Issue #16: The seed oil edition

Hey Radical Health Seekers 👋 

This week in your Radical Health Newsletter:

• Why eliminating seed oils is #1 when it comes to health…
• 7 reasons to hate on seed oils…
• And how to break up with them for good.

💀 Welcome to the scary world of seed oils

100 years ago, fewer than 1 in 10 people had a chronic disease.

But today, it’s 6 in 10.

And 3 in 4 Americans are overweight or obese, and 1 in 3 are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

It’s fair to say that as a species, we are very, very sick.

And we may be living longer, but we sure are NOT living well.

Now the CDC blames the rapid rise of chronic disease on 4 things:

1. Smoking tobacco
2. A lack of exercise
3. Excessive alcohol
4. Poor nutrition – specifically, “diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in sodium and saturated fats”

But if you take a look at the data, apparently we are also eating “healthier” than ever, smoking and drinking less, and exercising more.

So chronic diseases are increasing at insane rates, yet the very things they blame chronic disease on are decreasing? 🧐

Makes no sense.

But guess what has risen in tandem with chronic disease?

SEED OILS.

And the purpose of this newsletter is to convince you to join the anti-seed oil movement.

Because we believe the single biggest thing you can do to radically transform your health is to eliminate seed oils.

You need to become “that person” who requests your restaurant steak be cooked in butter…

And who dresses their kids up in seed oil costumes at Halloween.

Almost nobody in the mainstream health scene is talking about this. It’s the elephant in the room.

7 reasons to hate on seed oils

#1 They violate the laws of nature

Seed oils are modern-day industrial Frankenfoods. 

Only introduced to our diet about 120 years ago, they were originally invented to lubricate machines… 

And before then, your ancestors would have needed to eat nearly 3000 sunflower seeds to get the equivalent of 5 tablespoons of sunflower oil.

Seed oils include soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, grape seed oil, and cottonseed oil… 

And they are all industrially processed, poisonous garbage. 

#2 They are everywhere

Since coming on the scene, seed oils have spread as fast as a weed.

To put it into context, from 1909 to 1999, soybean oil consumption increased 1000x. 

We really mean it when we say they are everywhere. 

Almost all restaurants cook in them, and practically all processed foods, including so-called “healthy” processed foods contain them.

The average American now consumes 5-10 tablespoons of seed oils each DAY.

#3 They stay in your body for years

Seed oils contain unnaturally high amounts of polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids, primarily in the form of linoleic acid.

A healthy and evolutionarily appropriate omega-6: omega-3 ratio is 1:1, but it’s now up to levels of 20:1. Not good. 🤦‍♀️

Our physiology is unable to process such high levels of omega-6 fats. It stays in our fat cells, where it takes multiple years to break down. 

#4 Seed oils are highly unstable

Polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids in seed oils are highly unstable, especially when heated (hello, deep fat fryer).

And from inside our fat cells, they break down into OXLAMS (oxidative by-products of linoleic acid metabolism).

The two main ones are 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and 13-Hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE), and yes, they are as horrible as they sound. 🤓

These byproducts lead to mitochondrial dysfunction – death and damage to our cells, and a cascade of effects that eventually lead to metabolic dysfunction and disease.

#5 They are directly linked to all chronic diseases 💀

Remember how we just told you that the byproducts of seed oils lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and DNA damage via OXLAMs? 

Well, this damage at the cellular level is a signature of all chronic diseases and metabolic dysfunction.

The best data is currently in animals because we can measure the effects over their entire lifetime. 

For example, this 2020 study showed that feeding mice soybean oil not only led to obesity, but also gene dysregulation that could cause higher rates of neurological conditions like anxiety, depression, autism and dementia. 

The author concluded: 

“If there’s one message I want people to take away, it’s this: reduce consumption of soybean oil”.

There was even one study where high omega-6 fats were required in order to induce tumor growth in rats.

There are also many shorter-duration studies in humans that link increased seed oil consumption with chronic diseases like cancers, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases too.

Or these papers which show that seed oils fry your brain and can lead to mood disorders, cognitive decline and dementia. Yikes.

#6 They contain toxic additives and byproducts

Because seed oils are so unstable, harmful chemicals are added during manufacturing to prevent oxidization and rancidity. 

Otherwise, seed oils would smell like rancid fish 🤢

Some of the most common additives are butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), which have been shown to be carcinogenic…

And when seed oils are heated up (which is most of the time), they release toxic aldehydes in such high concentrations that they exceed the safe daily limit set by the World Health Organization by 100-200x! 

#7 Seed oils cause you to crave more junk food

Seed oils increase the production of endocannabinoids, specifically 2-AG and anandamide. 

These compounds hijack the satiety receptors in our brain in the same way that cannabis does, leading to increased cravings for more food. 

It can create a vicious cycle, where the more seed-oil-enriched food you eat, the more you will crave it.

The take-home message

In the realm of health and nutrition, meat, carbohydrates, and sugars seem to get all the public scrutiny. 

But seed oils appear to get a free pass. 

Mainstream health advice continues to recommend them as “heart-healthy” alternatives to healthy animal fats. 

And there are literally entire diets founded upon the premise of cutting out meat, sugars or carbs, yet very few that focus on eliminating seed oils.

Except us. 

Because we advocate for an animal-based diet that removes these dangerous substances. 

And in our opinion, removing seed oils is the single biggest lever to radically improving your health.

How to break up with seed oils

Step 1 – Kick them out of the house

Throw away every bottle of seed oils and seed-oil containing food that is currently in your home. Replace with real butter and tallow.

Step 2 – Don’t buy them

Stop buying processed foods at the store, or atleast read the labels.

Replace with single ingredient, real foods like ground beef, steaks, eggs, fruit, and honey.

Step 3 – Beware of pork and chicken

Avoid eating animals fed grains and high amounts of seed oils, like pork and chicken.

These animals also store the linoleic acid in their fat, and pass it on to you.

It’s possible (but difficult) to buy corn and soy-free chicken and pork.

But ruminants like beef and lamb are best, because even if they are fed some corn or soy, they are able to process it more efficiently than pigs and chickens.

Step 4 – Avoid seed oil restaurants

If you are paying somebody else to provide you with food, then the chances are it contains seed oils.

Because pretty much all chain restaurants, and even most of the higher-end independent restaurants cook with seed oils.

If you are eating out, your best chance of avoiding seed oils will be at higher-end restaurants. Because they are more likely to make your dish to order, and to take requests.

Avoid deep-fried foods at all costs.

Ask for your steak to be fried in butter.

You will need to prepare as much of your own food as possible, and this is the part of seed oil avoidance that can require the biggest change in habits for many people.

It can mean refusing to eat at the ball game…

Insisting on bringing your own food on the airplane…

And being that person who asks the server what oil they cook in.

Imagine a world without seed oils…

We would all be 20lbs lighter. Rates of chronic disease would be a fraction of current levels. 

We would be living longer, richer, and happier lives.

If you want to dive a little further into the scary world of seed oils, check out this episode of Dr. Paul’s podcast:

How Seed Oils Destroy Your Mitochondria and Lead To Chronic Disease, with Tucker Goodrich

👋 That’s all from us this weekend!

We hope this week’s edition of the Radical Health Newsletter helps you to reach your health goals…

And if you know someone who you think will benefit from reading it, please pass it on!

Stay Radical,

The Heart & Soil Crew