Stop Using These Types of Oils!

Ugh – It drives me crazy when I go to Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) and go to buy something prepared or their gourmet olives, etc…and find that everything – and I mean everything – is drenched in inflammatory oils.

Isn’t WholeFoods supposed to be the most health focused and conscious grocer on the planet??

The oils I’m talking about are high in PUFAs – Polyunsaturated – Omega 6 fats and they are derived from Canola, Soybean, Sunflower, Corn, etc.. – aka “Vegetable or Seed Oils” – and unfortunately, because they are cheap oils (in every sense of the word) and crops like corn and soy are government subsidized, they are the most prevalent in our food supply.

I suppose Whole Foods at least avoids the use of industrial, chemically processed forms of these oils which use deodorizers, , bleach, solvents and all kinds of nasty stuff to squeeze oil out of teeny tiny seeds, but even “organic”, “expeller-pressed” seed oils cause inflammation in the body and oxidize when exposed to heat and light.  Watch this quick “How it’s Made” video to really get you off canola oil and industrial seed oils forever:

It turns out that the myths about fat and which fats are healthy and which fats aren’t have been skewed for decades. Scientific journalist and health advocate, Nina Teicholz explains the history and where we went wrong in her book, The Big Fat Surprise (summarized in this interview):

it’s not that all PUFAs are dangerous – we need a balance of PUFAs to survive and thrive. Omega 3 PUFAs found in Fish are essential,  anti-inflammatory fatty acids. When they, along with the right proportion of Omega 6, 9 PUFAs are also balanced with an even higher amount of MUFAs (found in olive oil, avocados, macadamias) and SFAs (saturated fatty acids from coconut oil, pastured butter, ghee, pastured yolks, animal fats/meats) – that’s when we have the optimal mix of “healthy fats”.

This infographic from Sustainable Balance does such a great job of laying out which fats to eat and which to avoid:

When it comes to which fats to eat or use for cooking, there are so many falsehoods which have detrimentally influenced and perpetuated the lies that are still being parroted in the health media and are still embedded within our dietary guidelines. You have to break away from these outdated, disproved, financially influenced myths that canola oil and soybean oil, etc.. are healthy fats if you want to lower inflammation and disease risk and be healthy.

Bottom line:  Start to look at the oils used in all the foods you choose to buy and eat.  To reduce inflammation and disease risk in your health, avoid these inflammatory PUFA oils  and trans fats and switch to the healthier MUFAs and saturated fats with a balanced amount of PUFAs – nuts and seeds in moderation along with Omega 3 fish oil either from low mercury wild fish or a high quality fish oil.

In health,

Ev