I have always cooked with seed oils and have been seeing contradictory information about whether they’re good or bad. Food science is something I don’t quite understand so please, explain it like I’m five.
edit: thank you for everyone’s responses. I will continue life as normal and cook with my seed oils
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Absolutely nothing. It’s one of those things a bunch of influences are echo-chambering among themselves to make the new thing to discuss and make themselves “relevant”.
Seed oils are no worse or better than most other fats.
There’s no issue (unless you’re over consuming them, which is the same with any food). In general, plant oils are better than animal fats due to their lipid profile, though the science on saturated fats impact on cardiovascular health is getting a bit more forgiving. But in general, nothing is wrong with seed oils, just don’t overuse them or burn them.
Supposedly the Polyunsaturated fats in refined seed oils have a molecular structure more vulnerable to oxidation by free radicals in the body. Oxidized LDL is a lot harder for the body to move around or dispose of and is the topic of a lot of research involving its effect on cardiovascular health.
No Lab Coat Required did an interesting video on all the details. I’d recommend checking it out.
It’s known in cooking that you don’t want your oil to smoke. This is burning the oil, and it crates harmful compounds.
>The toxic aldehydes are a result of degradation of the fatty acids in oil, and although some are volatile, others remain after frying. That is why they can be found in cooked food.
Seed oils begin this process typically at lower temperatures, and produce more garbage while doing so, when compared to say coconut or olive oils.
They tend to have a higher omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which, in theory, is pro-inflammatory, potentially leading to disorders related to excess inflammation like GI problems, metabolic disorders, and cancer. I personally think you’re much better off eating nuts and seeds that contain these oils than you are eating ultra processed foods and excess sugars and starches, but what do I know. No matter what the studies show on healthy vs unhealthy diets, one theme continues to remain consistent: balance is key.
The biggest issue with oils is how they’re processed. Coconut, avocado, and olive oils are consider healthy because of how easy they are to produce (basically squeeze them). A lot of seed oils require chemical additions and then incomplete (but within FDA tolerance) removal of the chemicals.
Eliminate seed oils and watch your bloating decrease, your skin will clear up and you’ll sunburn less easily.
This is a lot like potatoes, they’re actually ridiculously healthy but it’s the method we cook them that gives them unhealthily traits
The real issue is the amount that gets consumed. Eating a lot of fried food means you consume way more of it than you should. The problems as far as I understand, is that overconsumption means you get:
– Too many Omega 6 fatty acids, which can increase inflammation.
– Seed oils are some of the largest industrial crops, which means you are getting exposed to lots of pesticide and herbicide residues, which can have long-term health effects. These effects are still being studied.
But overall, if you just keep the amount you consume low, then the problematic effects will be minimal or non-existent.
If you’re into podcasts, Science Vs has a good episode on this “trend” and why it’s nonsense.
The way I understand it is it’s not the fat that’s the problem per se (outside of the saturated/unsaturated argument)… The problem with most seed oils is the extraction process.
Take canola oil for ex: you can get about 75% of the oil by crushing the seed. To get the remaining 25% you need to dissolve the oil in solvents (like benzene iirc) then try to remove the solvent before bottling and selling.
Two things are believed: that not all the solvent can be/is removed from processing so people are ingesting small amounts of the solvents by eating the oils and/or the solvents cause changes in the oils that make them less healthy.
You are a living, biological organism. Look at your flesh and cells under a microscope, that is what you are, and you need to eat that.
Canola oil, and other trash of the like, is motor oil. It is not biological, it is a homogeneous fluid with nothing in it, it is just a lubricant that won’t kill you. Cooking with it is grotesque. It was shilled to you by your government after WW2 when they had comical amounts of motor oil left over and nothing to do with it. You need micronutrients like vitamins, you need proteins, you need plants and animals. Humans are not an equation that you put in grease, soy protein slurry, and sugar and they’ll just work. That’s why Americans are sick and obese and psychotic. The processing that goes into most seed oils (sparing like, sesame and olive) is VILE. They BLEACH that shit.
Yes, they fed you motor oil to make a few cents.
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