Introduction – From Tradition to Processed Pantries
Flip open almost any pantry in the industrialized world, and you'll find bottles of canola, corn, sunflower, or soybean oil. These seed oils—once rare and virtually never consumed—are now everywhere: in your frying pan, salad dressings, protein bars, and packaged snacks.
They’ve been marketed as heart-healthy and light alternatives to animal fats. And for decades, mainstream advice echoed that. But a growing number of doctors, researchers, and ancestral health experts argue that seed oils are at the root of modern chronic disease—an evolutionary mismatch our biology was never built to process.
The Rise of Seed Oils—A Century-Old Story of Displacement
Seed oils entered the food system in the early 1900s. Crisco, launched in 1911, was derived from cottonseed oil and marketed as a cleaner, shelf-stable alternative to lard and butter. Industry marketing and shifting dietary guidelines soon pushed these oils into the spotlight—displacing traditional fats like ghee, tallow, and butter.
Critics argue this shift was misguided. Humans evolved on diets where fat came from whole, unprocessed animal and plant sources. Today, seed oils account for up to 20% of total daily calories—mainly from ultra-processed foods. A century ago, that number was close to zero.
Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Nutrition
Ancestral Voices Speak Out. The Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) advocates traditional diets rich in saturated and monounsaturated fats. They explicitly warn against “industrial seed oils,” citing their lack of nutritional value, their pro-inflammatory potential, and their absence in traditional cultures.
Sally Fallon Morell, president of WAPF, argues that children raised on modern processed oils are missing critical fat-soluble nutrients, cholesterol, and stabilizing fats that traditional cultures knew were essential for growth, fertility, and brain development.
Experts and Health Influencers Weigh In
-Paul Saladino (Heart & Soil Supplements) labels seed oils as a primary driver of metabolic damage.
-Andrew Huberman urges people to opt for fats that are heat-stable and historically aligned with human physiology.
-Max Lugavere emphasizes the oxidative risks and inflammation connection.
-Ben Greenfield, Mark Sisson, and Dr. Josh Axe all consider seed oils disruptive to mitochondrial and metabolic health.
-Robert Lustig ties processed oils to insulin resistance and inflammation.
-Dr. Mercola, Natalie Crawford, Shawn Baker, Jaime Seeman, and Dr. Mark Hyman have all warned against excess omega-6 intake from seed oils and promote returning to traditional fats like ghee, tallow, and olive oil.
What Makes Seed Oils Problematic - The Core Concerns
Omega-6 Overload - Seed oils are rich in linoleic acid, a type of omega-6 polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). In small amounts, it’s not harmful. But the modern diet delivers it in excess, often 10–20 times more than omega-3s. This imbalance is associated with systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and an increased risk of chronic diseases.
Industrial Processing - Seed oils are extracted using chemical solvents like hexane, then deodorized, bleached, and heated to stabilize their shelf life. This process strips away any nutrients and can create harmful byproducts, including trans fats and oxidized lipids that damage tissues at a cellular level.
Heat Instability - Seed oils are highly unstable at cooking temperatures. When exposed to heat (especially frying), they break down and produce aldehydes and lipid peroxides—molecules linked to neurodegeneration, cancer, and cardiovascular dysfunction.
Evolutionary Mismatch - Our ancestors never consumed concentrated omega-6 seed oils. Their fat intake came from whole foods—wild meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and rendered animal fat. These traditional fats supported hormonal health, cell structure, and neurological function. Flooding our modern diets with refined seed oil is an experiment our biology didn’t sign up for.
Traditional Diets Didn't Include Seed Oils
Ancestral cultures consumed fat from:
-Pastured animals (tallow, lard, ghee)
-Whole dairy products (butter, cream)
-Coconut oil and palm oil (in tropical regions)
-Olive oil (in Mediterranean regions)
-Wild fish and eggs
These fats required no industrial processing. They were nutrient-dense, biologically compatible, and used both in cooking and ceremony. In contrast, oils from corn, soybeans, cottonseed, safflower, grapeseed, and canola were not part of traditional human diets.
The Weston A. Price Foundation points out that these modern oils are evolutionary newcomers, chemically unstable, and lacking in the fat-soluble vitamins and cholesterol that traditional fats deliver.
Why the Anti-Seed Oil Movement Has Momentum
Even though critics accuse the anti–seed oil crowd of cherry-picking or fearmongering, the movement has exploded for a few good reasons:
-People feel better. Many report improved digestion, reduced bloating, fewer headaches, and better skin after cutting out seed oils.
-It aligns with ancestral logic. Humans thrived without these oils for thousands of years.
-It’s simple. Replacing seed oils with butter, ghee, or olive oil is a manageable lifestyle upgrade that doesn’t require extreme dieting.
The core message isn’t “fear oil.” It’s “use what nature intended.”
Common Sources of Seed Oils in Modern Foods
Even if you don’t cook with seed oils, chances are you consume them daily unless you actively avoid them. Here are common sources:
-Packaged snacks (chips, crackers, granola bars)
-Nut butters (especially non-organic or conventional brands)
-Salad dressings and condiments
-Restaurant food (especially fried)
-Margarine and “vegetable oil spreads”
-Protein bars and energy drinks
-Breaded frozen meats or processed plant-based foods
Seed oils hide in plain sight under labels like “vegetable oil,” “blended oil,” or even just “canola oil.”
Healthier Fat Alternatives That Ancestral Diets Favor
If you're looking to eat more in line with ancestral principles, here are better fat options:
-Ghee – Clarified butter rich in butyric acid and fat-soluble vitamins. Tolerated well by many dairy-sensitive individuals.
-Tallow – Rendered beef fat that’s stable and perfect for frying.
-Lard – Traditional cooking fat from pork, especially from pasture-raised pigs.
-Butter – Grass-fed is best. Rich in CLA, vitamin K2, and saturated fats.
-Coconut oil – High in MCTs, stable for high heat.
-Avocado oil – High in monounsaturated fats, neutral flavor, suitable for cooking.
-Olive oil – Best used cold or for low-heat cooking. Choose extra-virgin.
What the Experts Suggest in Practice
-Paul Saladino: Eliminate seed oils entirely; opt for tallow, suet, and bone marrow.
-Andrew Huberman: Use olive oil and avocado oil; avoid frying with unstable fats.
-Ben Greenfield: Rotate healthy fats; ghee, grass-fed butter, and fish oil play core roles.
-Dr. Mark Hyman: Focus on “real fats” that humans evolved to eat, not industrial inventions.
-Mark Sisson: Seed oils are inflammatory; ancestral health is about quality over quantity.
-Dr. Mercola: Seed oils are one of the top contributors to oxidative stress in the modern diet.
A Reasonable Path Forward
You don’t have to become militant about fat. But small changes can add up:
-Switch to stable fats at home
-Avoid ultra-processed snacks and dressings
-Ask restaurants what oil they use
-Make your own condiments or seek clean brands
-Favor whole animal fats when eating nose-to-tail
-Read labels carefully—even on "healthy" products
By aligning your fat choices with those of your ancestors, you help reduce inflammation, improve cellular function, and support long-term metabolic health.
Conclusion – Seed Oils Aren’t What We’re Built For
Seed oils weren’t in the human diet until recently. Their rise mirrors the rise in modern chronic diseases. While some experts defend them, a growing number of physicians, researchers, and ancestral health practitioners are sounding the alarm.
This isn’t about fear. It’s about alignment—choosing fats that have nourished humans for millennia over ones that were invented in a factory.
The ancestral path favors simplicity, real food, and trusting what your body was designed to thrive on.
Cut the seed oils. Choose real fat. Feel the difference.
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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition or before starting any new fitness or nutritional program.