Many self-proclaimed nutrition experts and influencers who think that having abs gives them credibility claim that seed oils such as canola, safflower, and sunflower oils are all toxic and should be avoided like the second coming of the plague. They claim that these oils increase inflammation (I doubt most who use the word inflammation even know what it actually is), lower testosterone, and fuel obesity faster than a Las Vegas casino buffet. The reality is there is no proof whatsoever to substantiate such claims and this is just fear-mongering to look like an expert and feed the algorithms for more views. Many in the fitness industry love jumping on trends. It was trendy a while back and still is to some extent to state that consuming soy increases estrogen and lowers testosterone. No matter how many times this has been debunked, the uninformed will continue to promulgate misinformation without ever looking into it to determine what is factual. Check out this informative Consumer Reports article, “Do seed oils make you sick?” to learn about the realities of seed oils. Also check out legit nutrition expert Dr. Layne Norton’s video on seed oils. In addition to not being perilous, some seed oils such as canola oil have been shown to have a positive impact on cholesterol levels and actually reduce inflammation.

My take on seed oils is they come at an opportunity cost. This means you could have consumed something much healthier such as cold-pressed organic olive oil or algae oil. I prefer to use the healthiest oils possible so never use seed oils to cook my meals at home. However, I don’t worry about seed oils being used for meals at restaurants. The reality is that eating out is not as healthy as preparing your meals at home correctly (And not because they use seed oils!) but this is only a problem if you’re eating out all the time. Finally, many unhealthy processed food products contain seed oils but that isn’t the primary reason why they’re unhealthy. The fact that they are loaded with sugar, salt, and chemical additives is. Focus on eating real food most of the time and it will pay big dividends towards your health and quality of life. My diet consists primarily of legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, mushrooms, and oats and has worked very well for a long time to keep my blood markers such as c-reactive protein, cholesterol, insulin, and fasting glucose in ideal ranges.