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.

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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. Gina B. Avatar

    Hey Katie! I’ve noticed sunflower seed oil is in a lot of “healthy” versions of foods. Is it on the use in moderation list?

  2. Emily Avatar

    Hi there! Thanks so much for all of this helpful information. Of course doughnuts aren’t a healthy choice, but every once in a while we make the recipe my grandmother used and it’s such a nice way to remember her and enjoy a sweet treat. Do you recommend any oil for something like frying doughnuts, where you need at least a few inches?? I’ve seen a lot of recipes for baking doughnuts but I wonder if that would work for her recipe???? Thanks so much!

  3. Dianne Avatar

    Thank you for this article. I cannot remember the last time I used ‘margarine.’ I am guilty of using vegetable oil, thinking it was healthy. YIKES! Usually when I fry something, I use fresh lard (from meat market). I also use lard to ‘season’ my cast iron skillets, dutch oven, etc.

    A ‘test’ I showed my grandchildren: place a pat of margarine on a plate, a pat of butter on another and set outside. Flies will NOT go near the margarine! If flies won’t have anything to do with margarine, why would I put it in my body?

    *I lost a leg to cancer at age 11. Did the cancer come from mom switching from butter to margarine (because it was cheaper)? I have no idea. All I know is, my dad had many medical issues AFTER eating margarine on a regular basis. Again, I cannot PROVE the margarine caused all this. I’m now 62 years of age and moderately healthy. I eat pretty healthy. I do enjoy fried catfish nuggets occasionally. Other than that, I’ve pretty much done away with fried food.

  4. Carm Avatar

    I didn’t see any comments about organic canola or vegetable oils. Is there a reason why these oils shouldn’t be consumed? Is the process of making canola oil organically different and safer than the non organic one?

    1. Katie Wells Avatar

      Both are still very high in polyunsaturated fats and there are much healthier alternatives for oils, even if those come from organic sources.

  5. Andrea B Avatar

    Didn’t see Sesame oil in any of the lists. Where does this fall – avoid or use in moderation? I don’t use it super often but like it for Asian dishes. Love your blog, podcast and cookbook! Thank you!

    1. Melissa O Avatar

      I’m wondering this too. My husband uses it in stirfry, and I have used it to make salad dressing.

  6. J Clarke Avatar

    Hi –

    I read your well written article via a link in an article from my Medium membership, and agree with most of it.

    There is one item however, that you need to tend to in the article that is of importance: you mention that Tuna is a small species of fish that provides healthy benefits. This is largely incorrect. Tuna is a large, top-level predator, and as such contains many toxins in its meat including mercury, due to bioaccumulation. Most Tuna should be avoided for this fact alone. The other side of this is that the larger species are in such population decline due to overfishing, that they are nearing endangered species territory.

    Blackfin Tuna, a smaller fish in comparison to Yellowfin, Skipjack, or the endangered Bluefin, is a healthier and currently sustainable option if you enjoy Tuna.

    Also, sustainably caught, wild Pacific or Atlantic Salmon are healthy Omega-3 options for consumption, but be sure to stay away from farmed salmon, which are loaded with hormones and antibiotics; fish farming also accounts for negative impacts upon native wild species populations.

    Thanks again for a great read, and cited sources. My apologies for not providing my own in my reply, but a quick bit of online research will easily support the claims.

    It’s up to each of us to inform ourselves of our consumption habits regarding our personal health, as well as the health of the planet and it’s myriad of incredible species we share it with.

    Kind regards…

    1. Mel Avatar

      yeah I saw that tuna was a “small fish” and had wanted to correct it. Thanks for your well-written comment on this.

  7. Rich Avatar

    Please clarify the below as the two sentences seem to contradict and confuse. If omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats then you are also saying ” Vegetable oils contain a very high concentration of Omega 6 fatty acids/(POLYUNSATURATED FATS) and polyunsaturated fats, which cause an imbalance of these oils in the body.

    See these sentences in article:
    “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.”

    “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:

    1. Katie Wells Avatar

      I see how that could be unclear. Basically, only a small amount of the fat in the body is polyunsaturated, and that fat in the body is a mix of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. We often eat much more omega-6 based fat in a modern diet so we’re often low on Omega-33 anyway, and many processed foods use that fat in place of monounsaturated or other types of fats. In other words, it’s easy to get plenty of polyunsaturated omega-6 fats even without eating processed foods so I find it important to focus on consuming more Omega-3 and other types of fats and minimizing vegetable oils.

  8. Mark Avatar

    What is the optimal ratio for Omega 3s to Omega 6s in the blood? Is it the same 1:1 ratio as for diet, or is it different? Thank you.

  9. Denise Goodwin Avatar
    Denise Goodwin

    Thank you for this very informative article which I’m only able to assume is accurate. I will def follow your advice on the oils. So much bad stuff in our foods these days we must educate ourselves and take responsibility for our health because apparently the powers that be are not watching out for us.

  10. Nicholas Avatar
    Nicholas

    “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.”

    On the same note, it looks like the proliferation of olive oil has been causing rampant cancer and heart disease in the US! Based on your graph they also happened at the same time. Damn

    Or actually, maybe the heart disease is coming from the digits of the year rising, there’s a strong correlation with that one too – it’s been happening for the last 100 years. We should petition to count years backwards in order to reverse the effects.

  11. Lena Avatar

    I use veg oil to kill mosquitos. Pour enough to make a sheen on any standing water you can’t drain. It’s cheap and hopefully biodegradable……

  12. Jason Avatar

    Interesting that you don’t recommend/credit Dr. Cate Shanahan and her book Deep Nutrition.

  13. Clay Avatar

    You’re confusing a plant based thickening agent with collagen. There is no such thing as vegan collagen – which is what you are eating when eating gelatin or bone broth. There is no substitute that has the same properties. Collagen is what holds your body together (connective tissue) and gives skin it’s elasticity. Not algae, tapioca starch or seaweed.

  14. Lane Freund Avatar
    Lane Freund

    what are your bona fides to be able to write this article? this question is not meant as accusatory of an agenda but to verify the science behind what is stated.

  15. Daniel Avatar

    I know it’s easier to blame the increased use of “chemicals” (which everything is made up of, water is a chemical – you can’t just say that “Since vegetable oils are chemically produced, its not really surprising that they contain harmful chemicals.” Apples & bitter almonds contain cyanide – 100% naturally occurring. I agree that it’s often unnecessary to include (as many) processed foods in our diet and that for most people they introduce high levels of sugar and unhealthy fats, as you’ve highlighted correctly. Saturated fats (which hydrogenated fats are a subset of) are responsible for an increase in low density lipids – so called “bad” cholesterol – and should be consumed in moderation. To imply that butter nowadays is made in 4 steps (milk the cow, allow cream to separate, skim cream, shake to create butter) is wrong – pretty much all butter is made from pasteurised milk which allows for a much safer end product without too much of the flavor being affected.

  16. Daniel Avatar

    Decent article but I think it’s wrong to imply that an increase in cancer & heart disease is at all linked.
    At the turn of the century, the reason people weren’t being diagnosed with these issues is because they were dying of something else earlier or that modern medicine was still being developed! Of course you’re not going to get stomach cancer in your 70s if you’re dying from, what would now be considered an easily preventable illness, something that caused you to pass away in your 40s & 50s.
    Antibiotics were not widespread in medicine, let alone well understood as they are now. An infection that can be (for now…) treated with antibiotics now was something that was potentially lethal over 110 years ago. It wasn’t until 1945 that a Nobel prize was awarded for something related to antibiotics, and remember that you’d often win a prize in research long before any benefits were wide-spread; it’s more about recognizing that the scientist/researcher is providing something useful. People would die from these infections rather than cancer or heart disease, and so not be able to even develop those problems. If you said that modern medicine was the cause of cancer & heart disease, as better medicine leads to more people dying from cancer than a society without modern healthcare, technically you’d be correct but it’s disingenuous. Correlation does not imply causation. Just because it appears that two sets of statistics align does not mean they are at all related. In this case, yes treating ailments throughout life will mean that people die from cancer rather than a preventable infection when they cut their hand, but it ultimately leads to a higher quality of life over a greater period of time.

  17. Maryanne Avatar
    Maryanne

    Thank you for this!! I already am against vegetable oil, so it is great to have some thorough info about it.
    I am shocked that the Wikipedia page for vegetable oil actually puts it in a positive light – maybe you can add some of your info to it!!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_oil
    Thanks again 🙂

  18. Bea Avatar

    An amazing article. I have just discovered how bad poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are (Dec 2017). Now looking for new recipes! Love your onion rings 🙂

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