Is the seed oil excitement really worthy? That’s the question we’re slowing down with today — not from fear or internet hype, but with clarity, compassion, and grounded science. Seed oils are everywhere in the modern diet, but understanding how they’re made and how they behave in the body helps us make wiser choices without slipping into perfectionism or panic.

In this episode, we break down the truth about omega-6 fatty acids, how extraction methods affect delicate fats, and why the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 matters for inflammation. We also talk about those gorgeous golden “canola fields” (that aren’t actually canola plants…) and how industrial processing transforms these oils long before they reach your kitchen.

You’ll learn the difference between cold-pressed, expeller-pressed, and highly refined oils — and why choosing gentler versions at home supports your body’s natural design for resilience, restoration, and renewal. No shame. No alarm bells. Just simple choices that stack up over time.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you need to panic about seed oils or toss out your entire pantry, this episode brings the peace back into the conversation.

Hosted by Penelope Sampler

Natural Wellness • Chronic Illness Journey • Faith & Wellness

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📌 Note: I share what I’ve learned on my own journey — the things that have supported me in hard seasons. I offer personal experience, thoughtful research, and lots of encouragement. This podcast isn’t medical advice, and it shouldn’t replace care from a qualified professional. Always talk to someone you trust before making changes to your health routine.

© Becoming Natural Podcast.

BECOMING NATURAL PODCAST

59 | Is the Seed Oil Excitement Really Worthy?

INTRO

Hey friends, welcome back to Becoming Natural Podcast, I am Penny, your host, and happy to get to chat today about Seed Oils. We are constantly hearing a broad swath that “seed oils are bad”. Is that they case? If it is, what are they and what can take their place?

You know, every few years the wellness world picks a new villain. Gluten had its moment. Carbs got blamed for everything from brain fog to bad moods. And now? Seed oils. Poor little seeds out here minding their business, and the whole internet is like, “You. You’re the problem.”

But anytime something gets labeled as always bad or always good, I pause. Because God did not design your body in black and white. He designed it with layers… nuance… rhythm… balance. A whole orchestra of processes meant to work together in harmony. So is it the seed oil specifically? Is it the process they impact? Or a little of both?

So today, we’re going to slow things down and talk about seed oils in a way that’s grounded, clear, and compassionate. No shame. No “If you eat this, your life is over.” Our bodies were naturally created with detox pathways remember? Lymphatics, sweating, the liver!

We’re going to talk about what seed oils actually are, where the concerns come from, what the science actually says, why the way we extract the oil matters, and how to make simple, doable swaps in your home without losing your mind.

Alright — let’s get into it.

WHAT ARE SEED OILS, REALLY?

Seed oils are exactly what they sound like — oils extracted from seeds.

The most common ones you’ll see are canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, cottonseed, and rice bran.

Food companies love these oils because they’re cheap, neutral-flavored, and shelf-stable. They’re easy to use in packaged foods and fast food. And listen… if I were a food manufacturer trying to make 6 million crackers a minute, I’d probably love them too.

But your body?

Your body has a different experience with these oils.

Before we go any further, though, we need to clear up one big misconception, especially about canola oil.

SIDEBAR: “WAIT… WHAT EVEN IS CANOLA?”

Canola oil does not come from a plant called canola.

There is no magical canola tree growing in the wholesome Midwest that we’ve all been picturing.

Those gorgeous yellow fields you’ve seen in photos?

Yes, farmers call them “canola fields,”

but botanically they are actually a selectively bred form of rapeseed.

When they created this new, improved seed, they named it:

CAN-O-LA.

CANada + Oil + Low + Acid.

So yes — you are eating oil from a seed.

But no — it didn’t come from a plant originally named “canola.”

It came from a modified rapeseed plant with a much nicer personality.

DID YOU KNOW? A QUICK RAPeseeD MOMENT

In case you are wondering exactly what rapeseed is, let me tell you real quick what rapeseed actually is — because the name alone throws people.

Rapeseed is a bright yellow flowering plant in the mustard family.

So think cousins of broccoli, cabbage, mustard greens, kale…

It grows tall, blooms beautifully, and produces little seed pods packed with oil.

Historically, rapeseed wasn’t used much for cooking.

It was mostly used for things like lamp oil, lubricants, and animal feed because the original version naturally contained two compounds that weren’t great for human consumption:

erucic acid. uh-ROO-sik acid

glucosinolates gloo-KOH-sign-uh-layts

So if you’ve ever seen those massive golden fields and thought, “Wow, that’s so pretty. I wonder what that is…”

It’s rapeseed.

Or more specifically today — canola’s parent plant.

Beautiful, useful, but definitely different from the wholesome “farm-fresh oil” image that marketing departments love to give it.

Those massive, beautiful golden fields you see in Canada and across the Midwest?

Those aren’t fields of some wholesome, old-fashioned “canola plant” growing for your grandma’s frying pan.

Those fields are growing the modern, low-acid version of rapeseed that was bred specifically for mass production.

Most of it ends up as:

bottled canola oil

oils used in processed and packaged foods

restaurant and fast-food fryer oil

biofuels and industrial products

and the leftover seed meal becomes livestock feed

So yes, they’re gorgeous to look at — but they’re also one of the biggest agricultural systems feeding the processed-food industry.

Not necessarily a handcrafted, farm-fresh cooking oil… more like the backbone of modern convenience foods.

Alright, now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get into the real concerns.

WHERE THE SEED OIL CONCERNS COME FROM

There are three main concerns with seed oils. Let’s start with the big one:

CONCERN #1: OMEGA-6 FATTY ACIDS

Omega-6 gets a really bad reputation online.

But here’s the truth — God designed omega-6 for a purpose.

Omega-6 is actually GOOD for you in healthy amounts.

It helps with:

wound healing

immune activation

healthy inflammation when needed

hormone production

cell signaling

Omega-6 is not the villain.

It’s like fire — helpful when contained… destructive when not.

Where omega-6 becomes a problem

The issue isn’t omega-6 itself.

The issue is imbalance.

Historically, humans ate omega-6 and omega-3 in about a 1:1 ratio.

Today, the average American is somewhere between 20:1 and 30:1.

Imagine trying to sit on a seesaw with someone 800 pounds heavier than you. That’s what’s happening inside the modern body. One side is doing WAY more of the work.

And your inflammation pathways feel that.

Omega-6 tends to turn inflammation ON.

Omega-3 helps turn it OFF.

We need both.

We just don’t need a world where the “turn it on” switch is constantly on.

CONCERN #2: THE WAY SEED OILS ARE MADE

Many seed oils are extracted using very high heat and chemical solvents.

And fragile fats do not like heat. They do not like solvents. They do not like being pushed to their breaking point.

This leads perfectly into an entire section we need to highlight…

WHY EXTRACTION MATTERS — AND WHY IT’S A THING

Alright friend, this part deserves its own spotlight because it applies to many different types of oils we use on, in or around our bodies.

Because how an oil is extracted changes what it does inside your body.

Most people don’t realize this. They think oil is oil is oil.

But extraction method is everything.

Let’s break it down.

1. COLD-PRESSED OILS — THE GENTLE WAY

Cold-pressed means the oil is extracted mechanically, without high heat.

Why does this matter?

Because polyunsaturated fats — like the ones in seed oils — are delicate. They break down under heat. They oxidize. They form compounds your body sees as stress signals.

Cold-pressed oils keep their structure.

They stay closer to the way God put them in the plant.

They don’t come with the inflammatory baggage of high-heat extraction.

Think of cold-pressed oil like someone handing you fresh-squeezed orange juice straight from the fruit. Simple. Pure. Recognizable.

2. EXPELLER-PRESSED OILS — STILL MUCH BETTER

Expeller-pressed oils are extracted through pressure only — no chemical solvents.

Pressure does create some heat from friction, but nothing like industrial refining.

Benefits of expeller-pressed oils:

no chemical solvents

lower oxidation

more stable fats

fewer inflammatory byproducts

If cold-pressed is first class, expeller-pressed is business class.

Refined seed oils… are the middle seat in coach next to the bathroom.

Bless them, but we’re not choosing them if we don’t have to.

3. THE REAL PROBLEM: HEAT + SOLVENTS

Here’s how most cheap seed oils are made:

They are:

blasted with high heat

washed with chemical solvents (usually hexane)

bleached

deodorized

This not only damages the fats…

it creates compounds your body has to clean up.

Why add all that extra work to your liver when healthier alternatives exist?

A SIMPLE ANALOGY

Cold-pressed is like squeezing fresh juice with your hands.

Heat-processed is like boiling the fruit, bleaching it, deodorizing it, and then calling it “natural.”

One honors the food the way God designed it.

The other is… trying.

CONCERN #3 — SEED OILS ARE HIDDEN EVERYWHERE

This is where things really stack up.

Most people aren’t cooking with seed oils at home.

They’re eating seed oils through:

chips

crackers

granola bars

salad dressings

fast food

frozen foods

breads

sauces

dips

baked goods

restaurant foods

Seed oils are the glitter of the food world.

Once they’re in something… they’re everywhere.

This is why using them less at home really matters.

Your house is the one place you can shift the balance.

WHAT SEED OILS ARE NOT

Seed oils are NOT:

instant poison

the root of all health issues

something to panic about

Seed oils ARE:

overconsumed

highly refined

imbalanced in the modern diet

inflammatory when eaten constantly

Your grandma frying chicken in corn oil twice a month?

She’s fine.

Your family eating packaged foods every single day?

Different story.

HOW THESE OILS AFFECT THE BODY

1. They influence inflammation.

Omega-6 drives inflammation up.

Omega-3 drives inflammation down.

Modern life gives us plenty of “up.”

Your body is begging for “down.”

2. They alter cell membranes.

Every cell in your body has a fatty membrane.

Those membranes are built from the fats you eat.

Stable fats = strong cells.

Fragile, oxidized fats = fragile, stressed cells.

You literally become what you consume.

3. They increase oxidative stress.

Oxidized oils produce compounds your liver and immune system must neutralize.

Your body can handle it — she just doesn’t want to handle it all day long every day.

WHEN SEED OILS ARE NOT A BIG DEAL

Seed oils aren’t a crisis when:

they’re not a daily thing

you choose cold-pressed or expeller-pressed

you don’t heat them on high

you balance them with omega-3 fatty acids

you keep processed foods in moderation

This is not about perfection.

It’s about creating healthy patterns so when you do consume those omega 6’s, your body isn’t already in overdrive and can handle what it’s given more readily.

HEALTHIER OILS TO USE AT HOME

For cold uses:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Avocado Oil

Walnut Oil

For medium heat:

Avocado Oil

Coconut Oil

Refined Olive Oil

Quick Note on “Refined” Olive Oil — Because That Word Sounds Sketchy

Refined olive oil is not “refined” the same way seed oils are.

It’s not blasted with chemical solvents.

It’s not deodorized or bleached.

It’s not stripped down to something unrecognizable.

With olive oil, “refined” simply means this:

it’s filtered

impurities are removed

it’s gently processed to raise the smoke point

it becomes more stable for cooking

That’s it.

Because here’s the thing — Extra Virgin Olive Oil burns at lower temperatures.

It has beautiful antioxidants, but it’s delicate.

Use it on salads, dips, drizzles, and low-heat cooking.

But when you’re cooking at medium heat — sautéing veggies, browning chicken, roasting at 375–400°F — EVOO breaks down too quickly.

So refined olive oil steps in as the stable, heat-safe sibling.

It can tolerate around 425°F before smoking, which keeps the fats intact and keeps you from eating oxidized oil.

If you want the simplest rule:

Extra Virgin for flavor + finishing

Refined or “light” olive oil for medium heat

Refined olive oil is still olive oil.

Just a version better suited to the heat because its impurities that might burn

are removed.

Alright — let’s keep going.

For high heat:

Butter

Ghee

Tallow

Duck Fat

Coconut Oil

These oils are stable.

They don’t break down as easily.

They stay peaceful in the pan — and in your body.

WHAT I DO IN MY OWN KITCHEN

In my home, I try to avoid seed oils simply because… I can.

We get enough inflammation from stress, modern life, processed foods, fragrances, plastic exposure… you name it.

So why add more when I have choices?

I use olive oil, avocado oil, butter, coconut oil — and when I buy snacks for the boys, I look for better oils when possible. I don’t obsess over it because it can become incredibly overwhelming. We just learn how to make the best choices we can when we can and those good choices stack up over time and make a long term difference.

THE FAITH PIECE

Here’s what I want you to remember:

Inflammation isn’t a mistake.

It’s part of God’s design — a holy alarm system meant to protect you.

But like all alarms, it was never meant to blare constantly.

Seed oils aren’t sinful.

They’re just something that keeps the alarm louder than it needs to be in our modern world where we juggle alarms from multiple directions all at once.

Your body was created with resilience.

With repair.

AND With renewal. Our bodies were designed to heal.

When you choose gentler oils at home, you’re not being dramatic.

You’re partnering with the design God placed in you.

Jeremiah 30:17 reminds us that restoration is His heart.

Your job is simply to create an environment where your body can do what it was built to do.

CLOSING

So friend, you don’t need to FEAR seed oils.

You don’t need to throw away your pantry.

You don’t need to live in all-or-nothing thinking.

You just make simple, steady choices at home.

You create balance where the world gives you imbalance.

And you trust that your body — fearfully and wonderfully made — knows what to do.

When you know better, you do better.

And when you do better, your body responds… because God built healing into your design.

Thanks so much for listening today. I hope this helps clear up anything fuzzy for you. See you next week!