Hello everyone,
Welcome to the Avenues to Wellness podcast.
I am Tamara Fidler,
A board-certified health coach and the host of the show.
On Avenues to Wellness,
We discuss everything surrounding wellness,
From yoga to habit change,
Disease prevention,
And the latest nutrition research.
We tackle tough topics and you will find inspiration to stay on your path to a healthier future.
Hello everyone,
And welcome back to the Avenues to Wellness podcast.
I took a short break to regroup after some schedule changes,
Kids going back to school,
New jobs in the families,
And you know how it goes.
But now we're in September,
And I'm excited to share that I'm planning to incorporate something new into this podcast.
I'll soon be bringing on guests and collaborating with others,
Which I'm really looking forward to.
But for today's show,
It's just you and me.
We're going to talk about something that's creating quite a buzz in the health world lately,
Especially among health coaches,
Conscious eaters,
And the food is medicine crowd.
That's right,
Today we're diving into seed oils.
So let's get into it.
So what exactly are seed oils?
Why all the buzz and what makes them so controversial?
You've probably noticed that seed oils are everywhere,
Whether it's in your kitchen,
In packaged foods,
Or in almost every restaurant meal.
Seed oils have become so common that they're almost like background noise.
We hardly notice them anymore.
But recently,
There's been growing concern with some nutritionists and health experts calling these oils toxic and advising us to steer clear.
So what's the real deal with seed oils?
Let's break it down.
First,
Let's start with the basics so we're all on the same page.
What are seed oils?
Simply put,
Seed oils are vegetable oils extracted from the seeds of plants.
Common examples include canola oil,
Sunflower oil,
Soybean oil,
Corn oil,
And safflower oil.
Here's where things start to get a bit more complicated.
These oils are extracted using industrial processes that involve high heat and chemical solvents.
After extraction,
They go through refining,
Bleaching,
And deodorizing to make them suitable for cooking and food processing.
So in today's podcast,
I'll be covering three key areas of concern when it comes to seed oils,
And then sharing some basic preliminary things to look out for when you're purchasing oils for cooking and when you're reading ingredients in some of the packaged foods you're buying.
And since this is just a 10-minute episode,
Consider it a brief introduction of the topic.
My goal is to raise awareness and give you some food for thought,
Not to sound the alarm or suggest that you need to cut out seed oils immediately.
I'm simply sharing the research that's out there to help you make informed food choices.
So the first issue with seed oils is that there is a high omega-6 fatty acid content.
Seed oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids,
Which are essential fats,
Meaning our bodies need them but cannot produce them on their own.
However,
The standard American diet,
Which concludes a high intake of seed oils,
Often leads to an imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
This imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is believed to contribute to chronic inflammation,
And we know that chronic inflammation is linked to various health issues.
The second concern I want to address is the industrial processing of seed oils.
To get these oils onto store shelves,
Manufacturers typically use high heat and chemical solvents to extract the oil from seeds.
This process strips the oil of its natural nutrients and can create harmful byproducts.
And one of those harmful byproducts is trans fats.
So although the amount of trans fats in modern seed oils is relatively low,
They can still form during the refining process,
Especially when oils are hydrogenated to improve shelf life.
And so just a quick aside,
I had to look up what hydrogenation means,
And here's a simple explanation.
Hydrogenation is when hydrogen gas is added to the oil,
Altering its chemical structure to make it more solid and stable.
This process helps extend shelf life and improve the texture,
But it also comes with significant health risks,
Mainly due to the creation of trans fats.
And trans fats are notorious for their negative impact on heart health,
As they can raise the bad cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol,
So that's increasing the risk of heart disease.
The last area of concern regarding seed oils that I wanted to mention is their susceptibility to oxidation,
Which is related to what I mentioned earlier about omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-6 fatty acids are highly unstable and prone to oxidize,
Especially when exposed to heat during cooking.
So when these fats oxidize,
They form harmful compounds called free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage cells,
They damage our DNA,
They contribute to the aging process,
As well as increase the risk of chronic diseases.
This is an area where there's a whole slew of research out there related to this type of oxidative stress,
Our mitochondria,
Our cells,
And our DNA.
And when we consume oxidized oils,
These free radicals enter our bodies and can cause oxidative stress.
And that's a condition where the balance between the free radicals and the antioxidants is disturbed.
Oxidative stress is a major player in the development of conditions like diabetes and some neurodegenerative diseases.
All right,
So I have talked about some concerns that are becoming more widely known in the consumption of seed oils.
Not all is lost,
Though,
And I want to turn to some things we can do to mitigate some of the negative effects on our health these oils can cause.
The first thing we can do is to look for cold-pressed or expeller pressed oils when we are buying oils for cooking.
Cold-pressed or expeller pressed oils are extracted mechanically without the use of the high heat or chemical solvents.
So this method preserves more of the oil's natural nutrients,
Including the antioxidants and essential fatty acids,
Making the oil healthier.
And it will usually say right there on the label cold-pressed or expeller pressed.
The next thing we can do is to consider branching out from your normal everyday oil that you buy on default.
So I typically buy olive oil,
And that's very good oil,
But there are so many oils out there like avocado,
Walnut,
Even coconut oil,
And so on.
And so I'm learning that oils actually have different smoke points,
And one size does not necessarily fit all when it comes to oil for different purposes.
So maybe get curious about the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of oils and spend some time experimenting with the oils that you use for cooking.
The next thing that you can do is to beware of hydrogenated oils.
So we talked about the hydrogenated oils earlier,
And even if the label says partially hydrogenated,
It's really simply best to avoid these oils.
And also check your food products to see if they contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils as well.
And the last suggestion I have is to buy in dark glass bottles.
So why does this matter?
Seed oils can be very sensitive to light,
Which can cause them to oxidize and go rancid.
So oils that are sold in the dark glass bottles are better protected from the light exposure,
And that helps to preserve their quality and their nutritional value also.
To recap,
We've covered some important topics today from the high omega-6 fatty acid content in certain oils to how they're refined and processed,
And also the risks of oxidative stress that can come with less healthy options.
And we talked a little about what we can do.
So first,
We can look for cold-pressed on the label to ensure you're getting a more natural product.
And then we can explore different oils beyond the ones that you're usually familiar with,
And also steer clear of the hydrogenated oils.
Finally,
You can consider buying oils that come in darker glass bottles to protect them from the light damage.
Thank you so much for tuning in to the Avenues to Wellness podcast.
I hope you found this episode helpful,
And I hope you have a great week ahead.
