Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition: The Seed Oils in Many of Your Foods Are Absolutely Bad for You
When striving to balance all of the goals and responsibilities in your life, it can get really hectic. As a society, we are rushed, busy and trying to cram an ever-increasing list of tasks into every day. We do our best, but often have a hard time staying aware of what we are putting into our bodies as food, and the association our food may have to the way our bodies feel. Even when we do pay attention, it’s often hard to know what is good for us and what isn’t, because so many items labelled as healthy simply are not.
In order to enjoy an active, energetic life in our later years, we must continue to strive to make better choices. We have to be aware of a few key points:
- Calories are not all that matter, and we have to consider more than calories when selecting foods.
- Crafty packaging and labels do not make a food healthy for you to consume.
- The cheapest products are cheap because they are often made with low-quality ingredients that are damaging to your health.
When it comes to helping you feel better in your daily life, few other changes (like ditching sugar) can have the significance of eliminating harmful seed oils from your diet. These oils are everywhere in our modern North American diet, and they simply wreak havoc on our health.
Examples of seed oils:
- Soybean
- Canola
- Corn
- Cottonseed
- Rapeseed
- Safflower
- Rice bran
- Sunflower
- Grape seed
These oils are commonly found in nearly all processed foods, including chips, granola bars, cereals, breads, dried fruits, sauces, and most restaurant dishes.
Why are these oils bad for us?
- Processed seed oils are high in Omega-6 fatty acids. A healthy body has a good ratio of Omega-3 fatty acids to Omega-6 fatty acids (1:1 is ideal, and the modern North America diet can be 1:20!). Omega-6’s promote inflammation, while Omega-3’s can be anti-inflammatory. These seed oils are high in Omega-6 and low in Omega-3, throwing off the ratio and promoting chronic inflammation, leading to degenerative disease and illness.
- When used at high temperatures, like they are in restaurants or food processing, these oils become toxic. They become oxidized and release trans-fats (linked to heart disease) and lipid peroxides (damage to DNA, proteins and cell membranes), leading to accelerated aging and chronic disease. The oxidation of these oils is amplified when they are heated repeatedly, such as in a deep-fryer at a restaurant.
- PUFAs – PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acids overstimulate inflammatory processes in the body. They are prone to oxidation (kind of like how metals can rust). They are linked to heart disease, cancer, liver damage, Alzheimer’s and other degenerative conditions, as well as accelerating the general aging process.
- There are numerous anecdotal reports of people who have a history of burning easily in the sun having greater sun-resistance (they don’t burn as easily in the sun) after giving up PUFA-heavy seed oils.
Eliminating these oils from your life might not be easy at the beginning, if you are currently using them in convenient, quick food options. Once you make the change, however, the difference is physically palpable when your body has drastically less inflammation, potentially giving you much greater longevity.
What oils and fats should we be using instead?
- Coconut Oil
- Animal fats – tallow, lard, bacon fat, chicken, duck, or goose fat…
- EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Butter and Ghee
This change can make a huge difference in how you feel, and how long you live. If you need some help making healthy changes, reach out to us for support.
Check out these other resources:
This is a great overview on the various seed oils: https://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/
If you want to know more about where seed oils come from, or how they’re made, check out: https://chriskresser.com/how-industrial-seed-oils-are-making-us-sick/