Partner content: Sensationalism and Seed Oils

Ask Leah! The Ingles Dietitian

Partner content: Sensationalism and Seed Oils

These days there’s a lot of negativity about “seed oils”. According to some of the social media “influencers”, seed oils are ones made from: canola, corn, cottonseed, soybeans, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, flaxseed, and sesame seeds.

These “influencers” will claim that these particular oils are responsible for inflammation, obesity, gut issues and more—but not offer any good research or proof to back up those claims.

Often people with no training or education in food science, medicine, or nutrition love to scare people about the foods we eat, the ingredients in our foods and what we cook with - sometimes in an effort to have us buy something more expensive!

Overall, the thing to keep in mind is that regularly eating foods that have been fried in oils, regardless of the type, is not the best way to eat. Also, eating foods that are highly processed and contain high amounts of sugar or salt in addition to oils are not something you’d want to eat on a regular basis. But using small amounts of oils to prepare and cook foods or to dress a salad is not the issue and can lead to more enjoyment of food and meals.

For more on this see the American Heart Association | There's No Reason to Avoid Seed Oils.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN