Some people when they hear the word vegetable they automatically assume these oils are healthy as the word vegetable is in it! But do not be mislead by these PRO inflammatory OILS

Think of vegetable oils, more as seed oils to remember the ones to avoid! 

These are the oils you want to AVOID:

• soy
• safflower
• sunflower
• canola
• cottonseed
• corn
• refined palm oil
• anything hydrogenated is a trans fat!

These oil are referred to as PUFAS (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and fall under the category of omega 3 and omega 6.

Omega 3 (Linolenic Acid) Anti-inflammatory

Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid) Pro-inflammatory

PUFAS  are chemically unstable, meaning they break down rapidly when exposed to heat. This changes the molecular structure, which is NO BUENO for your health! So whether you are consuming an omega 3 or an omega 6 they should NEVER be heated!

Now, we actually do need small amounts of PUFAS in the diet. The best sources are:

• chia seeds
• flaxseed/flax oil
• hemp hearts/hemp oil
• walnuts
• algea
• wild caught fish/fish oil

When we consume whole food sources, they are exactly how mother nature intended for us to eat them! Of course fish oil and algae for vegans, fall under the category as an omega 3, which have a profound effect on reducing inflammation, improving heart health, that I highly recommend taking a fish oil supplement daily. But, let’s get back to the NOT so good oils – the Pro inflammatory oils, those omega 6!

During the industrial refining of oils such as canola, soy, sunflower, extreme high heat, pressure, and often bleaching agents are used to turn these seeds into a liquid (yuck!). Think about how many soy beans you would have to crush to get an oil out of it, opposed to an olive?

As I mentioned, these oils are not stable and shouldn’t be heated in the first place and now a large majority of packaged foods, even organic products use these oils. Be mindful when dining out at resultants, as many restaurants use PUFAS to cook with as they are much cheaper to buy in bulk and use in large quantities.

The problem with these oils is they can accumulate and stay in the body up to 5 years (you read that right 5 years!). Since the oils molecular structure is compromised ingesting these oil can cause free radical damage (which essentially is premature aging). These rancid oils can effect how our cells function, especially the mitochondria, which is basically the powerhouse of the cell!

I would encourage you to take a look at your nutrition and read the labels of the packaged foods you may be consuming. You may be surprised to see how many vegetable/seed oils are in our food supply today!

The oils that are safe to cook with are saturated fats and have a higher smoke point.

• grass-fed butter
• coconut oil
• avocado oil (monounsaturated fatty acid)
• ghee (clarified butter)
• tallow (beef fat) -ethically raised source
• lard (pig fat) -ethically raised source

I hope this information helped and gave you some clarity around oils and the adverse effects of vegetable/seed oils!