The Lowdown on Seed Oils
Something called "seed oils" have been getting a lot of attention lately, but this is a new term to most folks. So, I'd like to provide an overview of what they are and how they may impact health. Seed oils are plant-based cooking oils made from the seeds of various plants. In order to make them usable for cooking, they are typically refined through a chemical process where they’re bleached, deodorized and heated. The most common seed oils are:
- Canola oil (aka rapeseed oil)
- Corn oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Soybean oil
- Sunflower oil
- Safflower oil
- Rice bran oil
- Peanut oil
Many of these seed oils would naturally be high in vitamin E and other antioxidants, but the refining process used to make them removes most of their health-promoting properties. Seed oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, which your body needs in small amounts. But the typical American includes too many omega-6 fatty acids. This throws off your body’s ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids, which can contribute to inflammation. The other concern is that seed oils are typically used in ultra-processed foods that come along with additional nutrition concerns, such as high amounts of sodium and sugar.
If you are trying to improve your overall health, I would recommend starting with fewer ultra-processed foods. This will automatically limit your exposure to seed oils, along with a host of other ingredients that negatively affect health. Next, if you are regularly cooking with any of the seed oils listed above, I would switch to olive or avocado oil. If you are set on using seed oils, buy versions that are pure and unrefined, which aren’t as processed and retain some of their nutrients. Finally, try adding more omega-3 fatty acids to your diet through foods such as salmon, tuna, sardines, chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, and omega-3 fortified eggs, yogurt or milk.