Why Vegetable Oils Should Not Be Part Of Your Diet

I was checking out at the grocery store the other day, and a woman behind me was unloading her cart as I was finishing up my order. I was happy to see all the colorful food choices she made, to include an array of fruits and vegetables, potatoes, and other healthy options. But then she put a large oversized clear bottle of vegetable oil on the belt. What? I thought. She has to know that's not a good choice. But apparently, she didn't. And I assumed her efforts were to eat clean, and that she believed this was a good healthy fat. I didn't say anything because it is my rule to not interfere with a person's food choices (especially a stranger) without a clear invitation for my feedback. So I just let it go. I can, however, offer you my reasons why this is not a good choice since you have elected to be part of this community.

In my new book, Take Command of Your Total Health, A Woman's Guide To Fearless Aging, I discuss how important it is to find the root cause of a health issue, and that inflammation is the leading cause of disease, especially as we age. The following is a paragraph from the Reference Guide in the back of the book on vegetable oils:

Beware of Industrial Seed Oils

Soy, canola, corn, peanut, sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oil all fall under the "vegetable oils," making them sound like a healthy option. Why wouldn't they? The word "vegetable" makes you think of kale, broccoli, and spinach. However, what the word "vegetable" here really means anything that is not an animal. In addition, 90% of soy and canola oils are genetically modified. The rise of seed oils has contributed to chronic disease and has changed the composition of the American diet with the intake of processed foods. Seed oils contain high amounts of a type of fat called omega-6 PUFA. Omega-6 fats are chemically less stable than other types of fat, such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and clarified butter. When these problematic oils are exposed to heat, light, or oxygen, they create oxidative stress in the body. These oxidized fats are highly inflammatory to the body and create chronic inflammation. And inflammation is yet another reason to eliminate these types of oils, as well as the processed foods that contain them.

Here are my favorite healthy oils and fats: Clarified butter, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil

Most of the vegetable oils you see on the shelf are in clear bottles. So, before you even ingest the oil, it has been exposed to light, which in turn causes oxidative stress in the body. When purchasing olive or avocado oil, theyshould be kept in dark glass or plastic bottles, or tin containers, to preserve their freshness and avoid oxidation. If you see either one of these oils in a clear bottle, put it back.

The dangers are Omega-6 fats are real. Our food supply can be complicated and confusing. Then, with the advent of processed foods, it can be a challenge to decipher which food product is best. And since we have all grown up with the belief that vegetable oil is a healthy choice, when in fact it isn't. Omega 6 fats not only fuel your body’s inflammatory pathways, but also reduce availability of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats in your tissues, resulting in more inflammation.

Bottom line: We have to move away from inflammatory fats, and stick with healthy fats that I listed above.