Unless you live under a rock, you will have seen the constant stream of posts, videos, podcasts, and discussions about the evils of seed oils.
One of my long-time readers asked via email:
“Now I would really like to know how Jini feels about seed oils. Especially since so many holistic doctors even say that even the highest quality brands are so bad for us. Could you please ask her? I would really like to hear her own explanation.” – PW
If you want to do some research, you can find just as many research-backed opinion pieces from various graduate students stating that YES all seed oils are bad and should not be consumed, or NO, all seed oils are not bad; It depends on the type and type of processing.
This reminds me of the raging debate about grass-fed butter and fat versus all other oils. Do you remember that?
It reminds me of the vociferous grain versus paleo debate.
The first thing I want to point out is that you should always be careful and aware when you see a nutrition/diet trend. Remember that everyone from manufacturers to health/nutrition coaches to doctors to social media influencers make money off diet trends, fear and outrage. There is no financial reward for being balanced, rigorous and calm.
The second thing I always look at is my own personal experience. Instead of looking for an outside “expert” to tell me what’s good for my body, how about I ask my own body directly?
And here’s a novel idea: what your body wants/likes can change depending on a variety of factors! If you missed my last podcast with Intuitive Eating, Gail Blair, be sure to listen as we talk about tolerance thresholds, the root cause of allergies, and the importance of getting in touch with your body as it heals, life changes, hormones change, etc.
My personal experience with seed oils
Right from the beginning of my research and journey into using an elemental diet to heal inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, colitis, diverticulitis), I learned the importance of only using cold-pressed, unrefined oils. Once oil is heated during the extraction process (except perhaps coconut oil), it becomes denatured. So that’s the first difference: stay away from heat extracted and hydrogenated oils. So when I was testing good sources of fat to add to my Elemental shakes, I tested unrefined cold-pressed flaxseed oil, cold-pressed hemp seed oil, MCT oil (from coconut), and a cold-pressed, unrefined blend called Udo’s Oil. My body liked the cold-pressed linseed oil and Udos oil best.
At this time I was severely malnourished (44 kg at 1.75 m tall) and was consuming 8-15 tablespoons of flax and Udos daily, in addition to my Elemental shakes. Six weeks later I had 60kg of muscle when I cycled to the gym three times a week where I did weights. So yes, my body was doing very well with the seed oils I added to my elemental whey isolate shakes (no casein, no lactose) with all the nutrients, amino acids and targeted healing supplements = The IBD Remission Diet.
I couldn’t tolerate MCT oil at the time (although I tolerate it well now) and my body was fine with hemp oil but wasn’t a big fan of it.
After giving birth and breastfeeding each of my three children for extended periods of time, my body craved fish oil, Udo’s oil, butter and extra virgin olive oil. During one of my pregnancies, I also ate ikura (raw salmon eggs) almost every day for 3 months because my body demanded it. And guess what, I was one of the few postpartum moms who didn’t experience hair loss! Something that is explained to pregnant/birthing women as “normal” is actually a nutrient deficiency. I told some mothers to start supplementing with 4 capsules of cod liver oil and 2 tablespoons of Udos oil per day, and they were amazed that not only did their hair loss stop, but their hair also grew back, often thicker than before.
At the moment I still eat a lot of good fats because my body needs a lot of protein and a lot of fat – that’s just my way. That’s why I use ghee, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, duck fat, MCT oil, udo oil, cod liver oil and small amounts of sesame oil (I love toasted sesame oil for my ramen!) and goat butter. I make my own mayonnaise using extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and a smaller amount of unrefined, organic, cold-pressed safflower oil.
My body never wants canola oil in any form – I haven’t researched it, but I feel like something bad has been done to the canola plant in Canada. I’m okay with organic cold-pressed soy oil in store-bought mayonnaise – but my body likes it better when I mix it 50/50 with avocado oil mayonnaise.
When you learn to listen to your gut (not your taste buds!) and follow the guidance of your unique body, you’ll never have to worry about what you should or shouldn’t eat again. If you don’t know how to do this, start by listening to my podcast with Eating Intuitively, Gail Blair. Or take an intuition development course that you feel guided towards. Self-awareness, listening to your own body, listening to gut guidance or intuition, these are all just different names for the same thing. Listening to your gut is probably the most powerful remedy you can have in your medicine bag.
A trusted opinion on the dangers or safety of seed oils
I know my body’s opinion on the whole seed oil issue, but how about a second opinion from a trusted source…like the man who developed Udo’s oil? This has helped heal me, hundreds of thousands of my readers, and countless pregnant/postpartum women. This podcast with Udo Erasmus PhD – author of Fats That Heal Fats That Kill and formulator of Udo’s Oil – is the perfect discussion to conclude this topic.
Udo’s clear, matter-of-fact style is a breath of cleansing air – have fun!
