Seed oils you might be familiar with are:
- Soybean Oil: Widely used in cooking and processed foods.
- Corn Oil: Commonly used for frying and as an ingredient in margarine.
- Sunflower Oil: Used in cooking and as a salad dressing.
- Safflower Oil: Often used for frying and in salad dressings.
- Cottonseed Oil: Used in processed foods and for frying.
- Canola Oil: Derived from rapeseed and used in cooking and baking.
- Sesame Oil: Common in Asian cuisine, used for cooking and flavoring.
Most packaged and processed foods have seed oils present in the ingredient list like chips, crackers, and microwave popcorn. Along with fried foods, baked goods, salad dressings, sauces, and more.
Seed oils are basically the oils extracted from the seeds of various plants. Usually they are extracted through a mechanical process or chemical extraction methods. Mechanical pressing involves pressing the seeds to extract oil, while chemical extraction involves using solvents like hexane to extract oil from the seeds.
We are eliminating seed oils from our diet for a number of reasons:
- Seed oils have been linked to heart disease due to their high content of omega-6 fatty acids, mostly when consumed in excessive amounts and in imbalanced ratios with omega-3 fatty acids.
- Basically, overconsumption of seed oils equals high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. It’s hard to not over consume seed oils when they are so popular in the average american diet
- Having high levels of omega-6 fatty acids can lead to inflammation in the body. With chronic inflammation you are more likely to develop heart diseases like atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and coronary artery disease.
- Seed oils can also impact your LDL (low-density lipoprotein) Cholesterol when they are used to cook processed foods, and especially when they are partially hydrogenated or used for frying at high temperatures. High LDL cholesterol is also linked to heart disease.
- When seed oils are exposed to heat, light, and air during processing or cooking they can become oxidized. When you consume oxidized fats this can cause oxidative stress on the body which damages cells and contributes heart disease.
- Different types of seed oils undergo hydrogenation to become partially hydrogenated oils, which in turn forms trans fats. Trans fats are linked to… you guessed it, heart disease!
In summary, there are a number of links to consuming high amounts of seed oils and heart disease. When seed oils are present in your everyday foods and sauces it is hard to not consume high levels of it.
I’m here to share our commitment to living healthy and free! I’ll be sharing the food swaps we’ve already made to avoid seed oils and much more. Stay Living Wavy Blue 🌊