Seed & Vegetable Oils - Industrial Waste in our Diet

Vegetable oils and seed oils are highly inflammatory and unstable. Consuming these oils can cause long-term inflammation in your body. The processing of these oils involves high heat, which leads to rancidity. To mask the rancid smell, chemical agents, detergents, and bleach are added.

The half-life of vegetable oil in the body is estimated to be two years! Dangers that come from unhealthy types of fat include: increased risk of heart disease, triggering and causing inflammation, potential harm to the blood vessels’ inner lining, and driving insulin resistance, which may lead to type 2 diabetes.

The average American consumes almost 6 tablespoons of seed oil per day, translating to 62 pounds per year. What could lead to such a popularization of this unhealthy food? Let’s dive into the history behind them.

The Birth of Seed Oils

By the late 1800s, the invention of the cotton gin had caused a boom in cotton production. This resulted in cotton producers having a significant amount of toxic byproducts from cotton production, with nothing to do with it. Source

While oil could be extracted from this waste, it was highly toxic to humans and animals. Despite this fact, William Procter and James Gamble (sound familiar?) saw a major opportunity to cut costs by using cottonseed oil in their products. With the help of German chemist E. C. Kayser, they transformed this grimy waste into a solid fat that resembled lard, the most common dietary fat at the time.

"What was garbage in 1860 was fertilizer in 1870, cattle feed in 1880, and table food and many other things in 1890." Source

This led to the birth of Crisco in 1911, which soon became a staple in households all across America. Source

Corrupt Moves by the AHA

In a strategic move, Procter & Gamble “donated” $1.7 million worth of stock to the American Heart Association (AHA) in the 1940s. It wasn’t really a donation since the AHA began endorsing vegetable oils such as Crisco as a “heart-healthy” alternative shortly after.

This generous contribution came at the perfect time for the AHA, which was struggling financially. P&G capitalized on this endorsement, emphasizing the health benefits of Crisco and citing the AHA’s recommendations.

Cookbooks, advertisements, and promotional materials highlighted Crisco's advantages over traditional animal fats. The message was clear—using Crisco could help reduce the risk of heart disease, aligning with the AHA's dietary guidelines.

Seed Oil Boom

The success of Crisco paved the way for other cheap oils, including soybean, corn, safflower, sunflower, and peanut oils. These oils were marketed as “heart healthy,” despite nobody truly knowing their long-term effects.

This led to a significant rise in vegetable oil production throughout the 20th century. In the United States alone, soybean oil consumption increased over 1,000-fold between 1909 and 1999.

The increasing consumption of vegetable oils introduced abnormally high levels of fatty acids to the human diet, including trans fats and linoleic acid, both of which were previously consumed by humans in minimal amounts.

Today, the legacy of seed oils continues to impact our diets and health. They’re far from food—they’re industrial waste repurposed for our kitchens, which many people do not realize. Just watch this video to see how they’re made.

If you have any friends or family members who need convincing not to eat these toxic oils, just send them this article.

Unhealthy fats that must be avoided: 

Avoid these nine vegetable and seed oils, along with fish oil, especially be careful when dining out, as most restaurants use these unhealthy fats for cooking: Canola oil, Corn oil, Cottonseed oil, Soybean oil, Safflower oil, Sunflower oil, Rice bran oil, Grapeseed oil, Peanut oil (refined), Fish oil.

FATS YOU WANT TO USE FOR COOKING: Butter, Ghee, Beef tallow, Duck fat, Lard

OILS YOU WANT TO USE FOR DRESSING: Coconut oil, Avocado oil, Olive oil.

Sending Optimal Health & Ultimate Wellness,

Julia Smila, FDN Practitioner & Pranic Healer.