The Radical truth about seed oils
As we move into the new year, it is comforting for me to know that seed oils are finally earning the reputation they deserve amongst those who would like to consume healthy foods. The controversy over seed oils has even pulled its weight to tip the scales in the most intense election season the United States of America has endured. You may be as excited as I am that these toxic oils will hopefully soon be banished from the food supply, or you might be wondering what the fuss is all about. Let’s talk about it.
At the beginning of my journey into learning how to eat for health, I was told that seed oils were the heart healthy choice. I was told this at my workplace, all the packaging at the store had it written on it, and even in multiple science classes I was made to memorize it during the first weeks of school. I don’t watch tv, but I still saw advertisements preaching this news. It seemed like the science was settled...but is it ever really settled?
In college I was taught ad nauseum, that saturated fats were to be avoided, monounsaturated fats were okay in moderation, and polyunsaturated fats were liquid gold. The textbooks would inevitably show you the following picture in some form.
Chemical structure of fatty acids
This information was then used by the food industry to infer to me, the consumer, that seed oils such as cotton seed, canola (aka rapeseed), soybean, grapeseed, safflower, sunflower, and the general term “vegetable oils”, were the healthy, smart choice for cooking, sautéing, and frying. On the front label of products I would read, “High smoke point! Great for cooking!”. In addition, my salad dressings, mayonnaise, and just about anything that came in a box, also contained these “heart healthy” oils. Little did I know that the above graphic would contain the information that would unearth some truth for me about the food industry.
One day while crocheting on my porch listening to a lecture by the legendary Sally Fallon, she said something that stopped me mid stitch and made me rewind. Sure enough, she said what I had thought she said, “Seed oils are free radicals”. She then pulled up a graphic on her slide presentation similar to the graphic above that I had seen so many times in my textbooks. I looked closer, studied the graphic, and in an instant a golden light shown down upon my head as I experienced one of many eureka moments. Allow me to explain my life changing revelation.
See those equal signs between those carbon atoms on the polyunsaturated oils? Those are double bonds. The reason why they are double bonded to each other, is because they are missing a hydrogen atom on each of those carbons. This causes a bend in the hydrocarbon chain where each of the double bonds occur and causes the fat to be unstable and highly reactive. Everything in nature is always seeking stability, and polyunsaturates are no exception. Exposing them to light, oxygen, or heat will easily turn these fats into rancid, free radicals. In contrast, the carbons in the saturated fat molecule all have single bonds. They have reached their limit of bonding capacity and are fully saturated with hydrogen atoms. They are relatively stable. This is why saturated fats are solid at room temperature and can sit on the counter for days, weeks, or months without going rancid. They are neat and tidy, straight molecules that pack nicely on top of each other, leaving little room for air exposure between them. On the contrary, polyunsaturates just want to find some peace so they can rest. Given the right circumstances to break those double bonds, they will bond to oxygen. Yes, they oxidize!
So, the next question is, what is a free radical? I’m sure you have heard the term, but maybe you are as perplexed as I was the first time I heard it. A free radical is an atom, molecule, or ion that has unpaired electrons in their valence shell. The valance shell is the outermost energy shell where reactions take place between other atoms, molecules, or ions. Electrons like to be paired, and stable. You can think of them like a married couple. When they are unpaired, they act up until they find their mate. There is nothing wrong with any of these processes, they are neither good nor bad. They just happen and are necessary for all kinds of biological and chemical processes. It’s just that free radicals left unchecked in the body can cause tissue damage while they are finding a mate for their unpaired electron. This condition is called oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress results from having too many free radicals in the body, and not enough antioxidants to counter them. Some examples of antioxidants are vitamins A, C, and E. Some foods sources of antioxidants are blueberries, pomegranates, green tea, and many more. Some general symptoms of oxidative stress are premature aging, cardiovascular and neurological problems, fatigue, brain fog, and memory loss to name a few. This is a good reason to not ingest rancid or easily oxidized oils!
In addition, the fats and oils we ingest are meant to make up our cellular membranes, a large portion of our brain and neurons, as well as our hormones. Ensuring that we ingest healthy fats will give our bodies the correct building blocks to make these tissues. Healthy fats are also sources of the fat-soluble vitamins that we require for many processes in our bodies, specifically vitamins A, E, D, and K2. And when carbohydrates are kept low in the diet, our bodies use fats as a more efficient fuel source for ATP production.
It is important to note that not all polyunsaturated fats are harmful to health. Fish oil is one such example. However, it is important to obtain high quality fish oil. The extra trouble the manufacturer goes through to make sure their fish oil product is a fresh as it can be is very important. And of course, you would never cook with your fish oil!
Phew! Now you can see why I was so enamored by Sally Fallon’s statement! If you made it this far, congratulations. You are on your way to understanding how to make healthier dietary choices that will have a big impact on your overall health. Now to put what you have learned into practice: I challenge you to eliminate seed oils from your diet for 7 days. This will require reading labels on your part. The extra attention you pay to food labels will be of great benefit to you. Acceptable fats include olive oil, avocado oil, butter, ghee, coconut oil, tallow, duck fat, certain kinds of palm oil. For example, you can use Bragg’s olive oil salad dressings, and Primal Kitchen’s avocado oil mayonnaise. Omitting seed oils will require you to stay away from restaurants for the week, because more often than not they use seed oils in their recipes unless they advertise otherwise. After the 7 days, if you decide to ingest something with seed oils, pay attention to how your body feels. Does your stomach cramp a little? Does it feel distended and full, yet you are still hungry? Do you want to keep eating even when you know you should stop? Do any of your inflammatory conditions flare up? Consider keeping a food journal while you are carrying out the experiment. Giving attention to how food you ingest makes you feel is a vital skill to establish throughout your wellness journey. Think of it as a 6th sense. I like to call it “insight”.
There is much more to say about seed oils, like how did they get into the food supply? How did they supplant the healthy fats that America was once famous for? We used to be called a land swimming with butter and cream! We’ll have to save that topic for another day.
Thank you for reading my blog post. I pray many blessings and health upon you all. Until next time, be well.
