The beauty of living a healthy lifestyle, is that we are always learning new and better ways to stay well, be well, and get well. The hard part is, often discovering that things we thought were innocuous, can actually be quite harmful. Enter seed oils.
While I haven’t used the more commonly “bad for you” seed oils, like safflower and canola, in my home for decades, I did fall prey to grapeseed oil the past few years. I also didn’t realize how many seed oils are lurking in food items that you wouldn’t otherwise think had any oils in them to begin with.
So, for today, I want to discuss my discoveries and how I made them, and I also want to share some disturbing facts about seeds oils so that you can make better health choices as well!
It all started with acne. Yep, you heard it right….pimples, zits, breakouts, whatever you may want to call them! This past summer, my 19 year old son started making some great choices in his overall wellness. He started eating healthier (no small feat for a modern day teen) and going to the gym on a regular basis. In order to see more “gains” he began drinking pre-made protein shakes, and was very proud at the fact that he had chosen the brand that was healthiest because it had a short, seemingly healthy ingredient list. I was super proud of him for being that pro-active about his heath as well.
Then the breakouts started happening. I knew that he wasn’t doing anything different, if anything, he was being healthier than usual…so why the acne flare-ups? Now, I do know several functional and integrative doctors and wellness professionals, so I had been hearing some news on the evils of seed oils for some time, but I didn’t pay too much attention or do any research on my own because I thought our diets were already pretty devoid of these oils. I was so wrong!
In order to help my son gain control of his skin, I intuitively started to go back to some of the articles about seed oils I had seen in passing, and lo and behold….found out that these oils contribute massively to skin conditions….and WORSE.
So, I immediately sat my son down and explained what I had learned, he threw away all of the protein shakes he had in the fridge, and over the course of the next week his skin starting clearing up. He now sends me articles he comes across himself on the dangers of seed oils and tells his friends about it too. Yeah, I might be a proud mom. 😉
Needless to say, I also got rid of the grapeseed oil I had been using and have gone back to olive and avocado oils as well as grass-fed butter. I do like coconut oil for other things, but don’t love the taste in savory foods, so I don’t use it to fry or sauté. Oh, and the reason I was using grapeseed oil in the first place was because a couple of my amazing foodie/cook friends recommended it as it has a higher burn point than olive oil and more affordable than avocado oil. Glad I know better now though!
So, in case you haven’t already heard about seed oils and why you should avoid them, here is some quick good-to-know information I put together so that you can rewire your health too!:
Reasons to Avoid Seed Oils:
Polyunsaturated fats: Seed oils are rich in polyunsaturated fats which are highly inflammatory and can produce large amounts of free radicals in your body. This can lead to everything from acne to accelerated aging, and can damage cellular structure and the lining of blood vessels leading to heart disease, suppressed immune systems, and cancer.
Impact on Hormones: Seed oils can disrupt hormonal balance and have an estrogenic effect which can affect your skin and overall hormone health.
Glycation: Seed oils may contribute to glycation, a process where excess sugar molecules attach to collagen and elastin fibers, leading to prematurely sagging skin and loss of skin elasticity.
Skin Sensitization: Seed oils may sensitize the skin, making it more susceptible to irritation, redness, and allergic reactions.
Some studies have also shown that consuming seed oils can make you more prone to sunburn and sun damage!
Unhealthy Cholesterol Levels: According to a review published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal, seed oils can also lower “good” HDL cholesterol; and increase a more dangerous, oxidized form of “bad” LDL cholesterol thus affecting your heart health.
….and this is just the tip of the iceberg!
If you need some healthier options to the seed oils you may have in your kitchen opt for avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, grass-fed butter, ghee, and even lard (for our non vegan friends). Pay close attention to food labels too because you would be amazed at how many foods contain these seed oils that you would never think to check….like my son’s protein shakes, different type of nut or oat milks, and a disturbingly large array of other foods that are billed as “health foods”.
That’s it for today! Just had to hop on a share one more simply yet important way to take control of our health, our aging, our kids’ health and all that good stuff you know I love talking about! 🙂
DISCLAIMER: As an affiliate, I make a small portion of sales made via some of the links in my blog.
