The good, the bad and the seedy

Reminder: even if we all ate and exercised exactly the same, our bodies would look different. You’re unique, so are your health needs

I once wrote an article ‘What You Don’t Know Might Kale You’ in which I used PubMed to ‘prove’ that eating kale was exceptionally bad for you. I also lived in San Francisco at the time, home of kale veneration! (If you’ve followed me a while you’ll know my www was hacked so that article is gone into the netherworld but it’s the sentiment only here anyway!). Clients were in uproar haha!

I rarely make blanket recommendations (even against kale!) because what a person needs, given their history of exposure, strengths and weaknesses, etc. is different from everyone else.

Except when it comes to seed oils. Just don’t eat them. In fact, I can see how we came from eating them to saying we should go no fat - cos they’re that bad and we need (good) fats to make so many cells in our body not least of which is hormones!

There’s so many studies in either camp for and against ‘vegetable’ oils. However both the 24 week study that showed increased consumption of seed oils clearly leads to increased levels of lipid peroxidation, a known cause for cardiovascular disease , and another study that showed when you increase seed oils and their linoleic acid and decrease saturated fat, oxidised LDL and LP both go up and both are strong risk factors for CV disease, maybe that’s persuasive enough.

Try it out on yourself!

As with anything when it comes to food (or fitness or any health!) everyone’s unique so responds to the same foods differently so try it out on yourself! Even a week or two will show you enormous differences. For me I notice digestive changes for the better, skin clearness (and sun burn - I don’t get burnt!). I’m not going to go into industrialisation or source and processing compared to our ancestors - these oils just don’t make me feel good? Or rather, not having them makes me reach for better fats - butter, ghee, coconut, olive - and food always tastes and feels great after!

What’s your experience with seed oils? Sharing is caring - and as we’re all different, the only real ‘research’ when it comes to good, bad and seedy food, is sharing our feels, don’t you think?

Check out Dr Cate Shanahan and her article on the ‘Hateful Eight’ seed oils (CCC SSS GR is a way to remember their names!)