Did you know that oils such as corn, rapeseed (source of canola oil), soybean, cottonseed, safflower seed oils were only introduced into the Western diet in the 1900s? And are these oils ok to use or are they toxic?
These oils were originally byproducts of the soap making industry, or toxic wastes that were suitable to use in the making of soaps.
You’re asking how did they end up from soap into our diets today? These toxic wastes could be chemically altered to a product that resembled lard, a solid cooking fat.
These oils are low cost on our shelves, low cost unfortunately also means far from natural to produce. These oils are refined, bleached and deodorized, by refining the oils this heats them to extreme temperatures causing oxidization and creating harmful byproducts.
Chemicals are introduced to mask the foul smell that is produced during the process of refining the oils, and more chemicals added to improve the colour.
They are energy dense, meaning that they are high in calories, nutrient poor, and contain chemicals, trans fats and byproducts that are harmful to humans.
Why is eating these industrial oils bad for my health?
- Industrial seed oils increases our omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratios thereby increasing inflammation
- Industrial seed oil oxidize easily and are unstable producing toxic byproducts, such as trans fats which cause cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes
- Harmful additives are used these additives disrupt the endocrine system and cause carcinogenic and immune reactions.
- These oils come from genetically modified crops
- When these oils are repeatedly heated they create even more toxic byproducts, many restaurants reuse oils heating them over and over.
- There is a delicate balance in our diet between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, these must be maintained in the body for optimal health.
- Our ancestors maintained a healthy balance of 1:1 ratio of omega-6 and omega-3, whereby today according to A. P Simopoulos, 2002 we exceed this by anywhere between 15:1 to 16.7:1
- In a study by A. P Simopoulos,
2002 an imbalance of fatty acids leads to chronic inflammation causing diseases
such as:
- Asthma
- Cancer
- Inflammatory and Autoimmune diseases
- Cognition and Mental Health
- Diabetes and Obesity
- Heart disease
- IBD and IBS
- Inflammation
- Infertility
What oils should I eat?
- Extra virgin olive oil, it is rich in vitamin E, it contains anti-diabetic and cardoprotective properties
- Coconut oil, this is one of our super foods. It contains antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties to the body and is very heat stable
- Butter and Ghee, contains metabolic health-promoting properties
- Pastured lard, contains mostly monosaturated fat, which is the type of fat found in olive oil promoted as “heart healthy”
Make sure to include healthy fats into your diet such as avocado, nuts, coconut, wild-caught fatty fish, grass fed meats, and wild game in your diet.
References:
Chris Kresser, How Industrial seed oils are making us sick, sited 31st of March 2019. https://chriskresser.com/how-industrial-seed-oils-are-making-us-sick/
A. P Simopoulos 2002. The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. ‘Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy’. 56:8, 365-379
