The answer to the human health crisis is hidden in plain sight.
Read your food labels.
If you see:
- Vegetable oil
- Soybean oil
- Canola/Rapeseed oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Sunflower oil
- Corn oil
- Soy oil
- Safflower oil
- Rapeseed oil
- Rice Bran oil
Don’t eat it.
What are Seed Oils?
Seed oils are highly processed oils extracted through industrial methods, often sourced from genetically modified crops.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr has exploded within the health scene. With Trump returning to office, it’s promising we may see a positive shift if RFK is positioned in a health based role. He’s already voiced his concerns with seed oils, and stated it’s time to bring animal fats back.
It’s probably not the first time you’ve heard of seed oils (vegetable oils) being bad for you. It’s one thing to hear something is bad. It’s another to understand why it’s bad.
Why are Seed Oils unhealthy?
Seed oils fall under the category of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs).
PUFAs are an unstable chemical molecule prone to reacting with oxygen – a process known as oxidation.
Oxidation creates toxins within food that wasn’t there originally, which are toxic. The toxins promote a state of cell imbalance named oxidative stress, depleting our body of antioxidants.
Free radicals, a destructive molecule that damages cells in the body are a natural byproducts of oxidation reaction. They destroy our cells once at a time until the tissues and organs relying on them can no longer function.
Diseased cells lead to organ malfunction, developing inflammatory and degenerative diseases.
Examples of inflammatory and degenerative diseases include:
- Diabetes
- Asthma
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Obesity
- Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
- Cancer
Some of these conditions respond quickly to dietary change, whilst others require more time.
Mitochondria are especially sensitive to oxidative stress, as they are both the main energy producers and largest source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells. Excessive ROS disrupts mitochondrial membranes, impairing energy production (ATP) and potentially damaging cells.
Chronic inflammation opens the door to more issues. This includes immune system malfunction and autoimmune diseases.
The modern diet’s dramatic shift in omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratios represents a significant health concern. While our ancestors consumed these fats in a nearly equal ratio (1:1 or 2:1), today’s processed food-heavy diets often contain ratios of 10:1 to 20:1, largely due to the widespread use of vegetable oils.
This imbalance can lead to several health issues:
Chronic Inflammation
Omega-6 fats promote inflammation while Omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory. Excessive omega-6 without adequate omega-3 creates a pro-inflammatory state. This chronic inflammation contributes to modern diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis
Cardiovascular Impact
High omega-6:omega-3 ratios can lead to:
- Increased blood pressure
- Higher risk of blood clots
- Greater inflammatory markers
- Overall increased cardiovascular risk
Neurological Effects
Proper brain function requires adequate omega-3s. Imbalanced ratios may contribute to mood disorders and cognitive decline leading towards poor mental health outcomesTo best position yourself, whether you have these diseases or not, cut out vegetable oils.
Chances are you have items laced with seed oils sitting in your pantry/snack cupboard.
I value the journey of becoming healthy. It’s essential in becoming the person worthy of achieving your goals. This applies to body, mind, and soul. Cutting vegetable oils out of your diet is a tremendous step forward.
If you need any motivation, wait til you hear the history of how these toxic oils came into existence.
History of Vegetable Oils
There was a tallow shortage for soap in the 1890’s. Procter & Gamble began using a textile byproduct, cottonseed oil to fill the void.
Cottonseeds contain a high concentration of an antinutrient named gossypol. Known to cause dangerous spikes in blood potassium levels, organ damage, infertility, and paralysis.
Meatpackers began illegally pumping cottonseed oil into animal fats like tallow and lard to raise their volume. It was secretly added to American olive oil too.
In the 1940’s, soybeans were crushed to yield oil and meal. The oil was intended to make plastics, but major advancements refined the oil making it acceptable in cooking and salad oils.
Canola and rapeseed oil are the same. Since rapeseeds originate in Canada, it’s referred to as Canada oil – Canola for short. Rapeseeds are unsuitable for human consumption due to the erucic causing liver damage. It was primarily used as engine lubricant. Canadian scientists developed a hybrid more suitable for human consumption.
Vegetable oils are cheap and scalable – every business dream. Even with the harmful effects, it made its way into our food supply. So how is it legal, and still continuing to grow? Well just like all things in life, money talks.
$115.8 billion. That’s the amount the vegetable oil industry made in 2020. Expected to rise to $162 billion by 2027.
If you need more motivation to cut them out, here’s how it’s produced.
How Seed Oils are Made
Seed oils go through a rigorous process to become how you see it in stores.
A visual representation of how these oils are extracted can provide the biggest impact, so here’s a video on how canola oil is made.
It’s worth checking the comment section if you’re in for any further confirmation, and amusement.
The seeds themselves aren’t toxic. Cottonseed is the only exception as we mentioned earlier. Seeds are dormant plant embryos that contain almost no oxygen. The seeds possess many antioxidants that have the ability of blocking oxidation. The harsh process of extracting the oil destroys the antioxidants.
PUFAs are an unstable molecule. This is due to the fact they have two or more double bonds, making it much more susceptible to oxidation. These PUFAs are severely exposed when reacting with the intense oxygen, heat, and chemicals throughout this extraction process.
Can we expect a product that goes through intense chemical, hexane, bleaching, and heat processing to be beneficial for our health?
Eliminating Seed Oils Improved Athletic Performance
As an athlete, performing and recovering optimally is vital. Even with a team nutritionist, I was never taught how harmful the effects of seed oils were to my health.
I have a history of frequent injuries. 4 major knee surgeries within 5 years.
I thought to myself, this can’t be how I’ll live the rest of my life. I was diligent with my rehabilitation. I understood the value of substantial rest and recovery. The response to activity was my issue. So I started looking at the effects of inflammation.
In exercise, inflammation is our body’s natural response to repair our body. This increases blood flow to the affected area to replenish oxygen, fuel muscles, and replenish waste. It’s a necessary and beneficial function we need for healing.
Too much inflammation is harmful. In my case, I’d struggle with day-to-day tasks like walking up and down stairs. Getting in and out of cars. I began researching my symptoms and all signs pointed towards arthritis. (I was only 24 at the time of this happening.)
In our health journey there are things we can’t control, while there are numerous things we can. What we eat is our choice.
I took a proactive approach in eliminating seed oils. All the snacks, bread, drinks, cooking oil, etc. I felt a humongous shift in only two short weeks.
I made an appointment to see a specialist regarding my symptoms. It took 8 months to get the appointment scheduled. It took 2 weeks to fix my issues with a simple change in diet. I’m unsure as to what the diagnosis is, but I’m fortunate that I’ve never had to deal with the pain since. In fact, this is the best I’ve ever felt.
After 4 knee surgeries in a high impact sport like basketball, I never thought I’d reach optimal performance. It’s astonishing how drastic our body can adapt to eradicating food we’re not supposed to eat.
Dr. Cate Shanahan is a renowned physician, nutritionist, and author, celebrated for revolutionizing sports nutrition through her work with the Los Angeles Lakers. By introducing her PRO Nutrition program, which emphasized whole foods, healthy fats, and reducing processed foods, Dr. Shanahan transformed how athletes approach their diets.
Her guidance led to noticeable improvements in the Lakers’ endurance, recovery, and overall performance. Her success with the team sparked widespread interest, influencing other professional sports organizations to adopt similar nutritional strategies, showcasing the profound connection between diet and peak athletic performance.
Her books, Deep Nutrition and Dark Calories are mandatory reads.
What to replace Seed Oils with
The first step is to eliminate all seed oils from your diet.
Read food labels like your life depends on it (It really does).
While you’re at it, you may as well cut out other foods destroying your health too.
Stay clear of the following:
- Vegetable oils
- Processed foods
- Soda
- Candy
- Fast Food
You might be asking what alternatives there are:
- Butter
- Ghee
- Avocado Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Tallow
These are significantly more stable molecules. Since they don’t go through such a vicious cycle of processing, they provide beneficial properties such as antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
There is no perfect diet. Metabolism, genetics, and microbiomes make our bodies react to food in different ways. It’s important to find what works for you.
Thankfully, simplicity is key when crafting a well balanced diet. Prioritise single ingredient foods. Stay away from processed foods, and absolutely stay clear of seed oils.
You know what seed oils are and how harmful they are to our health. Many people around the world are waking up to the lies we’re told by these large, paid-off corporations.
Break the cycle. Lower your risk of inflammatory disease. Don’t take pills that fix short-term symptoms, while destroying long term health.
You’re the director of your life. This role will always remain constant, so why not become at best? Join the mass awakening of taking back our health, and opening the door to endless possibilities.
We have more valuable information to assist your journey. Check out our ultimate guide for actionable steps!
