MANY clients are concerned about seed oils, mainly from listening to podcasts or seeing information on social media. They are hearing that seed oils are extremely toxic and genetically modified, and that Omega 6 Fatty Acids (found in relatively high amounts in nuts and seeds) are the root of all evil when it comes to our diets.
This makes great sense as eating the proper fats is crucial for great health and disease prevention. This is because the “skin” or membranes of our 35-70 trillion cells is made up chiefly of FATS. Same goes for the mitochondria or “powerhouse of the cell” as we learned in grade school.
So, many people are avoiding all seed oils in efforts to embrace a healthy diet, and they are supplementing with high doses of fish oils (Omega 3 Fatty Acids), hearing exactly the opposite about them. The problem is that the information getting to the public is SORT OF true. When studies refer to “seed oils,” by and large they are referring to cottonseed, rapeseed (canola) oil, soy oil and sometimes corn oil. These oils are HEAVILY genetically modified, pesticide laden and reused over and over in frying fast food and packaged foods. Moreover, these oils are polyunsaturated -which in and of itself is ok, but at exposure to heat, light and air, they oxidize or become basically rancid and yes, toxic. So the idea of using these oils over and over to FRY food is literally a recipe for disaster.
But here’s the twist. We actually NEED Omega 6 Fatty Acids. Actually we need about 3.5 times more Omega 6 than Omega 3’s. But we need them to be FRESH and well sourced. Good sources are yep, you guessed it- from seeds. But now we are talking about RAW, organic non GMO hemp, safflower, sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds. (I keep my seeds in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to eat.) Good quality meats will also be a source. So you can see, there are nuances here, worth paying attention to.
We order a great test from a Johns Hopkins affiliate, that tests all the fats in the cell, so we can make precise recommendations for each client. (The other tests such as Omega check do not hold up to scrutiny in our experience.) There IS a huge difference in what fats a person should be eating based on genetics, age and other environmental influences. What we see a lot of the time is that new clients come in with an inversion of their fatty acid profile- meaning they will have too much Omega 3 and to LITTLE Omega 6. (This is generally because people who seek help from us are already getting Omega 3’s from their diet and supplementing on top of that.) This can cause the cell membrane to be too soft and floppy and can disrupt mitochondrial function. So, much like Goldilocks, the fatty acid profile has to be just right.
