Toxic Oils

I want to talk about a food that is in my opinion THE most toxic of all of the foods AND it’s the least recognised as toxic.  Every week when I go shopping, I share on my Instagram stories foods that are toxic and those that are better.  Every time I share this information, my DMs light up with so many comments and questions so I thought I would dedicate a blog to it.

The food in question is VEGETABLE or SEED OILS. These oils are otherwise known as Industrial Seed Oils and are made from the seeds of plants such as corn, soybean, canola, cotton, sunflower, and safflower.  Historically these were used in manufactured products such as soaps, candles, cosmetics, even insulators, however, in the last few decades they have been deemed ‘heart-healthy’ oils. This has led to a dramatic increase in their usage and consumption and consumption of some of these oils has increased by more than a thousandfold since the early 1900s.

We’re still only just starting to understand the reasons why the consumption of these oils is extremely problematic, but based on current evidence, they should be minimised for the following reasons

• They contain high amounts of linoleic acid which research suggests is harmful when consumed in excess
• They are easily oxidised (damaged) and oxidative damage is associated with most modern inflammatory conditions (think autoimmune conditions, heart disease, etc)
• There’s no strong evidence they protect against heart disease and ever-increasing evidence they increase the risk

So where do these oils hide? EVERYWHERE.  These oils are ubiquitous in packaged and processed foods and are used in every single cafe, restaurant, and dining establishment outside of your home (yes even the expensive and farm-to-table restaurants, even your favourite plant-based cafe).

What can we do? Firstly, READ YOUR LABELS and avoid everything with seed oil in it or vegetable oil.  Secondly, eat out less and if you eat out, opt for foods that have not been fried.  Finally, if you do have any vegetable oil or industrial seed oil in your panty – toss it out immediately!

I hope that this has provided some insight and clarity around oils and food.  Feel free to reply with any comments or questions you may have.