Seed Oils: The Current Bad Guy in the Food World?

On Health with Houston Methodist

Seed oils are a hotly debated topic on social media. Some content creators claim that the cooking oils are toxic and cause a host of chronic conditions, from obesity to diabetes. Nutritional research tells a more nuanced story about these often-villainized, refined plant-based vegetable oils, including canola, corn, sunflower and grapeseed. Do we need to rid our pantries of these oils, or just use caution while cooking? In this episode, a registered dietitian shares the truth about seed oils to help you make healthy decisions for your home cooking.

Expert: Amanda Beaver, Senior Registered Dietitian
Notable topics covered:

• Which oils are considered seed oils?
• The truths that get lost in the seed oil debate
• How do omega-6s and omega-3s affect inflammation in the body?
• Smoke point and oxidation: Why you should throw out cooking oil when it smokes
• The terms you need to know when purchasing cooking oil
• Where butter falls in the cooking fat debate
• Beef tallow: Is it a good choice for cooking or skincare?
• The more important questions to ask than “Does it have seed oils in it?”

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1. Host introduction (00:00:00)

2. What are seed oils? (00:03:26)

3. Three main reasons why people think seed oils are detrimental — and why they’re not necessarily true (00:04:31)

4. Omega-6s and Omega-3s and their roles with inflammation (00:07:48)

5. Omega-3 fatty acids: How to get enough EPA and DHA into your diet (00:11:10)

6. Why are seed oils the newest nutritional boogeyman? (00:12:41)

7. Smoke point and oxidation: What is a good cooking oil for high-heat cooking? (00:13:56)

8. Understanding some terms you might see in the cooking oil aisle (00:16:20)

9. Is there a “best” seed oil, or does it depend on how you use it? (00:16:43)

10. What is better for frying: canola oil vs. peanut oil (00:20:18)

11. Is butter a better alternative to seed oils? (00:22:20)

12. Beef tallow: A good replacement for seed oils? (00:23:21)

13. How to take the bigger picture approach to your eating pattern (00:25:10)

14. Host wrap-up (00:26:17)