Why You Should Never Eat Vegetable Oil or Margarine

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Why you should never eat vegetable oil or margarine
Wellness Mama » Blog » Health » Why You Should Never Eat Vegetable Oil or Margarine

Aside from whole grains, vegetable oils and margarine are some of the most misunderstood and over-recommended foods in the health community. You’ve probably heard these referred to as “heart-healthy oils,” a good alternative to those “artery-clogging saturated fats.”

Only one problem…. science doesn’t back these claims up!

Vegetable oils are found in practically every processed food, from salad dressing to mayo to conventional nuts and seeds. These oils are some of the most harmful substances you can put into your body, but more on that in a minute!

What Are Vegetable Oils/Margarine?

Vegetable oils (and margarine, made from these oils) are oils extracted from seeds like the rapeseed (canola oil) soybean (soybean oil), corn, sunflower, safflower, etc. They were practically non-existent in our diets until the early 1900s when new chemical processes allowed them to be extracted.

Unlike butter or coconut oil, these vegetable oils can’t be extracted just by pressing or separating naturally. They must be chemically removed, deodorized, and altered. These are some of the most chemically altered foods in our diets, yet they get promoted as healthy.

How Vegetable Oils Are Made

Vegetable oils are manufactured in a factory, usually from genetically modified crops that have been heavily treated with pesticides.

Take for instance the common canola oil, the beauty queen of the vegetable oil industry. It was developed by making a hybrid version of the rapeseed, and it was given its name in the 1980s as part of a marketing effort organized by a conference on mono-saturates.

Rapeseed oil contains high amounts of the toxic erucic acid, which is poisonous to the body. Canola oil is an altered version, also called Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed (LEAR) and it is commonly genetically modified and treated with high levels of pesticides.

Canola (modified rapeseed oil) is produced by heating the rapeseed and processing with a petroleum solvent to extract the oil. Then another process of heat and addition of acid is used to remove nasty solids (wax) that occur during the first processing.

At this point, the newly created canola oil must be treated with more chemicals to improve color and separate the different parts of the oil. Finally, since the chemical process has created a harsh smelling oil, it must be chemically deodorized to be palatable.

Hydrogenated Oil

If the vegetable oil is going to be made into shortening or margarine, it undergoes an additional process called hydrogenation to make it solid at cold temperatures. Unlike saturated fats (butter, coconut oil, etc.) vegetable oils are not naturally solid at these temperatures and must be hydrogenated to accomplish this. During this process of hydrogenation, those lovely trans fats we’ve heard so much about are created.

This chart from this informative article on the history and production of canola oil shows the process in more detail:

canola oil chart

Nothing like petroleum produced, overheated, oxidized, and chemically deodorized salad dressing for dinner…. yum.

(Compare that to butter… Step 1: milk cow. Step 2: let cream separate naturally. Step 3: skim off cream. Step 4: shake until it becomes butter.)

This article has fascinating videos contrasting the production of vegetable oils and butter.

History of Vegetable Oil Production and Consumption

As I mentioned, vegetable oil was practically non-existent in its current form in the early 1900s. Until that time, most people got their fats from animal sources like meat, tallow, lard, butter, cream, etc.

The overall amount of fat consumed has not changed much since then (it has decreased slightly) but the type has changed dramatically. In 1900 the amount of vegetable-based oils that people consumed was basically none. Today, people consume, on average, about 70 lbs of vegetable oils throughout the year. (Hmm, I wonder what 70 pounds of a “food” that was previously non-existent in human consumption might do to our health?)

Add to this the fact that the animals we eat are also often fed genetically modified pesticide-treated seeds and grains (cows are supposed to eat grass by the way!) and the amount of omega-6 rich oils and seeds in our diets is really high!

Though vegetable oil existed in the early 1900s, its use increase that much until the 1950s, when a governmental campaign was launched to convince people to eat vegetable oils and margarine and avoid “artery-clogging saturated fats.”

Check out the rise of canola oil since then (and the decline of butter):

why not to eat canola oil

And the rise in soybean oil production and consumption:

dont eat soybean oil

And corn oil:

u s corn oil consumption

As an interesting correlation, check out the rates of heart disease and cancer since then. As this article notes:

All one has to do is look at the statistics to know that it isn’t true. Butter consumption at the turn of the century was eighteen pounds per person per year, and the use of vegetable oils almost nonexistent. Yet cancer and heart disease were rare. Today butter consumption hovers just above four pounds per person per year while vegetable oil consumption has soared–and cancer and heart disease are endemic.

Since the 1950s these vegetable oils and their derivatives have been increasingly used in processed foods and for frying or cooking. They are marketed as healthy because they contain monounsaturated fats and some level of omega-3 fatty acids.

What’s Wrong With Vegetable Oils?

There are many problems with vegetable oil consumption, and in my opinion, no amount is safe. To understand why, let’s look at a few of the biggest problems with vegetable oils:

Our Bodies Aren’t Meant to Consume Them!

The fat content of the human body is about 97% saturated and monounsaturated fat, with only 3% polyunsaturated fats. Half of that three percent is omega-3 fats, and that balance needs to be there. Vegetable oils contain very high levels of polyunsaturated fats, and these oils have replaced many of the saturated fats in our diets since the 1950s.

The body needs fats for rebuilding cells and hormone production, but it has to use the building blocks we give it. When we give it a high concentration of polyunsaturated fats instead of the ratios it needs, it has no choice but to incorporate these fats into our cells during cell repair and creation.

The problem is that polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and oxidize easily in the body (if they haven’t already oxidized during processing or by light exposure while sitting on the grocery store shelf). These oxidized fats cause inflammation and mutation in cells.

In arterial cells, these mutations cause inflammation that can clog arteries. When these fats are incorporated into skin cells, their mutation causes skin cancer. (This is why people often get the most dangerous forms of skin cancer in places where they are never exposed to the sun, but that is a topic for another day!)

When these oils are incorporated into cells in reproductive tissue, some evidence suggests that this can spur problems like endometriosis and PCOS. In short, the body is made up of saturated and monounsaturated fats, and it needs these for optimal health.

Vegetable Oils Contain High Levels of Omega-6 Fatty Acids

I’ve talked before about how the body needs omega-3 and omega-6 fats in balance, preferably a 1:1 ratio. Most people consume a much higher ratio of omega-6 fats, and this can lead to problems.

Vegetable oils contain a very high concentration of omega-6 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats, which cause an imbalance of these oils in the body. Omega-6 fats are easily oxidized with heat or light exposure. This is another reason that when these types of fats/oils are incorporated into tissue like skin cells, the heat and light from sun exposure can increase skin cancer risk.

Unbalanced levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fats have been linked to skin cancer and many types of cancers. As a recent article from the Institute of Natural healing explains:

In one study performed at the University of Western Ontario, researchers observed the effects of ten different dietary fats ranging from most saturated to least saturated. What they found is that saturated fats produced the least number of cancers, while omega-6 polyunsaturated fats produced the most. Numerous other studies have also shown that polyunsaturated fats stimulate cancer while saturated fat does not1 and that saturated fats do not break down to form free radicals.2

In another study, Dr. Vivienne Reeve, PhD, Head of the Photobiology Research Group at the University of Sydney irradiated a group of mice while feeding while feeding different groups of them polyunsaturated and saturated fats. She discovered that the mice that consumed only saturated fat were totally protected from skin cancer. Those in the polyunsaturated fat group quickly developed skin cancers. Later in the study, the mice in the saturated fat group were given polyunsaturated fats. Skin cancers quickly developed.

The 3% of our body that is made up of polyunsaturated fats is approximately half omega-3 fatty acids and half omega-6 fatty acids and our body needs this balance. omega-3s have been shown to reduce inflammation and be protective against cancer, while too much omega-6 fats cause inflammation and increase cancer risk.

Over time, consumption of these oils high in omega-6s and polyunsaturated fats can also lead to other problems, as the above article elaborates:

The journal Epidemiology published a study called, “Margarine Intake and Subsequent Coronary Heart Disease in Men.” Authors of the study followed participants of the Framingham Heart Study for 20 years and recorded their incidence of heart attack. They also tracked both butter and margarine consumption.

The researchers discovered that as margarine consumption increased… heart attacks went up. As butter consumption increased… heart attacks declined.

The study also divided the data into ten year increments. What they discovered is that during the first ten years, there was little association between margarine consumption and heart attacks. However, during the second decade of follow-up, the group eating the most margarine had 77% more heart attacks than the group eating none!

Hmm… saturated fats don’t cause heart disease and vegetable-based fats do! Sounds like something I’ve said before.

Imbalance of these fats can also cause damage to the intestines and along with processed grain consumption can set the body up for a host of food allergies and autoimmune problems.

Chemicals and Additives in Vegetable Oils and Fats

Since vegetable oils are chemically produced, it’s not really surprising that they contain harmful chemicals. Most vegetable oils and their products contain BHA and BHT (Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene) which are artificial antioxidants that help prevent food from oxidizing or spoiling too quickly.

These chemicals have been shown to produce potential cancer-causing compounds in the body, and have also been linked to liver/kidney damage, immune problems, infertility or sterility, high cholesterol, and behavioral problems in children.

Vegetable oils also contain residues of the pesticides and chemicals used in their growth and manufacture and most often come from genetically modified sources.

Reproductive Problems and Problems in Children

Vegetable oils are extremely damaging to the reproductive system and the developing bodies of unborn babies and children. Because the reproductive system in both men and women is constantly producing and dividing new cells, there is potential for mutation and problems when these cells are made of the wrong kind of fats and are oxidized.

This same thing applies to unborn babies and children, whose cells are dividing at high rates. There is more potential for mutation because there are more cells dividing. From this article:

What the scientific literature does tell us is that low fat diets for children, or diets in which vegetable oils have been substituted for animal fats, result in failure to thrive–failure to grow tall and strong–as well as learning disabilities, susceptibility to infection and behavioral problems. Teenage girls who adhere to such a diet risk reproductive problems. If they do manage to conceive, their chances of giving birth to a low birth weight baby, or a baby with birth defects, are high.

Excess consumption of vegetable oils also causes problems with hormone production, since hormones are dependent on certain fats for their manufacture. Vegetable oils that are hardened by hydrogenation to make shortening or margarine are especially damaging.

Other Effects of Vegetable Oils on the Body

Because vegetable oils oxidize easily, they deplete the body of antioxidants since the body must use these to attempt to neutralize the oxidation. People with high consumption of vegetable oils and their products are at risk for vitamin E deficiency and other deficiencies.

Vegetable oil consumption has been linked to a host of other problems, among them (from the same article above):

In test animals, diets high in polyunsaturates from vegetable oils inhibit the ability to learn, especially under conditions of stress; are toxic to the liver; compromise the integrity of the immune system; depress the mental and physical growth of infants; increase levels of uric acid in the blood; cause abnormal fatty acid profiles in the adipose tissues: have been linked to mental decline and chromosomal damage and accelerate aging. Excess consumption of polyunsaturates is associated with increasing rates of cancer, heart disease and weight gain.

In light of all that information, how do you sort out which oils are healthy, and which ones aren’t? Even more important, how do you know how much of each one to consume to be healthy?

Oils and Fats to Avoid

Vegetable oils and their fats should be avoided completely. There are much healthier alternatives and there is no reason or need to consume these types of fats. The main culprits to watch out for are:

  • Canola Oil
  • Corn Oil
  • Soybean Oil
  • “Vegetable” oil
  • Peanut Oil
  • Safflower Oil
  • Cottonseed Oil
  • Grapeseed Oil
  • Margarine
  • Shortening
  • Any fake butter or vegetable oils products

There is no nutritional need for these oils and healthy fats can be found in higher amounts and better ratios in many other types of fats. This article has a great breakdown of the polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated content in the above oils.

While it is simple enough to avoid these oils themselves, the tougher challenge is avoiding all the foods they are in. Check out practically any processed food, and you will find at least one of these ingredients, often labeled as “partially hydrogenated corn/soybean/etc. oil” or “may contain soybean or canola oil.” These foods in particular often contain one of the above unhealthy oils:

  • Salad dressings
  • Store-bought condiments
  • Mayo
  • Chips
  • Artificial cheeses
  • Store-bought nuts and snacks
  • Cookies
  • Crackers
  • Snack foods
  • Sauces
  • Practically anything sold in the middle aisles of the store

Oils and Fats to Use Freely

There are so many wonderful and healthy fats that are beneficial to the body, so there is no reason to consume the unhealthy ones above. Fats that can be consumed freely for optimal health are:

  • Coconut Oil– Filled with medium chain fatty acids and lauric acid, coconut oil is an all-star of the saturated fats. Since the fat composition in cells in the body is largely saturated fat, it is important to get enough of it from healthy sources. Coconut oil does not oxidize easily at high temperatures or go rancid easily, making it a good choice for cooking and baking. It also makes a great natural moisturizer and can be substituted for butter.
  • Meats – Meat, especially red meat, has gotten a bad rap, and unfortunately, the animals we eat have been as mistreated nutritionally as we have. Meats like grass fed beef and free range chicken has a very different nutritional profile than their feedlot counterparts. Grassfed and free range meats have higher nutrient levels, healthy forms of saturated fats and even omega-3s. If possible, consume these forms of meat.
  • Butter– This one food is usually the one people are happiest to start using again. Butter tastes delicious, and pastured grass fed butter is an excellent source of fat soluble vitamins, healthy saturated fat and other nutrients. In contains a compound that Weston A. Price called Activator X, known to improve nutrient absorption and have preventative benefits against disease.
  • Organic Cream– also a good source of healthy saturated fat, organic heavy cream is essentially liquid butter, and is great served whipped on top of fruit, in desserts or in cream based recipes.
  • Olive Oil– High in monounsaturated fats and low in polyunsaturated fats, olive oil is a great oil for salad dressings, homemade mayo,  and cold recipes. It shouldn’t be used for cooking since its high monounsaturated fat content makes it susceptible to oxidation at high temperatures.
  • Palm Oil– Has a high saturated fat content and is also heat stable. Some sources claim that palm oil production often encroaches on the natural habitat of some endangered animals, though sustainable versions can be found. If in doubt, just use coconut oil.
  • Avocados and Avocado Oil– A good source of monounsaturated fats and great on salads or in guacamole. Avocado oil is mild tasting and can be used in salad dressings.
  • Fish– Fish is naturally high in omega-3 fatty acids and can help improve the omega-3/omega-6 balance in the body. Look for sustainable wild caught sources, and stick to small fish like tuna, sardines, salmon, etc to minimize mercury.
  • Eggs– Another all-star in the healthy fats community, eggs are loaded with vitamins, healthy fats, and necessary cholesterol. Consume them daily from free-range sources.

Oils and Fats to Consume in Moderation

Some fats are nutritious and beneficial to the body but should still be consumed in moderation if they are eaten. Many contain high levels of Omega-6 fats and can therefore mess up the balance of fats in the body.

  • Flaxseed Oil– Though it contains a good amount of omega-3s, it also has a lot of omega-6s and its high polyunsaturated fat content makes it prone to oxidation if heated. Fish oil is a much better source of omega-3s, and in general, I don’t recommend flax oil, though it certainly is not the worst option.
  • Walnut Oil– Also high in omega-6 fats, but it has a great rich taste and can be safely used occasionally in dressings or desserts. It also has a slightly higher resistance to oxidation at higher temperatures than other nut oils.
  • Sunflower Oil– Many brands with a reputation for health consider high oleic sunflower oil safe and even beneficial as it contains some of the same compounds as olive oil. However, most sunflower oils added to vegetable oil blends are not in this form, so I avoid it unless it’s from a company I trust. Short answer: it isn’t something I’d cook with in large amounts or consume by itself, but it isn’t on my no list and I consider true sunflower oil safe.
  • Macadamia Nut Oil– This is one of my favorite tasting oils, but it is expensive. It is great in salad dressings or mayo. It has a lot of monounsaturated fats and low levels of polyunsaturated fats.
  • Nuts– Most types of nuts (remember peanuts are not nuts) are a good source of protein and healthy fats and can be eaten in moderation without problem. Just check to make sure they haven’t been cooked in vegetable oils, which is often the case. Nuts also contain phytic acid, so consuming them in excess can be problematic for tooth and bone health.

What to Do With the Vegetable Oils You Have Already?

If you already have some of the unhealthy vegetable oils in your house… don’t eat them! I’m not a fan of waste either, so use them up in other ways. They can be used to make homemade playdough or floor cleaner. You can also stick them in your shed for oiling tools. (Did I mention, don’t eat them!)

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Robert Galamaga, whois a board-certified internal medicine physician. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor or work with a doctor at SteadyMD.

Are you ready to throw out the vegetable oils? Still think canola oil is heart healthy? Share below!

Vegetable oil and margarine are artificial fats that have a very negative effect on the body. Find out why you shouldn't consume these oils.

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

547 responses to “Why You Should Never Eat Vegetable Oil or Margarine”

  1. Buchanan Avatar
    Buchanan

    If grapeseed oil is expeller pressed and you don’t heat it up, is it okay? I use it to make mayo because of it’s more mild flavor. Olive is so strong and less versatile as mayo.

  2. Casey Avatar

    I don’t recommend flax in any form because genetically modified seeds are passed off as natural (FDA has not classified it as a food, so the growers/sellers can say what they want). Many European countries have banned human consumption of flax in any form because of this. My mom used to clean with linseed oil–flax seed oil!

  3. Buchanan Avatar
    Buchanan

    I was bummed to see grapeseed oil on the list of don’t-eats. I’ve heard so much good about it ~ as long as it’s cold or expeller pressed. Does that redeem it somewhat? I’ve been using it as a lotion, rubbing it straight on my skin. Not good?

  4. Candi Avatar

    I always thought grapeseed oil was one of the “wonder” oils.  I see here you’ve listed it as an oil to avoid so I will adjust however, as I’ve been combing your site for all the amazing homemade recipes, I noticed one of your recipes for baby massage oils says I can use grapeseed oil.  Now I’m confused. Is is ok to use it topically yet not ingest it?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      It is fine topically, I just don’t keep very much in the house so I don’t use it much with experimenting with recipes 🙂

  5. Bill Avatar

    Grass fed derived milk and butter are awesome foods as long as they come from A-2 cows (Jersey and Guernsey for instance) and have not been cooked (i.e.; pasteurized).
    I’m not aware of any milk/butter available in stores that has not been cooked.
    Are you?

  6. Laureen Avatar
    Laureen

    What about sesame oil? I don’t see it listed and I do like to use it occasionally.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      It’s fine as long as it isn’t cooked. It oxidized quickly when heated but is great it salad dressings….

  7. KT Avatar

    I have no idea why the author believes rapeseed oil is bad.  Rapeseed (real) oil is extracted by mechanically pressing the seeds, which contain 50% oil, and about 1/3 pure oil of this  THere is no chemical process going on there, get your fact right? A high quality rapeseed oil have very little saturated fats in it, and it considered one of the better oils. It can also take higher heat than ie. olive oil and has higher content of the good fats. 

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I’d love to see your documentation on this. Rapeseed (canola) oil oxidizes very quickly at high temperatures. It is low in saturated fats, which is a BAD thing and high in Omega-6 Polyunsaturated fats which is also a BAD thing. If you couldn’t/wouldn’t eat the food the oil comes from in high quantities, eating the oil isn’t a great idea either! The common way of producing this oil involves hexane and chemical bleach and deodorizer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola.

      1. Rachel Rasmussen Avatar
        Rachel Rasmussen

        I live in the country, right beside several Canola fields. Canola plants routinely crop up in my lawn. My kids pick them and put them on the kitchen table. They smell kinda nice, but I promise you, there is no way to cold press oil from these little flowers. There is no oily seed that you can squeeze. Plenty of oils are obvious, but soybean, corn, and DEFINITELY canola are not.

        1. Rachel Rasmussen Avatar
          Rachel Rasmussen

          ^^^sorry, that’s in reply to the original comment, not your response.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Ok in cool things like salad dressings but not good for heating…

  8. Tiffany Avatar
    Tiffany

    I was raised on vegetable oils and margarine. My family thought it was healthy, as most people do nowadays. We would use it from cooking to baking, in almost anything that called for oil. But after reading this article, I will definitely get rid of all of it!

    We like to have homemade meals instead of eating out, so cooking oil is a necessary in our house. What will be the best cooking oil to use? Will extra virgin olive oil do? I’ve read that it is ok to use good quality evoo for cooking because the better the evoo, the lower the level of acidity and this increases the smoking point of evoo. Is this true? I know that coconut oil is very healthy and safe to cook with because of its high smoke point, but the virgin coconut oil will give a coconut taste to all my savory dishes including fish and sauteed vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love everything coconuts but I don’t want something savory to have coconut, especially my pan seared wild salmon! The other alternative would be refined coconut oil, but I heard it’s bad since it has been refined, bleached, and deodorized. There’s also butter, but I wouldn’t want to use butter everyday or in everything I cook/bake, so any recommendations?  

    Thanks for your great and informative article!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Olive oil oxidizes when heated, so its great for salads and cool dishes but not for hot ones. Ghee is a good alternative to coconut oil without the taste, or grassfed tallow is a great sources of CLA and Omega-3s.

  9. John Avatar

    Palm oil is one of the most dangerous oil there is. Ban from some
    european counties. I CAN NOT believe its listed as a heathy alternative.

    Although accurate in many areas, there are information here that is
    absolutely Wrong! Anyone read this article should be made aware of.

    Totally irresponsible. I the author get herself a proper education or
    represent the information accurately.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I’d love to see your evidence showing it is harmful. Certainly, some forms are dangerous to the environment (which I don’t recommend) and coconut and other fats are healthier, but palm pil it itself (when not hydrogenated) is not dangerous for human consumption.

      1. Liz Avatar

        https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502084827.htm

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24717342

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23406428

        Systemic inflammation and cardiovascular health are my areas of research, not many in my field would suggest palm oil is equal by any measure to many of the healthier oils, but it is better than say hydrogenated oils. There are just to many studies that show bad cholesterol profiles related to palm oil. But more research needs to be done, whenever the public decides to increase scientific funding.

  10. Gracie Avatar

    Pretty sad to see Palm oil on the recommended list.  It’s one of the big contributors to the destruction of the rainforest.  Shame shame..

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      Actually, the only kind I’ve ever linked to is rainforest safe…

  11. Sahara Olive Avatar
    Sahara Olive

    Palm oil actually has active natural antioxidants compounds such as carotene and tocopherols. Read more information in Fats and Oils blogspot..

  12. Heather Avatar
    Heather

    I’m an artist, and the only time I buy vegetable oil is to use in cleaning oil paint out of my brushes! Wipe off excess paint, swirl the brushes in oil in a jar, and then a plain ol’ bar of soap to scrub the brushes on.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I occasionally oil paint too and completely agree! Works great!

    2. Kami McFarland Noland Avatar
      Kami McFarland Noland

      Excellent! I’ve been wanting a better alternative to turp. 🙂

  13. Daz Avatar

    Articles like this are what make the Internet brilliant.  The word is spreading (forgive the pun).  Saturated fats are good for us.  So the Asians were right about dairy, Ghee is good! Replacing oil for ghee was acually doing us harm!  Right the ghee laden curries are back on the menu.

    Scientists and Medical people mostly give bad advice in my experience and will never waiver from their views especially when talking to a laymen.  Scientific proof bla bla bla, we do not believe your scientific proof, we believe common sense and also stories from real people whos health has improved.  Scientists are perdantic people and would rather critise than learn from peoples experience.

      1. Joanna Avatar

        I believe he/she may have been referring to the arrogance and superiority complex issues many (but not all) medical professionals have which prevents them from taking an unbiased look at the possibilities of something other than what they’re comfortable with actually being true. Don’t worry, the science will catch up eventually, in the meantime follow whichever diet you feel is best and time will tell who wins the Darwin Award =)

  14. Jenn Avatar

    In some places, it’s pretty inexpensive to find good fats.  I can get a big bag of beef fat from my butcher (grass-fed) for $1/lb.  I then bring it home and render it.   

    I agree that some things are not common enough, but they are becoming more and more common and accessible.  

    Good quality food often costs more.  That is, in part due to the government subsidies for many foods, which creates a lower cost (but it still costs us, we just don’t see the bill).  Also, cheap food often causes us to pay more in healthcare costs.  We have to learn to pay what good quality food is worth.  

  15. Jenn Avatar

    I don’t think that it is common knowledge that people have been eating vegetable oils for millenia.  As a reader of your comment, I would disregard that statement, given your misinformation about GMO.  If you want people to take you seriously on this, you should offer up some historical evidence that people have been eating vegetable oils for millenia.  So far as I know, there is no such evidence.  Yes, people have been eating olive oil, but that was not referenced here as a vegetable oil.  I’m not sure about sesame oil, as I haven’t read up on it.  But the others were NOT around for more than 100-200 years.  

  16. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    I was raised exclusively on vegetable oil and margarine. My mom would scoff at people who used butter and say that it was so disgusting and was clogging their arteries. I really think it’s a generational thing. She always took pride in raising us so “healthy.” I became much more well informed in early adulthood, and use only butter and olive oil. I still use vegetable oil and crisco for baking sometimes, but after reading your article I will switch to coconut oil. I just didn’t know how to substitute for it before now.

     
    All of this information is really overwhelming to me. I feel like everything in my cupboard is going to kill my family. I am so tired all the time from working full time during the day, staying up late to do housework then being up nursing my daughter all night long. The thought of making everything from scratch is overwhelming to me. Do you have any advice of how to prioritize what to change and what’s not as bad, e.g. crackers and food from the middle aisles of the store? Do you have any advice for time management for busy moms with no help? 

  17. Sturm Brightblade Avatar
    Sturm Brightblade

    This article is full of holes. First of all, vegetable oil is scientifically proven to be better for you. What matters is the TYPE of vegetable oil. For instance coconut oil is by far the worst because of the saturated fat and high calorie content. Whereas olive oil is VERY healthy for you. No animal fat or oil is EVER good for you, which is what I think the author is implying. Secondly, vegetable oil has been consumed for thousands and thousands of years, there is nothing new about it. Native Americans would crush nuts and boil them for their oil. In the middle east, olive oil production has been going on before we started recording history. I recommend that everybody studies science more and not listen to false facts.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I’d love to see some of your “proof” that it is better for you. It is financially proven to be more lucrative for companies… Coconut oil is actually one of the best foods you can consume (I drink 1/4 cup a day straight…) and does not cause heart disease or high cholesterol (more here https://wellnessmama.com/1853/roots-of-heart-disease/ and most of the links in there are to studies). I am not only implying that animal fat is good for you… I’m flat out saying it. The vegetable oil we consume today has not been consumed for thousands of years (though those *dreaded* animal fats and coconut oil have been consumed that long and longer). If you’ve got “science” I’d love to see it. If not, you’re doing the same thing you are accusing me of doing (and there are links to studies in this article as well.)

      1. tane wallis Avatar
        tane wallis

        Hahahah the kick i am getting out of everytime someone tries to say the article is bs.

    2. Tom Harper Avatar
      Tom Harper

      Actually science has never proven anything at all with regards to any health issues involving animal fats. Ancel Keys ran the “lipid study” which eliminated the data from 17 of 22 countries to come to his “conclusion” that animal fats are bad for us. The 5 countries he kept in his study consumed a lot of vegetable oils, sugars and processed starches, and had unhealthy populations. Among the 17 he omitted, most of those did not eat a western diet, ate lots of saturated fat and enjoyed lower incidence of heart disease and cancer.

      Read this, from a cardiac surgeon, with lots and lots of proof points and sources:
      https://www.lewrockwell.com/1970/01/donald-w-miller-jr-md/saturated-fats-are-good-for-you/

      Your examples of how we consumed vegetable fats forgets that the only way we had to render them was by crushing them, not chemically extracting them from genetically modified source seeds, with the primary genetic modification being ’roundup ready’ which allows the plants to be indiscriminately sprayed with roundup. I’d prefer to avoid eating roundup and the chemicals associated with extracting modern vegetable oils. In truth, we ate very little vegetable fat because it was too hard to render, and animal fats are readily available and easily rendered.

      Why are we fooled into eating this crap by bad science and even worse reporting standards in the nutritional press? We have billions of people to feed, its expensive to make quality food, its expensive to raise animals and render animal fat. Its much cheaper and more profitable to grow GMO grains and seeds, spray them with chemicals to avoid any labor costs, extract them with chemicals, then concoct “food” out of processed starches augmented or cooked in crap fats, sprayed with salt and sugar. Sure is convenient and tastes good to our western palates.

      Do recall that we were told that cigarettes were good for us for a good 50 years and doctors even lined up to endorse particular brands. There were even cigs for asthma sufferers. I’ll bet those worked really well. Common wisdom and the guidance of those who should be experts in the matter is therefore not a very good divining rod.

      Real proof? Up until two years ago I ate the “good diet”. Low fat, high grains, fruit juice, smoothies, etc. Poor calorie to nutrition ratio, and large jolts of nutrition from juicing. I had steadily gone from 180lbs as a young man to 260lbs, with high blood pressure and diabetes and a load of other things. I took 17 prescription pills a day while lamenting to my doctor that I was eating the supposedly ‘good’ stuff, why wasn’t it working? He offered more pills.

      So I had a funny epiphany while watching “survivorman”. Les gets dropped into a wilderness and survives on what he can find, much like we did for 10,000 years or more before engaging in organized agriculture. He eats berries, seeds, green shoots, a root now and then, eggs he can find in a nest, small critters he can trap, bugs, small fish…you get the idea, although I skipped the bugs. I adopted the coconut oil craze (I must have 4 gallons of it) and butter as my primary cooking oils. I used olive oil sparingly in cold applications. I eat entirely super duty organic products. My fruits and vegetables are grown by a farm like its the 1800’s, from composts only and no sprays or chemicals. My meats are grass fed and free range from a local farm, rendered by a local business and not a factory. I eat what Les did, augmented by probiotics and fermented foods. I also eat a lot of charcuterie, since it tastes great. Bacon, sausage, pate’s, rillettes, confits, etc. Try to keep the calories under 2000, and its not hard with this diet. I’m never hungry, I don’t experience sugar rollercoasters or cravings.

      Results? In a little over a year I lost 80lbs. I weigh what I did in high school. I developed improved energy and mood almost immediately. I was able to stop taking every single pill. My blood work is pristine. I feel great. With a diet that is almost 50% fat (by calorie intake), much of that saturated, much of that animal based.

      The only hilarious problem I have now is that almost nobody ‘fixes’ their body like this, and my kaiser doctor apparently is unable or unwilling to note that I’m no longer suffering from the huge range of diet related illnesses I used to suffer from. I’m constantly nagged for blood tests and to come in and have my BP checked. The modern medical system doesn’t allow for people to get well!

    3. Charlene Avatar
      Charlene

      Your comment has only superficial facts and info rather than this article. it only testifies of your lack of information about these problems and that the information you have is pure commercially given.

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