Should You Be Avoiding Seed Oils?

When it comes to wellness, it can feel like there are way too many rules to follow . Some may even contradict one another, leaving you confused about how to truly construct the perfect diet. The latest wellness tip is that in order to maintain optimal health, one must avoid foods cooked with seed oils. Being that seed oils are in most processed foods, this can be a difficult feat. However, the everchanging health trends peg the question, are seed oils truly as harmful as they may seem. Here’s what you need to know.

What Are Seed Oils?

Seed oils are any vegetable oil that derives from the seed of a plant rather than its fruit. The most commonly used include sunflower, canola, soybean, corn, safflower, grapeseed and sesame oils. Said to be better for cardiovascular health, they gained popularity in the culinary realm to replace traditional saturated fats , like butter, suet, tallow and lard.

However, while it may seem like they’re plant-based, seed oils are highly processed. Industrial manufacturers use high temperatures, chemical deodorizers and petroleum-based solvents to extract oils from seeds. This process strips the oil of its nutritional value and creates harmful trans-fats. They also add synthetic chemicals and known carcinogens.

Consuming large quantities of seed oils can also create an imbalance of free radicals in your body. This can potentially lead to diseases, like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, hypertension, arthritis and Alzheimer’s. This is why more foods are clarifying whether they have seed oils on their packaging.

Should You Eat Seed Oils?

In truth, all you can truly do is your best. It’s impossible to avoid every single thing that could potentially be bad for you, especially when you’re eating out. Living holistically means finding a sustainable balance between foods that are good for the body and good for the soul.

While consuming seed oils every now and again certainly won’t make or break you, using alternatives, like avocado oil and olive oil, when cooking at home can make a world of difference. Unhealthy seed oils have been linked to infertility in both men and women, yet these alternatives contain healthy fats that can actually support the body. With this effort alongside swapping out processed foods for healthier, but still satisfying alternatives, you can live healthily without the added stress.

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