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"The desert found me, and it was natural to launch my business here". Chef Grecia is a culinary-trained private chef focused on healthy, seasonal eating in Joshua Tree, CA.

Private Chef and Entrepreneur, Chef Grecia Parra

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The Pioneering Locavore, Chef Lisa Lofberg of Little Moss

Pioneering Chef Alek Zito has risen to Chef de Cuisine at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Saison in San Francisco, leading their Foraging and Fermentation Program, reducing food waste, and more.

Raising the bar with Chef Alek Zito, Chef de Cuisine of Saison

Straight from the Michelin-starred kitchen to your home, Chef Stuart Brioza of State Bird Provisions shares his process for preparing mushroom conserva.

Mushroom Conserva

15 minutes to Kimchi Fried Rice - cooked to perfection using Zero Acre oil.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Leave it to @veggiekins to create a simple and delicious scallion oil that you can drizzle, cook and finish your recipe with to add a punch of flavor.

Scallion Oil

Chef Brioza shares his signature Rice-Crusted Trout dish designed for you to savor in the comfort of your own home.

Rice-Crusted Trout with Garum, Brown Butter, Hazelnuts, and Mandarin Oranges

Looking for healthy, seed-oil-free travel snacks on the go? Look no further than this comprehensive list where we did the research for you.

44 Seed-Oil Free Healthy Travel Snacks

44 Seed-Oil Free Healthy Travel Snacks
JUNE 13, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Sabrina Tillman
Article at a Glance
When sourcing healthy travel snacks, be mindful of dietary restrictions or allergies, nutrient content, shelf life, and convenience.
Our list of 18 easy, healthy travel snacks can be prepared in advance to bring with you. We walk you through how to prep and pack them so they’re ready when you are.
When snack prep isn’t an option, our curated list of best, better, and good brands can help you grab and go.
Introduction
Healthy travel snacks aren’t just for kids. Sometimes life gets too busy to sit down to eat a proper meal, flight delays and traffic jams happen, and arriving in new time zones can mean grumbling stomachs at inopportune times. When you’re on a road trip, a healthy travel-ready snack can save you from loading up on gas station hot dogs or Cheetos from a vending machine.
Unfortunately, fake cheese powder isn’t the only thing you’ll need to avoid when you’re on the road. Vegetable oils, also known as seed oils, top the ingredient lists of most snack options, whether you’re at a roadside pitstop or an airport snack kiosk.
Yes, it can take a little more foresight to shop for healthy travel snacks and, in some cases, to prepare them. And, yes, fresh fruits and veggies are at the top of most lists of portable, healthy snacks. But those shouldn’t be your only go-tos when you’re avoiding inflammatory seed oils and other nasty additives.
Plus, it may just be easier than you think to find healthy (or healthier) snacks at any grocery store or major airport – you just need a little culinary inspiration and a few brand names in mind to keep it quick and easy. 
We’ll show you how to shop and prep so you can have healthy, balanced snacks on hand any time at home, not just when you travel. Our recommendations for best seed-oil free snacks include fresh foods, high-protein picks, and sweet and savory items so everyone is happy. Pack them up to tote along or cruise our best-better-good list when you need to buy something ready-made.
What to Consider When Choosing Healthy Travel Snacks
When sourcing healthy snacks, consider the following: 
Dietary restrictions and allergies
Nutrient content
Shelf life
Portability and convenience
Avoid snacks that contain anything you can’t, don’t, or won’t eat. You likely know your triggers, so scrutinize the ingredients label. If you’re allergic to an ingredient, make sure to check any packages and containers for notices about potential cross-contamination with ingredients that commonly cause allergic reactions such as gluten or peanuts. 
You might want to give preferential focus to ingredient lists vs. nutrition fact labels. The FDA doesn’t require 100% accuracy on nutrition labels; for example, calories, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, total fats and saturated fats can be up to 20% inaccurate. “FDA's continuing policy since the 1970s assigns the manufacturer the responsibility for assuring the validity of a product label's stated nutrient values,” says the agency’s guide to the food industry about nutrition labels [*].
Other than that, try to avoid seed oils, and beware that there are 61 different names for sugar on food labels – not to mention the fact that food manufacturers add sugar to 74% of packaged foods sold in grocery stores, gas stations, and vending machines [*,*]. 
Tips for Packing and Storing Healthy Travel Snacks
If you’re packing kid snacks for activities or need to grab something quickly for yourself on the way out the door, try to plan ahead. Stock your pantry with no-prep snacks like:
Seed oil-free, low-sugar protein bars
All-natural nut butters
Raw or dry-roasted nuts and seeds (check the labels for added seed oils)
Snacks made with coconut, avocado, or olive oils
Tinned wild salmon, sardines, or tuna
Protein powder that can be shaken up with water in a blender bottle
Pre-packaged olives 
For perishable snacks that require refrigeration, keep freezer packs at the ready. Pack perishables with frozen packs in an insulated bag. 
When you get home from a grocery run, take a few minutes to meal prep snacks: 
Wash and portion cut veggies with slices of cheese and pack them in ready-to-go reusable containers.  
Wash fruit and put into containers with mixed nuts or pumpkin seeds; pack these in ready-to-go reusable containers.
Put a serving of plain Greek yogurt into reusable containers or small mason jars. In separate small containers, pack toppings such as fruit, walnuts or slivered almonds, chia or hemp seeds, and unsweetened shredded coconut.
Portion non-perishable snacks into single-serve resealable bags or reusable containers, and keep them visible on your shelves so you can grab them when you need them. 
18 Healthy Snack Options for Travel
If you’re avoiding seed oils and a lot of added sugar, you’ll want tasty high-protein and fiber-rich snack recommendations (which can keep you feeling satisfied for longer) [*]. Our travel-friendly healthy snack options feature something for everyone.
Fruits and Vegetables
Pre-cut fruits and veggies: This one tops our list because raw fruits and veggies are as convenient and portable as nature-made snacks can be, and they’re filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.
Avoid browning on apple and pear slices by soaking them in half a teaspoon of kosher salt and one cup of water (rinse any salty flavor off with tap water before serving).  
Store cut veggies in water in mason jars or airtight containers in the fridge to stay fresher for longer. Change the water every few days for longer storage.
To keep berries from going moldy too quickly, soak them in three cups of water and one cup of white vinegar for five to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the berries in a colander before storing in the refrigerator.
Dried fruits: Tread lightly here, as the lack of moisture concentrates the sugars in the fruit. Less water also means you’ll feel less full eating dried fruit compared to fresh, and calories can add up fast. A small serving packs polyphenols (an antioxidant) and fiber, but beware of brands that add sugar, seed oils, and preservatives. To help with satiety, combine some dried fruit with nuts to make a basic seed oil-free trail mix.
Dried seaweed: Enjoyed by Asian populations for centuries, seaweed is now recognized by Western nutrition research as a therapeutic powerhouse. Some seaweeds contain 10 to 100 times more minerals and vitamins than land-dwelling plants and animals [*]. Interestingly, one research review found that countries where seaweed is eaten regularly show fewer instances of obesity and diet-related disease [*]. Dried seaweed has a slightly mineral, briny flavor and packs a satisfying crunch. Brands that use olive oil or no oil include Seasnax, One Organic, and Sea Castle.
Fruit and vegetable chips: Beware of the health halo around packaged fruit and veggie chips. Some brands add seed or vegetable oils, sugar, and additives. Look for single-ingredient freeze-dried fruit (they have a crisp, more brittle bite), fruit and veggie chips made with coconut, avocado, or olive oils. You can also make your own fruit and veggie chips at home with Cultured Oil, seasonings, and an oven: 
Use a mandolin for thin, even slices of root vegetables or fruit like apples, place the slices in a single layer on clean kitchen towels and dust with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes then dab moisture off with a towel. 
Place sliced produce on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone mats in a single layer; brush with Cultured Oil, season, and bake at 300ºF for 15 minutes. 
After 15 minutes, switch oven racks and rotate the pans, then bake for another 15 minutes. Rotate pans again and bake for another 5–10 minutes, or until chips are golden and crisp; some pieces may be ready faster than others, so remove those that are done first.
Nuts and Seeds
Raw nuts and seeds: These provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and unsaturated fats, and the combo of fat, fiber, and protein help keep you fuller for longer. To keep calories and portions in check, learn how many nuts and seeds make up one serving and portion out the amount you eat to align with your nutritional needs. A nutritional underdog, walnuts are the only nut that contain omega-3 fatty acids [*]. Nuts and seeds that pack the most protein include peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, as well as pumpkin, chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, and sesame seeds [*].
Nut butter packets: Stick to the brands whose ingredients include simply the nut or seed and salt (no added oils or sugar). You can also make your own healthy nut butter at home to ensure you have control over the ingredients and potentially save on the expense of premium, store-bought varieties.
Trail mix: Nuts and seeds provide the foundation, and dried or freeze-dried fruit add flair to trail mix. Making your own trail mix gives you more nutritional control and may be more cost-effective if you buy the ingredients in bulk. If you prefer to purchase a premade mix, scrutinize ingredient labels and accept that you pay for what you get in this category. Avoid things like fried sesame sticks, yogurt-covered pretzels, M&Ms, and butterscotch chips combined with nuts and dried fruits – these are all seed oil and sugar bombs.
Protein-Rich Snacks
Jerky and meat sticks: This roughing-it-in-the-outdoors classic has received a culinary upgrade in the past few years. Now available without added sugar, chemicals, nitrates, and excess sodium, you have access to brands like Epic Provisions, The New Primal, and Chomps. Some companies now offer salmon, turkey, mushroom, and even vegan options (Louisville Vegan Jerky uses extra virgin olive oil). 
Hard-boiled eggs: Easy for make-ahead snacks, hard-boiled eggs contain about six grams of protein per egg plus phosphorus, magnesium, choline, potassium, and folate [*]. To avoid foul-smelling sulfur, avoid overcooking the eggs. A fool-proof method: Place eggs in a pot just big enough to hold them in one layer. Pour just enough cold water on top to cover and bring them to a rolling boil. Let boil for one minute, then take them off the heat and let sit for about 20 minutes. 
Roasted chickpeas: A cheap plant-based source of protein, fiber, and quite a bit of calcium and magnesium, chickpeas have a creamy mouthfeel and neutral flavor [*]. Roast them in Cultured Oil or olive oil with some salt and paprika and they will pop pleasantly in your mouth with every bite.
Hummus and veggies or crackers: Our hero legume, the chickpea, stars in another snack combo. Pair an olive oil-based hummus with celery, baby carrots, jicama, bell pepper strips, cucumber coins, cauliflower or broccoli florets. Crackers made without seed oils make a crunchy counterpart to the yielding, creamy hummus; brands to explore: Wisecrackers Avocado Oil & Sea Salt, Hu, Fat Snax, Flackers, and Every Body Eat.
Plain Greek yogurt: Tart, creamy, and probiotic-rich, plain Greek yogurt contains 15 grams of protein and 170 mg of calcium in six ounces [*]. Unadorned, it’s an acquired taste, but you can add fresh fruit, a touch of any natural sweetener you like, a sprinkling of dried coconut or trail mix.
Plain cottage cheese: Same song as Greek yogurt, different verse. Classic diner diet food, one cup of cottage cheese contains 25 grams of protein, 187 mg of calcium, and plenty of potassium and phosphorus [*]. The texture isn’t for everyone, but the flavor is tart and creamy like yogurt; dress it up similarly with fresh fruit, any natural sweetener you enjoy, or add savory spices and herbs.
Canned tuna, salmon, sardines: Pick fish packed in water or olive oil for a briny, savory bit of protein that’s rich in omega-3s. Spoon onto seed oil-free crackers, rice cakes, or eat straight out of the tin.
Savory snacks
Rice cakes: Retro diet food is back. Consider these crispy pucks as mini platters to top with salty, savory combos like roasted red pepper hummus with sliced black olives, a piece of sharp cheddar and sliced hard-boiled eggs, or sweet and salty combos like peanut butter with fresh raspberries, and cottage cheese with cinnamon-dusted apple slices.
Popcorn: Pop with Cultured Oil and season simply with salt, or get fancy and add truffle salt, parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, or try cayenne pepper and allulose or maple syrup for a sweet-spicy mix. Portion 1–2 cups of popcorn into resealable bags or reusable containers. Do the same with already-popped corn; brands that use avocado, olive, or coconut oil include LesserEvil, Good & Gather Organic Olive Oil, Trader Joe’s Organic Popcorn with Olive Oil.
Sweet snacks
Dark chocolate: Health nuts rejoice to pop a small square of dark chocolate – rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. True, but several of these health-boosting nutrients get lost during the processing of dark chocolate [*]. Buy dark chocolate fortified with antioxidant-rich fruit like blueberries, spices like cinnamon, or probiotics. You can also pair chopped dark chocolate with nuts and dried fruit in trail mix, or melted and mixed with oats, seeds, a touch of maple syrup, and shredded coconut and baked in a low oven to make granola.
Cookie dough balls: No need to sneak raw cookie dough anymore. Add protein powder to safe-to-eat-raw cookie dough and it’s healthier! Make an easy at-home version by mixing together 2 cups oat flour, ⅓ cup protein powder, ½ cup melted and cooled nut butter, 4 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup milk of choice, and ¼ cup mini chocolate chips. Roll 2 tablespoons of the combined cookie dough into balls with your hands until the mix is gone. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator [*].    
Best, Better, Good List of Airport & Convenience Store Snacks
If you can’t find a protein box at Starbucks, a fruit cup or veggies with dip at a shop near your gate, the following grab-and-go packaged items can suffice. Do your best and don’t sweat it too much.
Bars
Best: RxBar, Larabar
Better: Go Macro, ALOHA 
Good: Bobo’s, Simple Mills Almond Flour Bars
Chips
Best: Bare Snacks, Boulder Canyon, Kettle Brand with Avocado Oil
Better: Barnana Organic Plantain Chips, Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs
Good: The Good Crisp, Jackson’s Honest Tortilla Chips
Chocolate
Best: Hu, Lindt Excellence, Alter Eco
Better: Skinny Dipped, Chocolove, Green & Black’s
Good: Unreal, Theo
Sweets
Best: Walkers Shortbread
Better: Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Thin & Crispy 
Good: Rip Van Wafers, Tate’s Bake Shop, HighKey
The Takeaway
When you’re moving fast, out all day, or traveling, it helps to have healthy travel snacks on hand so you’re not ravenous by midday. Real-food snacks you can prep in advance and bring along for the ride are preferable, but prepared food options without seed oils and excess added sugars exist. Do your best to read ingredient labels before you run around the world so you know what brands to look for in a pinch. Pick the good, better, or best option available where you are and continue on your way.

Regenerative agriculture is a decentralized and loosely-organized movement that has emerged to grapple with the issues of our reliance on modern, industrial agriculture.

What is Regenerative Agriculture? And How to Support the Movement

What is Regenerative Agriculture? And How to Support the Movement
JUNE 1, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Corey Nelson

Article at a Glance
Modern agriculture, which emerged during the 20th century, has introduced benefits but also new problems for humanity.

The current model of agriculture is unsustainable — it causes serious problems with pollution, deforestation, species loss, antibiotic resistance, and fragile supply chains.

Regenerative agriculture is a decentralized movement that offers real solutions to the current ecological and food security crisis.

Introduction
The 20th century saw a lot of changes in how humans live. Advancements in medical care meant an increasing number of people surviving to reproductive age and living well past their 40s. Increased urbanization and mobilization means that more people than ever migrated from farmland to cities and sprawling suburbs. And that means fewer and fewer people are growing their own food. 

Increased lifespan, plus explosions in worldwide population numbers resulted in the invention of new agricultural technologies like ammonia fertilizer and drought-resistant crops transformed farming [*]. 

Although these advances have improved the quality of life for many people and helped to prevent starvation in resource-scarce regions, they have also introduced new challenges and issues around sustainable resource management and public health, including:

Air and water pollution caused by fertilizer runoff and fossil fuel usage [*]

Deforestation and decreased biodiversity [*]

Antibiotic resistance caused by the reliance on antibiotics in animal husbandry [*]

Toxic algae blooms and fish die-offs [*]

High rates of cancer and other diseases among agricultural workers, caused by pesticides and other chemicals [*]

Easily-disrupted supply chains, resulting in food insecurity risks, as seen during the Covid-19 pandemic [*]

Consolidation of agricultural land ownership and political power by corporate interests [*]

Since World War 2, industrial agriculture has become the norm. Monocropping and intensive factory of farming rely on fossil fuels, multinational companies, and artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to continually increase productivity and profitability — usually with little regard for long-term sustainability or ecological issues [*].

The current agricultural system is facing significant sustainability challenges, as indicated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. According to their reports, if new approaches are not adopted, the global amount of arable and productive land per person in 2050 will have decreased to just a quarter of what it was in 1960 [*]. And if current rates of soil degradation continue, all of the world's top soil could be gone within 60 years [*].

Fortunately, a decentralized and loosely-organized movement has emerged to grapple with the issues of our reliance on modern, industrial agriculture — drawing from a diverse array of traditions and thinkers, including Indigenous and other traditional farming systems, small-scale farmers and ranchers, soil scientists, and environmental activists.

What Is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture focuses on using sustainable and innovative methods to rehabilitate land, conserve resources, and produce healthy food. Because the movement is decentralized, there's no standard, accepted definition. 

Robert Rodale, who was among the first people to use the term in the 1980s, explained regenerative agriculture methods as [*]:

Increasing food productivity while also increasing the base of available land and soil.

Being highly economically and biologically stable.

Having little to no impact on the environment beyond the farm or field boundaries.

Producing safe, healthy food.

Other 20th-century innovators in this field include Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Together, they coined the term permaculture in the 1970s in Australia, meaning "permanent culture" — a way of living that wouldn't decline in productivity over time or rely on unsustainable use of resources [*].

Of course, these ideas didn’t originate in the 20th century. While Bill Mollison and David Holmgren are known for coining the term permaculture in the 20th century, these methods and approaches have deeper roots. Mollison, for instance, acknowledged aboriginal Tasmanian land use practices as a major influence [*].

Today, Indigenous people and other groups who have been marginalized and deprived of access to land and resources are also sharing important and valuable perspectives on regenerative agriculture [*].

Regenerative Agriculture Principles and Goals
Some definitions of regenerative agriculture focus on the principles and goals rather than the methods used [*].

Regenerative agriculture typically uses circular or systems-based models to understand food production and the appropriate use of resources [*]. These models account for every component involved in sustainable food production.

Instead of pursuing endless expansion and growth with corporate profits as the bottom line, regenerative farmers view themselves as one part of a complex, living, life-giving web that includes animals, crops, wild plants and trees, soil and soil microbes, and more [*].

While each practitioner or organization's goals can vary, common ones include [*,*]: Growing healthier foods

Improving soil health

Sequestering carbon in soil and plants

Increasing biodiversity

Making people and food systems more resilient

Reducing pollution and waste

The best ways to achieve these outcomes can vary depending on the region, the grower, and the size of the farming operation [*]. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to regenerative agriculture.

Regenerative Agriculture Methods
There are no rules that specify exactly which methods are regenerative — as long as they create the desired outcomes and meet the needs of a farmer or community in a sustainable, ecologically thoughtful manner [*].

This list of methods isn't exhaustive, and there's still plenty of room for new, innovative methods that can help solve current problems with industrial agriculture and supply chains [*]:

Composting

Cover crops

Small-scale permaculture

Integrated or circular systems of food production

Urban farming

No-till or reduced-tilling crops

Holistic grazing, also called intensive rotational grazing 

Keyline design, a farming system that focuses on using the natural availability of water in a landscape

Agroforestry (the integration of trees and shrubs into crops and animal husbandry)

Silvopasture (managed woodland pasture, with trees integrated into animal grazing zones)

Indigenous and other traditional farming systems

The common theme shared by most regenerative agriculture methods is that they're intended to restore the health and resiliency of land, soil, animals, people, and communities over time. 

In general, these methods are modeled on the relationship between soil, microbes, plants, and animals found in the natural environment. They also maximize exposure to abundant renewable resources (like the sun), while minimizing practices that result in excessive waste or pollution.

The result is that as time goes on, regenerative food systems require fewer inputs to produce healthy, sustainable food — they become less reliant on labor, fertilizers, water irrigation, and machinery that uses fossil fuels.

Whether you're a backyard gardener or a rancher with tens of thousands of acres, you can apply regenerative agriculture methods to nourish local ecosystems and feed yourself, your family, or your community.

Why Does Regenerative Agriculture Matter?
Regenerative agriculture is an exciting and growing movement with the potential to address major issues around soil depletion, sustainability, land use, food security, pollution, climate change, and more.

The statistics are clear that the dominant, profit-driven, industrial agriculture model of producing crops and animal products is unsustainable. 

Currently, industrial agriculture occupies about 38% of the planet’s terrestrial surface and uses 70% of our freshwater resources [*]. 

In the 70-80 years since its inception, the industrial model of agriculture has created serious problems relating to soil depletion and air and water pollution due to emissions and fertilizer runoff, toxic algae and fish die-offs, deforestation and species loss, antibiotic resistance, health problems among workers, and fragile supply chains [*,*,*,*,*,*].

Peer-reviewed research suggests that regenerative practices can [*]: 

Increase soil mass (enhancing the volume and weight of soil through enrichment of organic matter and moisture content)

Increase the amount of organic matter in soil 

Improve carbon capture of soil 

Elevate the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and sulfur 

Increase water flow 

Raise bacterial biomass and soil health 

Increase plant species diversity and biomass in agricultural areas 

Improve species diversity and richness without increasing pest populations or reducing crop yields. 

Soil health is essential for the continued life of plants, animals, and humans. And regenerative agriculture may be the only approach to food production that seeks to rebuild soil for current and future generations [*].

Regenerative Farming and Climate Change
Prior to the 1950s and 1960s, animals were integrated into crop systems [*]. Corporate interests began to uncouple this traditional farming method and separated animals into feedlots and plants and monocrops. 

The motivation? Greater short-term profits with less reliance on laborers [*]. 

But there were significant consequences — including soil depletion, antibiotic resistance, pollution, runoff, and algae blooms.

Another serious consequence of the current system of monocropping and animal feedlots is that soil is unable to sequester carbon at the same rate as traditional, mixed systems [*]. Soil is the biggest store of carbon on the planet, and soil depletion is a major contributor to increasing CO2 levels [*].

Regenerative agriculture systems, and particularly intensive rotational grazing and other systems of regenerative grazing with cattle and other animals, are significantly better at sequestering carbon [*,*]. 

Evidence also suggests that regenerative systems that allow development of native species alongside crops can sequester more carbon compared to monocrops [*]. 

The Takeaway: How You Can Support Regenerative Agriculture
Centralized, industrial agriculture interests are entrenched and resistant to change — and there’s significant economic and political interests in maintaining the status quo [*].

While some large-scale farmers may want to change, existing economic models make it difficult for them to adopt new methods. Changing land use and learning new skills is challenging in a system that rewards quarterly financial growth and doesn't account for "externalities" like pollution, species loss, greenhouse gasses, and pollution [*].

The continued success and growth of regenerative agriculture relies on support from individuals, including backyard gardeners, consumers, small- and medium-scale farmers, politicians, and policymakers.

If you want to support the success of regenerative agriculture, you can:

Buy food grown using regenerative techniques, and support companies that use these methods

Compost at home

Grow your own food using regenerative methods, even at a small scale

Speak to local farmers or ranchers who engage in sustainable practices

Volunteer your time and skills

Donate to nonprofits that support regenerative agriculture

Invest in companies using sustainable regenerative agriculture methods

Lobby politicians in favor of regenerative policies or engage in activism

Learn about regenerative agriculture or teach others, including taking the permaculture design certification (PDC) course.

Supporting a more decentralized, regenerative food system in whatever ways you can is one of the best ways to increase food security and resiliency for yourself and future generations [*].

 Instead of battered and deep-fried Baja fish tacos, our healthier fish tacos give spiced mahi mahi a few minutes to sizzle in a skillet.

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos

Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
MAY 25, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Sabrina Tillman
Fish tacos conjure wistful yearning for the sun-saturated, sandy surfer’s haven that starts in Mexico and snakes up the coast into the southernmost swath of California. The way high noon speckles the waves as they sweep up and down the powdery shore illustrates an understated magic to this place, where there’s little rush to do anything except catch a wave. In these towns where much time is spent outdoors close to the salty cerulean expanse, there’s a culture where shoulders unhunch and pace slows. 
Fish tacos reflect the unfussy coastal mood they originated from. Plump white fish kept tender by a beer-battered flour coating and crisped from a swim in the deep fryer are placed on a pliable corn tortilla and covered with finely shaved cabbage and adobo crema. 
Instead of battered and deep-fried Baja-inspired fish tacos, our healthier fish tacos give tender mahi mahi a coat of blackening spice and a few minutes to sizzle in a skillet. Rest the peppery, buttery-soft white fish on tiny flour or corn tortillas sprinkled with cilantro lime rice; top with sliced avocado, sweet and kicky mango salsa, and a drizzle of cilantro-flecked Green Goddess dressing. Freshen the bundles with a few squeezes of lime, pinch two sides together, and sink into that seaside escape. 

Ingredients
2 mahi mahi filets 
2 tbsp. blackening seasoning* 
1 tbsp. Cultured Oil
1 avocado
6 small flour or corn tortillas (street-taco size)
¼ serving Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
½ serving Easy Mango Salsa
Trader Joe’s Green Goddess Dressing, optional
*We used Old Bay Blackening Seasoning
Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 42 minutes
Prepare the Cilantro Lime Rice and mango salsa before you start the tacos. Set those aside.
Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat. While it heats up, use a silicone brush to paint each filet with Cultured Oil. 
Pour the blackened seasoning on a flat plate. Place the mahi mahi in the seasoning, making sure it’s well coated before flipping over to the other side. 
Add the oil to the skillet. Spread around quickly and make sure it’s well greased. Add the mahi mahi filets to the skillet.
Cover the skillet to trap in the heat. Cook the filets for 2–3 minutes on each side, then flip and cook for 2–3 minutes on the other side.
Once the mahi mahi is cooked, remove from the skillet and let it cool for a moment. Use a knife to cut it up (it should be buttery soft and flaky. If it’s not, it’s overcooked). 
Heat the tortillas in a warm skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute per side. You can also place all of the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat on high for 30 seconds.


*Cook’s tip: It’s easy to overcook mahi mahi. The internal temperature of the fish should be 145°F when it’s done. Cooking with a lid allows the fish to cook quicker and more evenly.
Assemble the tacos:
Line all of the tortillas on plates or a large serving dish. Layer each tortilla with rice, slices of avocado, and the mahi mahi. Top with fresh mango salsa and a drizzle of Green Goddess dressing if you wish. 
Garnish each taco with the juice of a small lime wedge.
How to Switch Up Your Tacos
Skip the dressing and use a sauce: Make an easy crema by whisking together 1 cup of sour cream, juice and zest from half a lime, 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (the sauce from canned chipotles) or your fave hot sauce, ½ teaspoon salt.  
Use a different protein: Try cod, salmon, hake, tilapia, or halibut. Swap the fish for shrimp or grilled calamari. Chicken, steak, carnitas, or even pork loin work, too.
Add grilled scallions: The blackened char from grill grates add a smokey dimension to tender green onions that compliments the blackening spice used on the mahi mahi.
Add cheese if you please: Fish and cheese pair nicely when it’s a sprinkle of salty cotija or a layer of toasted sharp cheddar or monterey jack cheese crisps. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Place a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet and pile handfuls (about the size of your street taco tortilla) of shredded cheddar, pepper jack, or monterey jack in circles on the baking sheet. Bake the cheese for 7–9 minutes, or until melted and bubbly but not brown. Place a cheese crisp on top of each tortilla before piling on the rest of the fixings.

Nutritional Information
Servings: 3
2 tacos
Calories: 452
Fat: 19 grams
Carbs: 40 grams
Protein: 33 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.

Avoid gloopy pucks of potato salad, tasteless frozen burger patties, and oversalted potato chips with our roundup of better-for-you Memorial Day recipes that you can make ahead of time.

35 Delicious Memorial Day Recipes You Can Prep Ahead of Time

35 Delicious Memorial Day Recipes You Can Prep Ahead of Time
MAY 23, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Sabrina Tillman
Article at a Glance
All-American backyard cookout recipes can be laden with added sugar, seed oils, and excess sodium. 
Luckily, it’s easy to avoid ultra-processed, unhealthy Memorial Day foods when you plan ahead.
Here, you’ll find 35+ options for healthier, seed-oil-free snacks, mains, and desserts that you can prep ahead of time.
You don’t have to DIY everything. It’s a holiday, after all. Scroll to the end for our list of the best-quality convenience items that require little more than opening a package or bottle, then accepting all of the praise. 
Introduction
It’s the first national holiday after a monotonous string of workdays and a mix of gray skies and wintry weather. We want to celebrate Memorial Day with enough fanfare to usher in the season of sunny skies and fireflies in giddy run-through-the-sprinkler fashion without forgetting our fallen servicepeople. 
We do this best by gathering to watch parades march along shady flag-lined boulevards then congregating in backyards to laze, laugh, and lunch. Avoid the gloopy pucks of potato salad, tasteless frozen burger patties, suspect ultra-processed hot dogs, and oversalted, seed oil-laden potato chips with our roundup of better-for-you Memorial Day recipes. 
Our Memorial Day recipes nod to the barbecue classics, sans inflammatory seed oils, gluten, and excess sugar. We also offer our picks for the best store-bought helpers because not everything needs to be homemade (you’ve waited for this day off, after all). 
Appetizers and Party-Starters
White Bean Queso
Undrained cannellini beans provide just enough aquafaba (culinary glue) to make this creamy vegan queso thick enough to coat a corn chip. Oven-blistered jalapeño and garlic are blitzed with nutritional yeast, white beans, and raw cashew butter to make a shareable dip that’s both simple and complex.  
Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey
a bowl of food
Blushing beets blended with creamy goat cheese gives this dip its striking fuchsia hue. Use store-bought roasted beets, blitz the ingredients in a food processor, and you’re ready to stun.  
Avocado Deviled Eggs
This mayo-less deviled egg recipe can sit for longer on a sunny backyard table. The creamy, satisfying richess of avocado makes mayo redundant. Simply hard boil the eggs, combine the yolks with avocado, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and seasonings and pipe the filling into the egg white cradles if you feel fancy. 
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Snappy, salty, savory, Asian chicken lettuce wraps cup ginger-garlic-shallot-spiked ground chicken and diced shrimp. Drizzle a sauce of salty coconut aminos, honeyed apple juice, and fiery hot sauce thickened with almond butter on top of each wrap and you officially have a conversation starter. 
Veggie Tortilla Pizza
More tostada than pizza, this vegetarian appetizer provides a big nacho wedge that you can munch as you walk around. Spiced refried black beans (mash up drained canned black beans if you can’t find these) get spread on top of a toasted tortilla, topped with veggies and shredded cheddar, then baked until the cheese bubbles. Swirl a simple avocado crema on top of the pizzas, sprinkle with diced scallions, and serve.
Chipotle Potato Crisps
a plate of food
Thick-cut homemade potato chips air-fried or oven-crisped don’t involve copious amounts of oil and deep-fried mess. No, they’re not as easy as store-bought chips but they’re arguably more addictive and certainly fresher. Serve with a creamy green chili dipping sauce and make sure to grab a few before you set them down on the buffet table. 
Shrimp Cocktail
People forget about this simple throwback but set it out at a party, and people will crowd around it. Make your own five-ingredient cocktail sauce, adding as much nose-tingling horseradish and hot sauce as you’d like. 
Charcuterie Board
Retro and bountiful, charcuterie boards appeal to our eat-with-our-eyes-first tendency. The bonus points they earn for being no-cook could be negated when you get home and realize you don’t have a clue how to arrange a bunch of different ingredients on a board. Learn how to fold, pile, and style like a champ from a seasoned food blogger. 
Meaty Mains
Grilled Pork Loin
Coat uncooked pork loin with a light brush of honey before sprinkling on an herb and seasoning dry rub. Marinate until you’re ready to light the grill, taking care not to overcook this lean meat. Serve sliced on a platter with chutney and grilled pitas, with corn tortillas and pineapple salsa, or on a mound of sliced grilled fennel and apples. 
Green Goddess Salmon Burgers
a cheeseburger on a cutting board
Homemade green goddess dressing made creamy with Greek yogurt and mayo (choose one made with avocado oil), anchovies, and a generous spattering of garden-fresh herbs gets slathered on top of well-spiced salmon patties. Grill or skillet-fry the burgers and serve with gluten-free buns or a tangle of arugula and sliced avocado.
Beijing Lamb Skewers
Switch up the usual chicken or beef skewers with chunks of lamb seasoned simply with salt, dried chili flakes, and cumin seeds. Use Cultured Oil to brush the seasonings on the meat and sear each side with the smoky flames of a hot grill. Indulge your primal urges and hoist a drippy bit of still-skewered meat into your mouth, no utensils needed. 
Tandoori Chicken
The secret to this six-ingredient chicken: marinating it for as long as 24 hours does all the work of sealing in an exotic blend of spices tempered by coconut cream. Simply bake or grill until golden and lightly charred, then don’t tell anyone how hard you didn’t work. 
Grilled Steak with Herb Butter
Hot grill. Steak topped with lazily melting herb-studded butter. Not much more needs to be said here except that you should use Cultured Oil to brush your steaks or grill grates to avoid sticking.
Teriyaki Chicken Burgers
Asian-Hawaiian fusion shines in an approachable way in these grilled teriyaki chicken burgers. Sharp ginger, spring-green chives, and full-bodied sesame oil, and savory coconut aminos season ground chicken that gets slightly smoky and charred on the outside. Top with a grill-caramelized pineapple ring and chili-spiked aioli. 
Smoked Pork Shoulder
Slow-smoked meat imparts an umami, woodsy flavor that clings to fatty cuts of protein. It’s a backyard project that, well, emits a lot of smoke, but you can’t replicate the flavor with liquid smoke and a prayer. Piquant yellow mustard, crisply acidic apple cider vinegar, apple juice, lemon and cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder add sweet-salty-peppery depth to the pork. 
Beef Kabobs
The secret to tender bites of beef: a sprinkle of baking soda. Next, marinate the beef in a bath of salty, funky, savory, and spicy splashes of sauces and oils. Baste some of the reserved sauce onto the beef kabobs as they grill to give them a sticky coat. 
Plant-based Mains
Stovetop Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower
a bowl of pasta
Serve this one as a side dish or a main dish for pasta-and-cheese-loving kids (and kids at heart). Macgyver this one any way you will — use lentil or chickpea dried pasta, sub vegan-friendly cheese and milk, omit the all-American crumble of Ritz crackers on top. 
Quinoa Patties
Instead of burning boca burgers (because, really, how long do you grill them?), bake these quinoa burgers flavored with dill, chives, garlic, and toasted cumin. Serve with burger fixings or with a side of hummus. 
Cauliflower Nuggets
No, these don’t taste like chicken… arguably, they taste better. Cheap and bland, cauliflower provides a blank canvas for assertive flavors like sesame, ginger, garlic, and red chili peppers. Toss cauliflower florets in a chickpea flour batter, dunk in gluten-free breadcrumbs, then bake for 25 minutes. Douse crispy cauliflower in homemade sweet and sour sauce and a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds and scallions.  
Vegan Ribs
An ingenious take on the smoky and deeply savory flavor of ribs, these vegan ribs pack the umami punch and toothsome texture you want without the bone and gristle. King oyster mushrooms are sliced into one-inch thick slabs, flash-fried in a pan, coated with a mix of store-bought barbecue sauce (we like Yo Mama’s or Date Lady), hickory liquid smoke, and a cornstarch slurry, then broiled to make the sauce sticky.
Crispy Baked Falafel
Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, falafel is typically deep-fried, doused with hummus, and served wrapped in a pita cloak. It’s as close to a brick-in-the-gut feeling as a vegan can get. This oven-baked falafel recipe uses pantry ingredients and comes together in about 35 minutes. 
Mushroom Veggie Burgers
A mix of mushrooms star in this veggie burger recipe binded with brown rice, walnuts, and ground flaxseed and flavored with half a pantry shelf of sauces and spices to deliver just the right balance of sweet, umami, savory, and spicy. 
Cucumber Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce
a bowl of ramen
Slather creamy, nutty, sour, slightly spicy Thai peanut sauce on a leather shoe and you might consider eating it (or at least licking the sauce off). A masterful sauce to tuck in your back pocket and never let on how easy it is to make, Thai peanut sauce even makes cool, crunchy spiralized cucumber something to talk about. 
Side Dishes
Grilled Wedge Salad with Spicy Ranch
If you’ve never tried grilled lettuce, get ready for enlightenment. There’s something sexy about the way the high heat of the grill singes sturdy leaves of iceberg or romaine, leaving them a little smoky, a little wilted and blushing. This grilled wedge salad doesn’t stop there; it educates on how to top this fork-and-knife salad with a homemade spicy ranch that’s shockingly simple and irresistible. 
DIY Salad Dressings Without Seed Oils
Salads can be relegated to the “a little something green” on the side of a plate, but they’re only as good as the quality of their ingredients — and only as interesting as the imagination of their creator. But you can elevate the most basic lettuce, cucumber, and tomato salad with a snazzy dressing. Consult our easy salad dressing roundup to witness how five or six pantry staples can convince anyone to have a second helping. 
Sesame Noodle Salad
A tangle of gluten-free angel hair mixed with sweet snap peas, julienned carrots and red bell peppers, crisp cucumber, and grassy cilantro leaves gets coated in a sesame dressing with notes of citrus and spicy ginger. If the tiny bit of brown sugar in the dressing offends you, substitute with monk fruit, allulose, or honey. This one gets better as it sits. 
Southwestern Chicken Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing
a plate of food
This meal-in-a-bowl Tex-Mex salad pleases palates that don’t prefer salad. Taco-seasoned chicken breasts sit atop romaine leaves, diced tomato, black beans, corn, and avocado. Toss with a simple dressing made with sour cream, cilantro, salt, and lime juice and everyone’s happy.
Broccoli Salad
Ubiquitous at Midwestern potlucks and parties, the classic broccoli salad recipe takes a nutrient-packed vegetable and smothers it with a dairy-heavy dressing, chopped bacon, and shredded cheddar. And this keto broccoli salad is no exception because, well, these ingredients are tasty. Pick a mayo made with avocado oil and sub plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream if you must, and if you’re not down with a powdered keto sweetener, use a little maple syrup or honey. 
French-style Potato Salad
No gloopy potato pucks here. Creamy boiled baby potatoes get tossed with chicken broth, vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and a generous spattering of fresh chopped herbs. Finely diced shallots and champagne vinegar add understated elegance to the humble potato. 
Strawberry & Watermelon Arugula Salad
Understated and elegant, this salad balances contrasting flavors masterfully. Bitter, punchy arugula curls around sweet and juicy cubed watermelon and strawberries. Fresh basil and mint provide garden-fresh perk, sliced shallots add a mellow onion note, crumbled feta adds salt, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette adds musky, acidic, fruity notes. 
Desserts 
No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites
Seemingly simple but surprisingly fussy, baking stay-soft chocolate chip cookies requires the right blend of moisture and slight underbaking. Dispense with this altogether and satisfy sweet cravings with no-bake cookie dough. This gluten-free version combines oat, almond, and coconut flours with cashew butter and maple syrup to make safely edible but addictive cookie balls.
No-bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Why anyone would choose to fuss with a bain-marie to gently bake a cheesecake is beyond us. In this recipe, the freezer does the work of solidifying the crumbly crust and the silky, creamy filling. This no-dairy cheesecake relies on raw soaked cashews, coconut oil, and full-fat coconut milk to give it an unctuous mouthfeel. Freeze-dried strawberries add concentrated berry flavor and a ballet pink hue to the cake. 
Birthday Cake Truffles
These truffles have a celebratory charm whose easy make-ahead method makes them ideal for a large gathering. Almond butter, oat flour, and maple syrup make up the bulk of the inside, and a little butter and melted white chocolate serve as the candied outer layer. Rainbow-colored sprinkles make these birthday themed, but you can dispense with that confetti and dust the truffles with cocoa powder or powdered freeze-dried raspberries. 
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart
Earthy, rich, and slightly bitter, dark chocolate needs perking up if it’s to star in a tart. Sun-ripened raspberries provide a hint of sweet and sour that softens any harshness in the dark chocolate. A conservative amount of maple syrup adds an oaky sweet note to the tart, but it’s the bashful bridesmaid in the background.  
Chocolate Pudding Cake
a chocolate cake with ice cream and a spoon
Springy on top, fudgy and melty on the inside, this chocolate pudding cake doesn’t ooze like a lava cake but charms all the same with its half-baked vibe. The technique to get the pudding right requires no-stir restraint, but follow the directions and you’ll reap the reward. 
Best Ready-Made Picks for Your Cookout
Just because you may want to avoid seed oils, excess added sugar, and possibly gluten doesn’t mean you have to make everything from scratch. That’s a whole lot of hassle, especially when you’re feeding a crowd. We recommend our best picks for store-bought convenience foods with better-for-you ingredients.
Meats
Teton Waters Ranch
Grass-fed burgers, hot dogs, brats, and sausages with none of the suspect additives — just pure beefy flavor.
Applegate Farms
Humanely raised meat without antibiotics or GMO additives, Applegate Farms turkey burgers, hot dogs, and chicken apple sausages are open-and-grill quickies that everyone can agree on. 
Salad Dressings & Condiments
Fody Foods
Fody’s unsweetened ketchup, salsas, sauces and marinades pack gut-friendly flavor without a lot of added sweeteners and chemicals you can’t pronounce. 
Noble Made
Build a low sugar, no dairy pantry of seasonings, sauces, and salad dressings made with extra virgin olive oil with intention. Noble Made offers mild, medium, and hot buffalo sauce, goes-with-anything citrus herb marinade, and less common but fabulous carrot ginger dressing. 
Chosen Foods
Choose avocado oil-based salad dressings and mayo accentuated with distilled vinegar, herbs, spices, and feisty flavors like chipotle, smoked paprika, and tamari.
Chips & Snacks
Lesser Evil
Popcorn and puffs made with coconut oil, ghee, or avocado oil in fabulous flavors similar to kettle corn, cheese, and flamin’ hot without the garbage. 
Siete Foods
Grain-free tortilla chips made with avocado oil and seasonings you recognize like red chile powder, nutritional yeast, and coconut milk powder. Pair the Ranch tortilla chips with a black bean dip, or the Fuego chips with guacamole. 
Boulder Canyon
Let’s face it: Crisp, salty potato chips are hard to beat. Look for Boulder Canyon potato chips made with avocado or olive oil — the cheddar sour cream and jalapeno flavors are particularly addictive. 
Check out these articles for a full list of seed oil-free snacks and an entire shopping list.
The Takeaway
You don’t have to sacrifice fun and convenience in order to stay healthy this memorial day. Keep inflammatory oils low with these easy, make-ahead recipes and swap in Cultured Oil when you cook for more healthy fats and unbeatable taste. 
Combine some store-bought convenience with a few homemade recipes, toss a few things on the grill, then slip your shoes off and let shady blades of grass tickle your toes. It’s the season for languishing in the outdoors long after the sun slinks gloriously out of sight. 

Sesame seed oil is popular in many culinary traditions. But is sesame oil good for you? Find out the facts, including nutrient content, smoke point, and more.

Is Sesame Seed Oil Good For You? What The Science Says

Is Sesame Seed Oil Good For You? What The Science Says
MAY 16, 2023
WRITTEN BY: The Zero Acre Editorial Team

Article at a Glance
Sesame oil is an ancient seed oil, with documented uses of it dating back thousands of years.

Powerful antioxidants in sesame oil make it more stable than other seed oils, despite its relatively high linoleic acid concentration.

Toasted sesame oil is flavorful and aromatic but unsuited to cooking, while refined sesame oil is neutral-tasting and often used for deep frying.

Sesame oil has a high water footprint and is associated with questionable farming practices in the United States.

Introduction
Sesame oil is one of the longest-used oils in documented history. In fact, it is thought to be the oldest oilseed crop known to humankind [*]. Ancient China, Egypt, Greece, and Babylonia all grew and valued sesame, using both the whole seed and its extracted oil for cooking and ceremonial purposes [*,*]. 

Sesame seed and sesame seed oil maintain cultural relevance in Middle-Eastern and Asian cuisine – from Tahini (ground sesame seed butter) in hummus and halvah, to toasted sesame oil used to add a nutty flavor to a wide variety of Asian dishes.

Compared to other vegetable oils, sesame oil enjoys a favorable reputation as an aromatic and nutritious ingredient. However, its relatively high omega-6, linoleic acid content may have you scratching your head – is sesame oil actually good for you?

What is Sesame Oil?
Whole sesame seeds are rich in oil, consisting of 50-60% fat on average [*]. Sesame oil is easily extracted from the whole sesame seed, which is either lightly toasted or processed in its raw state [*]. Raw sesame seeds produce a light-colored, slightly nutty tasting oil, while toasted sesame seeds produce a dark amber colored oil with a strong aroma. 

“Light” sesame oil is often used as a frying oil in Asian and African cuisine, while the toasted version is used in small amounts as a flavoring agent at the end of cooking – its flavor generally too intense for use as a frying oil [*].

Is Sesame Oil a Seed Oil?
Since sesame oil is extracted from the sesame seed, it can be considered a seed oil. Like many other seed oils, it is high in the omega-6 polyunsaturated fat, linoleic acid (LA) and is prone to degradation. 

Unlike other seed oils, however, sesame oil contains a trio of powerful antioxidants – sesamol, sesamolin, and vitamin E (γ-tocopherol) – which may help slow down the oxidation process and delay the onset of rancidity [*]. In fact, oil manufacturers often add these antioxidants to other seed oils to prolong shelf life [*].

Although the antioxidants in sesame oil provide a degree of protection against oxidation compared to other seed oils, they may not be able to withstand the exposure to high temperatures during cooking [*].

How is Sesame Oil Made?
Sesame oil is extracted from either raw or toasted sesame seeds.

Raw seeds yield oil that is light in flavor and in color, while toasted seeds produce oil with a dark color and strong nutty aroma. Interestingly, toasting the seeds before extracting the oil appears to increase the oxidative stability of sesame oil, reducing the likelihood that it will go rancid if kept in proper storage (a cool, dark and dry location) [*].

If sesame oil is unrefined, it will smell and taste like sesame seeds because many of the flavor and aromatic compounds remain in the oil [*]. These natural compounds give the oil a distinctive flavor but also limit its ability to withstand high temperatures. 

On the other hand, refined sesame oil is often extracted using chemical solvents, and undergoes high-heat treatments to remove impurities. This results in an oil that is neutral in flavor and more suitable for high heat cooking. [*]. 

Unfortunately, sesame oil is prone to adulteration in some markets [*,*]. Sellers will often dilute the oil with cheaper seed oils like corn or soybean oil in order to boost their profits. Because other seed oils share a similar fatty acid makeup with sesame seed oil, it is difficult to detect fraudulent oil without special equipment [*,*]. 

In China, where oil adulteration is common, the government advises consumers to pay attention to the color and smell of the oil to assess its purity – pure unrefined sesame oil will be light red, orange-red, or yellowish-red in color, while blended oil is often dark yellow or blackish red [*]. 

Sesame Seed Oil Nutrition
Starting with the basics, sesame oil is, like all other oils, 100% fat.

Sesame seed oil is primarily composed of unsaturated fat, with roughly equal parts polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. Approximately 42% of the fat in sesame oil is omega-6 linoleic acid (LA), while a roughly equivalent 40% is monounsaturated fat – the same fatty acid that is high in olive oil, avocado oil, and Cultured Oil [*].

Though it has a moderate amount of stable monounsaturated fat, sesame oil has a higher linoleic acid concentration than some other seed oils (canola, peanut and rice bran) [*]. 

And even though the antioxidants in sesame oil help to prevent oxidation from occurring as readily as other seed oils, it’s still important to cook and store it wisely. High LA oils, like sesame oil, are known to create harmful byproducts when brought to high heat, and the antioxidants may not prevent all of this oxidation from occurring, especially at high temperatures or when used for a long period of time [*]. 

Pro tip: Instead of choosing sesame oil to deep fry or saute, use a heat stable oil like Cultured Oil and add a dash of toasted sesame oil at the end of cooking to get the most of the flavor without detrimental impact of oxidized LA [*]. And store it properly — a dark, cold place is best (like the refrigerator), as light, oxygen and heat speed up fat oxidation and promote rancidity.

As a final note about the nutrition of sesame oil, the FDA officially recognized sesame as the ninth most common food allergen in the United States as of 2021 [*]. 

Although sesame oil is separated from the protein that is responsible for causing the allergic response in those with sesame allergies, experts recommend that those who are allergic to sesame avoid sesame oil, as it is often not refined enough to remove all of the allergen [*].

Sesame Oil Smoke Point
The smoke point of sesame oil is the temperature at which it begins to burn and create off-tasting byproducts and toxic compounds [*]. Refined, light sesame oil has a relatively high smoke point of 410° Fahrenheit and is often used for deep frying [*]. 

Because it has more free fatty acids, unrefined, toasted sesame oil has a lower smoke point of 350° Fahrenheit [*]. Thus, toasted sesame oil is best used as a finishing oil or dressing.

While sesame oil is known for having a relatively high smoke point, this characteristic alone does not determine its overall stability under heat. When heated, sesame oil can begin breaking down into harmful byproducts, even before it reaches its smoke point.

The heat stability, or thermal oxidative stability, of an oil depends on its fatty acid composition, with saturated fats being the most heat-stable, followed by monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats being the least heat-stable [*].

Like other seed oils, sesame oil contains high levels of unstable polyunsaturated fats that break down rapidly when heated, leading to the formation of harmful byproducts such as acrylamides, toxic aldehydes, hydroxylinoleate, free radicals, and trans fats, both during manufacturing and cooking [*,*].

Sesame Oil Environmental Impacts?
Some of the biggest producers of sesame crop are Myanmar, India, China, Sudan, and Tanzania, where it is most commonly grown by smallholder farmers as a high-value specialty crop [*]. Sesame is also grown in Mexico, Central America and the United States. 

Sesame is tolerant of drought and poor soil, which means it’s a hardy crop that doesn’t need a lot of added resources (like water) to produce a yield [*]. However, the production and refinement of sesame seed oil has a greater total water footprint than most other oils globally – more than 6 times the water footprint of canola oil production [*].

In the U.S., sesame is often grown amongst genetically modified crops (like cotton) that are herbicide resistant, which encourages heavy herbicide use by growers [*]. These herbicides seep into the earth and pollute groundwater and surface water, which may harm not only aquatic habitats but the entire food chain [*]. 

The Takeaway
Though sesame seed oil may pass the “common sense test” compared to other vegetable oils – that is, it’s been consumed by humans for millennia, requires little processing or refinement in most cases, and is often used in small amounts as a finishing oil – it’s still relatively high in omega-6 fatty acids and is susceptible to harmful oxidation if stored or used improperly. 

It has a higher water footprint than most edible oils, and is susceptible to adulteration with cheap vegetable oils by sellers looking to boost their profits. 

In order to harness sesame oil’s potent antioxidants and strong flavor, use just a little bit at the end of cooking for flavor. Or, combine it with a heat-tolerant oil like Cultured Oil and enjoy all the sesame-flavored dishes your heart desires.

Your quick guide to easy salad dressing recipes and seed oil-free options you can buy at the store — from creamy ranch to vinaigrettes and everything in between.

Easy Salad Dressing Recipes + The Best Store-Bought Options

Easy Salad Dressing Recipes + The Best Store-Bought Options
MAY 3, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Courtney Sperlazza
Article at a Glance
If you've been trying to avoid seed oils in your diet, you might find that the majority of salad dressings contain them, leaving you with limited options.
There are seed oil-free salad dressing options available, which you can either purchase ready-made from the store or prepare yourself, depending on your preference.
Label-reading isn’t fun, so here is a list of 18 salad dressing options — 6 store-bought and 12 recipes — so that you can craft the salad of your dreams without worrying about oils that drag you down. 

Introduction
As fresh veggies come into season, you might be ready to get creative in the kitchen with crisp, colorful salads. But, how to top them? Most salad dressings are predominantly made with inflammatory seed oils, and if you’ve been moving away from those, you might feel like your options are slim. The good news is, you have seed oil-free salad dressing options that you can pick up from the store ready to go, or make yourself — whichever you prefer. 
It’s disheartening to take the time to prepare a meal centered around vegetables, only to find that your typical dressing options might contribute to inflammation and stand in the way of your goals. That’s why we put together this list of dressings that work with your lifestyle, not against it — no matter what you’re craving. 
Store-bought Salad Dressings
Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing
Ranch deserves a spot in every pantry, and just because you’re avoiding seed oils doesn’t mean you have to find a new top-it-all dressing. Primal Kitchen makes an avocado oil-based version that tastes as good as the well-known brands that are full of seed oils. There’s a plant-based version as well, also without seed oils. 
Primal Kitchen Caesar Dressing
A crisp, classic caesar salad goes with everything, and it’s even easier to get your salad on the table when the dressing is ready to go. You can pick up regular, or choose the plant-based version of Primal Kitchen Caesar, also seed oil-free.
Newman’s Own 
Newman’s Own is a well-known dressing brand and recently rolled out a handful of staple dressings that contain avocado and olive oil instead of seed oils. Seed oil-free versions include their Avocado Oil & Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dairy Free Italian Dressing. 
Acid League Mango Jalapeño Cilantro Vinaigrette
Acid League is a line of creative vinegars, oils, and other deliciously pourable enhancements. Mango Jalapeño Cilantro Vinaigrette is one of the fun and flavorful dressings in their line, ready to add zing to whatever you toss with it. 
Acid League Pink Peppercorn Honey Yuzu
Another dressing variety that you don’t see every day, Pink Peppercorn Honey Yuzu adds a little tang from the vinegar, sweetness from the honey, and a floral bite from the pink peppercorns — all without seed oils. 
Noble Made Sriracha Tahini
Tahini levels up any Mediterranean dish, and Noble Made Sriracha Tahini offers a nice kick of heat alongside smooth sesame.  
12 Easy Homemade Salad Dressings
Prefer to mix together your own quick DIY seed oil-free dressing? Here are 11 easy homemade salad dressing recipes that you can whisk together in minutes, and add your own flair if you like. 
4-Ingredient Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
published


4-Ingredient-Lemon-Garlic-Vinaigrette-Zero-Acre




1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and black pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a mason jar and screw on the lid. Shake until well combined.
Want to change it up? Try any combination of the six variations here.
Classic Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper, and if you prefer your dressing a little sweet, whisk in a little honey.
Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Blend avocado, lime juice, water, Zero Acre oil, and garlic in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper.
Honey Mustard Dressing
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iHoney Mustard Salad Dressing With Cultured Oiljpg




1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, and white wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
Lemon Tahini Dressing
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pinch paprika
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Zero Acre oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, and water. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil, and sesame seeds if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
Caesar Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise (preferably seed oil-free)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 anchovies, minced (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and anchovies, if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
Ginger Soy Dressing
published


Ginger Soy Dressing with Cultured Oil




2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
White pepper to taste

Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, and garlic. Slowly whisk Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
Ranch Dressing
published


Ranch Dressing With Cultured Oil




1/2 cup mayonnaise (ideally seed oil-free)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, parsley, chives, and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper.
Spicy Thai-style Peanut Dressing
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame seeds or crushed peanuts (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Stir in red pepper flakes and sesame seeds or peanuts, if using. Season with salt and black pepper.
Cilantro Lime Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together lime juice, Zero Acre oil, honey or syrup, and cilantro. Season with salt and black pepper.
Maple Dijon Dressing
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Zero Acre oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Slowly whisk in Zero Acre oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
Extra Thick Herby Avocado Salad Dressing 
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Extra Thick Herby Avocado Salad Dressing




1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, like dill, parsley, chives
1/4 cup Zero Acre oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons water (as needed to thin out the dressing)

In a blender or food processor, combine the avocado, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs. Pulse until well blended. With the blender running on low speed, slowly add the oil and continue blending until smooth and creamy.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste. If the dressing is too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to thin it out to your desired consistency.
The Takeaway
Incorporating seed oil-free salad dressings into your meals is a simple and effective way to make your salads healthier and more flavorful. Whether you're looking to cut calories, avoid unhealthy fats, or simply experiment with new tastes, the options listed in this article offer a variety of flavors to level up your salad game. From tangy balsamic vinaigrettes to creamy avocado dressings, there's something to please every palate.

Our homemade, handheld Cinco de Mayo recipes include flavorful dishes like long-simmered proteins, fresh salsas, homemade tortillas and chips — all without seed oils.

Fast, Flavorful Recipes for Any Cinco de Mayo Party

Fast, Flavorful Recipes for Any Cinco de Mayo Party
Article at a Glance
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that commemorates a regional Mexican military battle against French forces but has evolved to become a much loved and celebrated day in the United States. 
From jalapeño poppers to empanadas, there's something for every taste preference.
These recipes skip seed oils and prioritize slow-cooked meats, fresh produce, and smoky peppers.
Try out these easy-to-make recipes, whether you're planning a party or a solo feast!

Introduction
Cinco de Mayo recipes should pop — with kicky salsas, smoky peppers, ripe produce, generous squeezes of fresh citrus — and provide elements of homey, slow-braised meats, marinated seafood, or savory simmered beans. Arguably, Cinco de Mayo recipes should also be portable to share with friends and loved ones, and handheld so you can nosh as you sip and mingle. We’ve rounded up the best Mexican-themed recipes that fit this bill to make your fiesta flavorful and fabuloso. 
Mexican cuisine combines ingredients like organs and tougher cuts of meat stewed until tender, gradually softened beans, and fire-roasted chiles with the fresh snap of sliced radishes, grassy leaves of cilantro, and sweet-spicy spoonfuls of salsas. This marriage of slow-cooked with raw and ripe flavors strikes a balance that’s often overlooked when compared with brick-sized burritos and platters packed with rice and cheese-blanketed enchiladas.
While some people might not equate a Cinco de Mayo spread with healthy faire, we beg to differ. You can absolutely enjoy your favorite Mexican dishes with fresh vegetables, hearty proteins, and more — all without added high linoleic seed oils.
Fiesta Bites
Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Shrimp
Part lower-carb enchilada, part bar appetizer, these jalapeño poppers are crowd-pleasers you can bake in bulk. Use crab, chicken, or black beans if you prefer; just make sure you make an extra batch. 
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Jalapeno-Shrimp-Poppers-18




Tostones with Mango Salsa and Chimichurri
These two-bite appetizers elevate the idea of nachos into a more sophisticated form. Pan-crisped plantain slices serve as the bed for a pile of sweet mango salsa drizzled with avocado and cilantro chimichurri. Sprinkle the tostones with crumbled cotija or feta cheese.
Seven-layer Taco Dip
Redolent of Midwestern potlucks, this seven-layer dip omits any seedy oils and browns ground beef and onions in avocado oil. Take a glass casserole dish (you want to see the layers after all) and fill the bottom with the seasoned beef, a layer of cashew cream (or sub sour cream), guacamole, salsa, shredded lettuce, black olives, and pickled jalapeños. You’ll need sturdy tortilla or plantain chips to heft this meaty salad into your mouth. 
Sopes de Chorizo
This is meat and potatoes, Mexican style. Pile chorizo and pan-fried potatoes on top of sope shells then load ‘em up with pico de gallo, avocado slices, crema, and queso fresco.
Air-Fried Guacamole
Hold chips and guacamole in the palm of your hand with these air-fried guac balls coated in cassava chips.
Chunky Guacamole with Feta
This dip takes a less-traditional spin on guacamole. Creamy mashed avocado serves as the bed for a salad of finely diced vegetables that’s crowned with tangy, salty crumbles of feta cheese. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips or thickly cut carrot or jicama sticks. 
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Chunky Guacamole with Feta Dip Finished




Puffed Tortilla Chips
Grain-free chips just got more interesting. Cut homemade tortillas made with almond and coconut flours into triangles and either bake or deep-fry (in lard, the old-school way); deep-frying them gives them a crisp, puffy texture. Season with crap-free “Dorito dust” or — even better — use them to make nachos.
2-Ingredient Tortillas
Tortillas are a bland, blank canvas upon which we pile meats or slow-cooked beans, shredded cabbage or lettuce, salsas and cremas. Try making your own and you’ll understand why anyone ever goes to the trouble. These golden-colored corn tortillas require only masa harina, water, and salt.
Elotes
Grilled Mexican street corn is fragrant while toasting on the grill, slathered in a creamy, cheesy, spicy sauce, then doused with fresh lime juice. In a word, mouthwatering. 
Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
For all the veggie lovers who hold steadfast to cauliflower even if it’s faded from the low-carb spotlight, these vegan tacos feature aggressively seasoned, oven-caramelized cauliflower florets. Pile the cauliflower florets on to corn tortillas, top with red cabbage, sliced avocado, and smoky romesco sauce made with almonds and fire-roasted tomatoes. 
Seafood
Peach, Jalapeño, and Shrimp Ceviche
Refreshing and just right for warm May days, ceviche douses shrimp (or fish) in lime juice then gets mixed with salsa — in this case, one with diced peaches, avocado, red onion, jalapeños, and cilantro. This one comes together quickly, in just 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for a last-minute quick dish. 
Lettuce-wrapped Shrimp Tacos
Emerald-green butter lettuce serves as the crisp yet yielding bed for these shrimp tacos. It’s like a more nutritious mashup of the soft tortilla and hard taco shell. Marinate the shrimp in fragrant lime zest, oregano, garlic, and avocado oil for 30 minutes before baking. Drizzle the lettuce-wrapped tacos with avocado crema made with more muted onion flavor from chives and extra richness from full-fat coconut milk. 
published


Lettuce wrapped Shrimp Tacos




Meat Dishes
Orange and Cumin Pork Carnitas 
This 10-ingredient carnitas recipe tenderizes pork shoulder in freshly squeezed orange and lime juice and spices until it shreds when barely poked with a fork. Slice celery root into rounds the size of small tortillas and grill or griddle until pliable, then pile the aromatic shredded pork on top.
Cheesy Gordita Crunch Wrap
This is one-too-many-margs food, no pretense or shame. It’s almost like the wee-hours breakfast you’d have with your college friends before calling it a “night” at 5am. A thin egg omelet wraps around a crunchy taco shell filled with ground beef, a tangle of shredded cheese, lettuce and diced tomato. Dollop with queso because at this point, why not?
Loaded Taco Sweet Potato Sliders
More bunless burger slider than taco, the mini burger patties are seasoned with taco seasoning and chipotle powder before pan-fried. Place the beef patties on generously sliced rounds of cooked sweet potato, top with guacamole and homemade chipotle ranch dressing. Two of these sliders make a meal. 
Chipotle Chicken Wings with Avocado Crema
This sweet-and-spicy take on the classic party fave gets its smoky heat from chipotles and smoked paprika. Dates add sweet balance to the kick, and the baked chicken wings can be dipped in a cool, creamy avocado, lime, and cilantro sauce. 
Poblano Chicken Empanadas
If you fancy savory, these poblano chicken empanadas will please any palate — even kiddos, as poblanos knock gently rather than bang. Corn and buttery Oaxaca cheese add familiar comfort.
Beef Birria
Technically you can’t exactly eat this with your hands (unless no one’s looking) but piling a tangle of this rich, spiced, two chili-spiked slow-simmered beef on a homemade tortilla requires nothing else but a sprinkle of chopped onion, salsa de aguacate, and a few cilantro leaves if you’re feeling chefy. 
Chicken Tacos
Beyond basic, these chicken tacos stuff the whole taco plate into the tortilla — refried beans, rice, guac, and tomato jalapeño salsa included. It may be simple, kid-like food, but it’s a stalwart you’ll make often.
No-Dairy Chicken Quesadillas
This is a grown-up version of the kids classic. Leftover shredded chicken gets topped with cashew cheese sauce and sandwiched between two cassava flour tortillas. Pan-crisp for a few minutes on both sides, cut into quarters, and pile on a platter with guac and pico de gallo on the side.
Sweet Treats
Vasos de Fruta
The fruit is incredible in Mexico — sun-kissed, honeyed, and ripe all year round. Add some kicky chili powder and tangy lime to it and you have a beloved street cart snack. Chunk or thickly julienne pineapple, mango, watermelon, jicama, and cucumbers, then stand them up, soldier-proud, in tall cups or mini mason jars. 
Pineapple Empanadas
Empanadas are the dumplings of Mexican cuisine. A buttery pastry cocoons any sweet or savory filling, gets pinched or fork-seamed closed, then can be baked or deep-fried until golden. Savor this pillowy dessert version where cinnamon-spiked pineapple gets reduced until syrupy. 


You might avoid chips because they’re deep-fried, but seed oils may be a bigger concern. There are satisfying seed oil-free options for potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives.

Seed Oil-Free Chips: The Best Potato, Tortilla, and Grain-free Chips You Can Buy

Seed Oil-Free Chips: The Best Potato, Tortilla, and Grain-free Chips You Can Buy
Article at a Glance
If you’re taking steps to eat better, you may be avoiding chips, which are typically deep-fried and high in fat.
Evaluating the healthfulness of chips goes beyond just the fat content, as the use of seed oils during the frying process may pose health concerns. 
While baked, air-fried, or popped chips may seem like healthier options than their deep-fried counterparts, they often still contain seed oils, which are high in inflammatory omega-6 fats.
Today, you have plenty of better-for-you options including potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives that taste as good or better than the chips you likely grew up with.

Introduction
Grocery store shelves are lined with thousands of options these days, especially when it comes to snack foods. As companies strive to make “healthier” alternatives to cult favorites, it begs the question: what makes a food healthy?
Today, we’re talking about one of the most satisfying snacks on the planet – chips. Those crunchy, salty, deliciously fatty snacks with a crunch that keep you coming back for more.
So, what makes chips so unhealthy? Are low-fat, air-fried, or air-popped chips better options? Or is it the types of fat that make a chip unhealthy?
It turns out that chips fried in seed oils such as soybean, sunflower, or corn oil may not be the best choices due to their high omega-6 linoleic acid fatty acid content. Excessive consumption of these fats can lead to inflammation, which is linked to many chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers  [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
So, all of those low-fat, air-popped chip varieties that compromise taste and texture and still use seed oils? Well, they’re definitely not worth your time or money. 
The good news is, a lot of brands have started to offer seed oil-free versions of your favorite crunchy, salty snacks, and they’re just as satisfying as the conventional versions. And we did the research for you, so you can shop the best chips brands with ease.
Here are some best brands of potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives that can help keep your linoleic acid levels low.
Potato Chips
Good Health Olive Oil Potato Chips
Boulder Canyon Olive Oil Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Potato Chips
Kettle Brand Avocado Oil Himalayan Salt Potato Chips
Good Health Avocado Oil Kettle Style Chips with Sea Salt
Thrive Market Non-GMO Avocado Oil Potato Chips, Himalayan Salt
Boulder Canyon Potato Chips Coconut Oil Sea Salt

Tortilla Chips
Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips with Avocado Oil
Jackson's Honest Tortilla Chips, Yellow Corn, Sea Salt, Organic
Maiz Totopos Corn Tortilla Chips

Grain-Free Chips
Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips with Avocado Oil
Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs with Himalayan Pink Salt & Avocado Oil
Jackson’s’ Honest Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil

Chip Alternatives 
Jackson’s’ Honest Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil
Rhythm Superfoods Original Kale Chips 
Hippie Snacks Avocado Crisps with Sea Salt
Conscious Kitchen Real Coconut Sea Salt & Flax Crackers
Coco Goods Organic Toasted Coconut Chips
Lesser Evil Paleo Puffs, Himalayan Pink Salt

FAQ About Chips Without Seed Oils
Does it matter if chips are fried or baked?
Ounce for ounce, baked or air-fried versions of chips might contain less fat than fried chips. But, if you’re concerned about seed oils, chips that are prepared without a fryer often still contain the types of oils you want to avoid. 
There is a big difference between marketing claims and actual ingredients, so be sure to flip the bag and read through ingredients before you decide whether a chip brand aligns with your health goals. 
Read next: Why Are Fried Foods Bad for You? (The Real Reason)
Why are chips made with avocado oil or olive oil better?
Consumers reach for chips made with avocado oil and olive oil for a few reasons:
Avocado oil and olive oil are lower in omega-6 fatty acids than other seed oils. Compared to most seed oils, avocado oil and olive oil are lower in omega-6 fatty acids. If you’re eating a standard Western diet, you’re probably getting too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 to balance it. 
More heart-healthy and heat-stable monounsaturated fats. While seed oils generally contain low levels of monounsaturated fat, live oils and avocado oils contain between 55-83% monounsaturated fat.
Antioxidant content. Avocado oil and olive oil contain naturally-occurring antioxidants, which are an attractive option when your other options are chips fried in oxidized seed oils. 

What are the healthiest chips?
The definition of “healthy” is different depending on who you’re talking to. Someone with diabetes might have different ingredient preferences from someone with a heart condition or someone who wants to shed a few pounds. 
It’s a good idea for everyone to start paying attention to seed oils on ingredient labels. Seed oils are high in linoleic acid, which appears to be problematic for our health when consumed in excess. These days, you have plenty of snack options without seed oils no matter what your health concerns or ingredient preferences are. 
The Takeaway
When you decide to eat healthier, you may consider avoiding chips due to their high fat content from deep-frying. However, it may not be the fat content itself that is the issue, but rather the type of fat in seed oils, which can contribute to inflammation in the body and may lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
Baked, air-fried, and popped corn versions of chips are marketed as a healthier option but may also contain seed oils, so you have to read labels to be sure. 
Fortunately, many brands have started offering seed oil-free versions of chips, including potato chips, tortilla chips, grain-free chips, and chip alternatives. Choosing higher-quality options with better ingredients can satisfy cravings while also supporting a seed oil-free lifestyle.


Endless cravings? Seed oils, high in linoleic acid, appear to activate the same pathways as cannabis, stimulating hunger and contributing to unwanted weight gain.

Are Seed Oils Giving You the Munchies?

Are Seed Oils Giving You the Munchies?
APRIL 20, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Daniel J. Patterson
Article at a Glance
Seed oil consumption is on the rise in the last 100 years, paralleling the increase in obesity rates. 
Seed oils are high in omega-6 linoleic acid, which is a precursor to endocannabinoids like AEA and 2-AG. These compounds appear to stimulate appetite, contribute to weight gain, and cause the "munchies."
Endocannabinoids are naturally occurring compounds in our bodies, and similar to the active ingredients in cannabis, they play a vital role in regulating appetite and hunger signals.
CB1 receptors, which are part of the endocannabinoid system, play a crucial role in weight management, as demonstrated by studies on Rimonabant, gastric bypass surgery, and genetically modified mice.
Increased AEA (endocannabinoid) levels, resulting from higher linoleic acid consumption, can counteract the positive effects of gastric bypass surgery on fat loss and metabolism, emphasizing the significance of CB1 and AEA in the development of obesity.
The good news is that understanding the link between linoleic acid and obesity offers a promising solution. By consuming less linoleic acid, you may be less likely to experience the munchies or increased appetite, making it easier to maintain a healthy weight.
Introduction
The “munchies,” an infamous side effect of cannabis use, is characterized by increased hunger and a seemingly endless urge to snack. Interestingly, research has found a connection between this phenomenon and the consumption of seed oils.
Seed oils, a subcategory of vegetable oils, are extracted from the seeds of crops and include soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, and more. These oils are incredibly common in packaged foods and can be found in most restaurant meals, from fast food to fine dining.
Due to their high content of a type of polyunsaturated omega-6 fat called linoleic acid, seed oils have been linked to a laundry list of chronic health issues like inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and more [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
While humans evolved to consume low levels of omega-6 fats in their diets, the widespread adoption of seed oils during the 20th century led to a 10-fold increase in the average dietary intake of these fats [*,*]. Meanwhile, obesity rates have increased dramatically over the same time period, with over 40% of adults in the U.S. now being classified as obese [*].
In this article, we will dive into the relationship between seed oils and the munchies, investigating the possibility that the widespread consumption of seed oils may be contributing to increased appetite and unwanted weight gain.
The Science Behind The Munchies
The munchies may be a colloquial term, but the intense hunger that many people experience after using cannabis is not merely anecdotal. While cannabis is a plant containing a variety of compounds, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary cannabinoid responsible for the psychoactive or "high" sensation and increased appetite.
Many studies have confirmed a direct link between THC use and increased appetite [*,*,*,*]. In fact, THC is an FDA-approved prescription drug used to stimulate appetite, particularly in patients who struggle with conditions like chronic or chemotherapy-induced nausea [*,*].
THC works because humans and other animals with spinal cords have receptors in their brains (and throughout the body) called CB1 receptors. These work with THC molecules like a lock and key – the THC fits into the receptor and activates it, stimulating side effects like hunger.
However, THC isn’t the only compound capable of activating CB1 receptors. Your body naturally produces compounds called "endocannabinoids" ("endo" meaning internal or within). 
These endocannabinoids, primarily 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA), can also activate CB1 receptors and trigger hunger – even on a full stomach.
As it turns out, the production of these endocannabinoids is closely tied to the types of fat you consume. For instance, your body makes 2-AG and AEA endocannabinoids exclusively from arachidonic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) [*]. And while arachidonic acid is present in trace amounts in food, your body primarily produces it from its precursor: linoleic acid [*].
In other words, when you consume linoleic acid (typically from seed oils), some of it is converted into arachidonic acid, which leads to the production of endocannabinoids 2-AG and AEA. These endocannabinoids stimulate our appetite and ultimately, may cause you to eat more.
Linoleic Acid and Weight Gain
There are a lot of theories about the dramatic rise in obesity during the 20th century (and its continued rise to this day). But one cause has gone under the radar for decades: the rise in seed oil consumption.
Seed oils (packed with inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid) are in almost every processed, packaged food and in most restaurant food. So it’s no wonder that the average person today is eating 10 to 20 times more omega-6 linoleic acid than in previous generations [*,*,*,*]. As a result, the modern diet is characterized by a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, which may contribute to the excessive production of AEA and 2-AG [*].
The excessive production of AEA and 2-AG appears to overstimulate CB1 receptors, leading to increased weight gain and metabolic dysregulation [*]. In fact, numerous studies have found that people with obesity tend to have higher circulating blood levels of 2-AG and AEA compared to those who are lean [*,*,*,*,*,*]. 
Because the endocannabinoid system is found in all mammals, research on rodents can provide insights into how linoleic acid affects 2-AG, AEA, and obesity in humans.
In a 2012 study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) divided mice into different groups and fed them high-fat chow with varying levels of linoleic acid [*]. One group was fed chow with 8% of its calories as linoleic acid, while the other group was fed chow with only 1% of calories as linoleic acid.
The only difference between the two groups was the amount of linoleic acid in the chow they were fed — everything else in the diets of the two groups remained the same. The researchers also provided the mice with unrestricted access (24/7) to their food in order to mirror the eating habits of humans in developed countries.
The study found that the mice consuming a higher percentage of linoleic acid gained significantly more weight than their counterparts on the lower linoleic acid diet. The mice consuming the higher linoleic diet had elevated levels of 2-AG and AEA, consumed 18% more calories, and weighed 20% more [*].
The researchers designed the study to mirror the 20th-century shift in Western countries, where linoleic acid intake increased from 1% of calories to 8%, a change that has closely correlated with rising obesity rates.
chart, bar chart, histogram
The chart above shows the results of a mice study comparing medium-fat diets (open bars) to high-fat diets (striped bars).

Subsequent studies replicated their findings in more mice and even in salmon [*,*]. Most strikingly, when mice were fed a diet containing salmon raised on a high-linoleic acid diet, they gained more weight than mice fed a diet containing salmon raised on a lower-linoleic acid diet.
Although several studies have shown that linoleic acid from vegetable oils can have obesogenic effects, it wasn't until the 2012 study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that linoleic acid was isolated as a dietary variable, demonstrating a direct link between elevated levels of dietary linoleic acid, increased levels of 2-AG and AEA, and weight gain in mammals [*,*,*,*,*,*].
According to these studies, linoleic acid intake leads to dose-dependent increases in body weight, body fat percentage, feed efficiency, and food intake in mice. And similar effects may be present in humans [*]. 
The endocannabinoids 2-AG and AEA essentially function as hunger-regulating hormones that increase when you haven't eaten and decrease after you've consumed food [*]. Conversely, oleoylethanolamine (OEA) exhibits the opposite pattern, decreasing when you're hungry and increasing after eating [*].
In one human study, participants who consumed a meal with high-linoleic-acid soybean oil reported consuming more calories and feeling less full compared to those who consumed the same meal with lower-linoleic-acid oils (HOSO and VOO in the chart below). The latter group had increased levels of the satiety hormone OEA, which is derived from monounsaturated fat and has the opposite effect of 2-AG and AEA [*,*].
chart, line chart
chart, box and whisker chart
The Role of CB1 Receptor in Obesity
The discovery of the endocannabinoid system and its relationship to weight management was a major breakthrough in obesity research. As we’ve discussed, the CB1 receptor, which is activated by endocannabinoids like 2-AG and AEA, is considered a key player in regulating appetite and energy balance.
In the early 2000s, a drug called Rimonabant was introduced as a promising weight loss treatment [*,*]. Rimonabant worked by blocking the CB1 receptors, which appeared to regulate appetite and lead to weight loss [*]. 
Patients using Rimonabant reported less hunger, and their appetite regulation and satiety signals seemed to be functioning properly. This allowed individuals taking the drug to consume food without restrictions and still avoid gaining weight or becoming obese [*].
But intentionally blocking CB1 receptors had unintended consequences, leading to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in some patients [*]. So, despite its effectiveness in promoting weight loss, Rimonabant was withdrawn from the market due to serious side effects [*]. Still, its ability to block CB1 receptors and effectively promote weight loss has informed our understanding of the endocannabinoid system's role in obesity.
Research has also found that mice that are genetically engineered to have their CB1 receptors blocked do not become obese, or at least not nearly as obese [*,*].
Bariatric surgery, an effective but extreme fat-loss intervention, also blocks CB1 [*]. The most common type of bariatric surgery is gastric bypass, where food is forced to bypass the stomach. This procedure is typically a last resort for morbidly obese patients who cannot lose weight through other means.
While the surgery carries risks, its success rate is impressive. One study reported that 85% of patients lose 50% of their excess body weight, and other studies have found that patients can maintain a 47-57% loss of excess weight for 5 to 7 years after surgery [*,*,*].
Although we know gastric bypass surgery works and is accompanied by reduced food intake and increased energy expenditure, researchers at the University of Washington recently demonstrated that gastric bypass works, in part, by lowering CB1 activation in the gut [*].
The researchers also found that the effects of gastric bypass surgery could be mimicked by administering Rimonabant, demonstrating that the two interventions share similar mechanisms — downregulating or blocking CB1.
Other research has shown that directly administering AEA can counteract the fat loss and metabolic improvements seen with gastric bypass surgery [*]. This is a noteworthy finding, as consuming more linoleic acid elevates AEA levels and can stimulate hunger. These results highlight the importance of both CB1 and AEA in the development of obesity.
Unfortunately, like Rimonabant, gastric bypass surgery can have serious adverse side effects [*,*,*].
Overall, CB1 receptors play a crucial role in weight management, with endocannabinoids like 2-AG and AEA stimulating appetite and contributing to weight gain. While interventions like Rimonabant and gastric bypass surgery have demonstrated the effectiveness of blocking or downregulating CB1 to aid with weight loss, they also come with severe unrelated side effects. 
Nonetheless, these interventions have informed our understanding of the role that endocannabinoids play in obesity and highlight the need to limit your intake of seed oils, which are high in linoleic acid and can contribute to increased levels of AEA and 2-AG.
The Takeaway
Once consumed, linoleic acid is eventually converted to various metabolites in the body, including the metabolites of arachidonic acid such as 2-AG and AEA. This conversion process adds a layer to our understanding of how this fatty acid, found primarily in seed oils, can cause overeating and unwanted weight gain. 
In addition to its role in obesity, other research has explored how the oxidation of linoleic acid can lead to the formation of harmful compounds that may contribute to chronic health issues. 
When oxidized, linoleic acid can be converted into highly reactive and physiologically toxic unsaturated aldehydes, including 4,5-epoxy-2-alkenals, 2,4-alkadienals, 4-peroxy-2-alkenals, and 4-hydroxy-alkenals, such as 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) [*,*,*,*].
These compounds have been implicated in various pathological processes and further highlight the potential risks associated with high linoleic acid consumption [*,*,*].
Considering these findings, reducing linoleic acid intake by avoiding the consumption of seed oils and most packaged or fried foods that contain them may be an effective strategy for managing appetite, weight, and overall health.
Further research is needed to fully understand the complex interplay between dietary fats, endocannabinoids, and obesity. Yet, current evidence reinforces the importance of paying attention to the types of fats you consume — particularly avoiding seed oils.

Vegetable oils like canola and soybean oil seem to be in everything. But it wasn’t always like this. Read the little-known history of vegetable oils here.

Vegetable Oils: A History of Fats Gone Wrong

Sunflower oil is a common cooking oil and processed food ingredient. Like most seed oils, sunflower oil is high in unstable, inflammatory omega-6 fats. 

Is Sunflower Oil Healthy? Nutrition Facts, Safety, and What to Eat Instead

Is Sunflower Oil Healthy? Nutrition Facts, Safety, and What to Eat Instead
Article at a Glance
Sunflower oil is cheap, readily available, and has a neutral flavor.
It's a common cooking oil and ingredient in processed junk foods because of its low cost and availability at scale.
Sunflower oil and other industrial seed oils are responsible for a massive increase in the intake of omega-6 fats, which are linked with inflammation, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other health issues.

Introduction
Sunflower oil is one of the most common cooking oils and processed food ingredients. And like most seed oils, sunflower oil is high in unstable, inflammatory omega-6 fats. 
In this guide, you'll learn about the history of sunflower oil, the reasons for its widespread use, the health issues associated with consuming seed oils, and healthier alternatives.
What Is Sunflower Oil?
Sunflower oil is a common, inexpensive cooking oil and processed food ingredient made from the seeds of the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus).
Home cooks and restaurants often use sunflower oil for sauteing and frying because of its low cost, easy availability, and relatively neutral flavor. 
It's also used in packaged snack foods and premade meals because fats raise the palatability of foods like potato chips, activating brain reward centers and increasing snack consumption [*].
Sunflowers grown for sunflower oil extraction are a major global food crop, accounting for over 20% of vegetable oils produced worldwide today [*].
How Is Sunflower Oil Made?
In the past, as early as 1590, Indigenous people of the Americas and others made sunflower oil in small batches by grinding and pressing sunflower seeds to extract the oil [*]. This unrefined or virgin form of sunflower oil was used in cooking, as a balm for hair and skin, and as a medicinal ingredient.
The first commercial sunflower oil production occurred in Russia in the early 19th century [*] and set the stage for the widespread consumption of sunflower oil. As production became economically important in Europe and throughout the world in the 19th and 20th centuries, farmers and inventors used selective breeding techniques and technological innovations to increase the oil yield from seeds.
Modern, industrial sunflower oil extraction uses the following steps to extract the maximum amount of oil from seeds [*]:
Seeds are cleaned, de-hulled, and ground into a coarse meal by machines.
The sunflower meal is heated and fed into an extremely strong mechanical press to extract as much oil as possible.
The remaining cake (pressed meal) is treated with a volatile solvent, usually hexane, to dissolve and extract the remaining oil. The solvent evaporates or is boiled out of the meal and is collected for reuse.
The extracted sunflower oil is refined to remove color, odor, and bitterness. It's heated, then mixed with sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate, which forms a soap mixture containing impurities. The remaining oil is separated from the soap using a centrifuge.

Finally, the oil is treated with steam or acid and de-gummed, bleached, filtered, and deodorized using extremely high heat (440-2485°F), then packaged for transport or sale [*].
Is Sunflower Oil a Seed Oil?
Yes, sunflower oil is an industrial seed oil. Like other seed oils, it's a major source of inflammatory omega-6 fats in modern diets. Previously, humans obtained these fatty acids in tiny amounts from whole foods, but omega-6 intake increased 10-fold in the U.S. and elsewhere during the 20th century due to the widespread use of seed oils.
Sunflower Oil Nutrition Facts
According to the USDA, one tablespoon (14 grams) of sunflower oil contains approximately [*]: 
124 calories (kcal) 
0 grams of protein 
14 grams of total fat
0 grams of carbs
0 grams of fiber 
6 milligrams of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol).

Sunflower oil is high in polyunsaturated omega-6 fats and low in monounsaturated and saturated fats. Per tablespoon, it provides:
9.2 grams of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats
2.7 grams of monounsaturated fats, and 
1.4 grams of saturated fats

Sunflower oil is naturally high in vitamin E, providing approximately 40% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for men and women 14 years of age or older in one tablespoon [*].
Unfortunately, evidence suggests that the manufacturing process of highly-refined sunflower oil may destroy or degrade the vitamin E content [*,*]. Therefore, while cold-pressed sunflower oil is a good source of vitamin E, most commercially available sunflower oil used for cooking oil and in packaged, processed foods likely doesn't contain much vitamin E.
Sunflower Oil Smoke Point and Heat Stability
The smoke point of refined sunflower oil is approximately 412-450°F [*]. While sunflower oil has a moderate smoke point, this number doesn't tell the full story — the oil actually isn’t very stable when heated and can produce harmful byproducts during high-heat cooking, even when it's not smoking.
An oil's smoke point is the temperature at which it begins to visibly smoke when heated. Chefs and home cooks often use smoke point information to decide whether a given cooking oil is appropriate for sauteing, pan-frying, or deep-frying foods. 
In general, a smoke point represents the absolute upper limit of the usable temperature range of an oil. In other words, the smoke point of an oil is the maximum usable temperature for cooking, and you should avoid heating it past that point whenever possible. 
However, a relatively high smoke point doesn't mean an oil is stable when heated. You might think that oils with higher smoke points would be better for high-heat cooking but this often isn't the case.
The thermal stability or heat stability is how slowly or quickly a cooking oil breaks down when heated [*]. And in fact, it doesn't relate directly to an oil's smoke point, but rather to the fatty acid composition of an oil.
Of the common types of fatty acids, saturated fats are the most heat-stable, followed by monounsaturated fats, while polyunsaturated fats are the least heat-stable [*].
Sunflower oil and other seed oils are high in unstable polyunsaturated fats, primarily omega-6 linoleic acid, that oxidize or break down when heated (including during manufacturing and cooking), forming unhealthy oxidation byproducts such as acrylamides, toxic aldehydes, hydroxylinoleate, free radicals, and trans fats [*,*].
Is Sunflower Oil Safe for Frying?
Sunflower seed oil is a poor choice for deep-frying and other high-heat cooking because it's highly unstable when heated. As a result, it forms harmful byproducts, especially when reheated multiple times — a common practice in restaurants, where frying oil may be reused hundreds of times before being discarded [*]. 
Among these harmful byproducts are physiologically toxic unsaturated aldehydes, which have been linked to various health issues including inflammation, heart disease, and cancer. In a third-party analysis that compared the production of aldehydes in various cooking oils during pan frying, sunflower oil was exposed to 356ºF alongside other oils. The analysis focused on monitoring toxic aldehyde production over time. 
After 90 minutes of heating, sunflower oil, which is high in linoleic acid, was found to produce about three times more PUFA-derived aldehydes compared to moderate-linoleic avocado oil. Sunflower oil also generated about 20 times more PUFA-derived aldehydes compared to low-linoleic Cultured Oil.
Building on the previous analysis, consuming foods fried in sunflower oil and other seed oils is associated with higher risk of cancer, heart disease, and death from all causes [*].
Healthier frying oils you can use at home include Cultured Oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. You can further reduce any negative health effects by discarding the oil after high-heat cooking instead of reusing it.
Is Sunflower Oil Healthy?
Sunflower oil and other seed oils are very high in omega-6 linoleic acid. While humans require small amounts (around 1-2% of daily calories) of this polyunsaturated fat, excessive intakes of linoleic acid from cooking oils and processed foods are linked with health problems [*].
Studies show that eating too much linoleic acid may contribute to:
Higher rates of obesity [*,*] 
Heart disease [*,*,*]
An increased risk of some types of cancers [*,*,*,*,*,*]
Dementia or cognitive impairment [*]
Migraines and other types of chronic pain [*,*]

Considering that plenty of readily-available healthy fats and oils exist, which are lower in omega-6s and higher in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, there is no health benefit to consuming seed oils like sunflower oil. 
Is Sunflower Oil Inflammatory?
Sunflower contains approximately 65-70% omega-6 linoleic acid, which is inflammatory when consumed in excess [*]. Humans evolved to consume low levels of omega-6 fats, but as seed oils like sunflower oil became popular in the 20th century, the average dietary intake increased 10-fold [*,*].
Your body incorporates omega-6 fats from sunflower oil and other seed oils into cellular membranes, adipose tissue, and breast milk [*]. As a result, excess linoleic acid bioaccumulates (builds up) in cells over time, resulting in instability and inflammation at the cellular level [*,*,*].
Over-consuming inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid also creates an imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats in your body and depletes anti-inflammatory omega-3s in tissues [*]. 
Researchers think that humans naturally evolved to consume an equal ratio of these fats, but today, many people now consume 20 times higher levels of omega-6 than omega-3 fats [*].
Sunflower Oil Sustainability
Ukraine and Russia are, by far, the largest producers of sunflower oil, but sunflower oil is produced in many other countries such as Argentina, China, Turkey, Hungary and the United States [*].
Sunflower oil shares a similarly low carbon footprint with Cultured Oil, setting them apart from most vegetable oils in terms of their impact on greenhouse gas emissions. However, sunflower oil's land and water footprint is about 10 times larger than Cultured Oil.
In fact, sunflower oil is the least efficient among all major food crops globally (with at least 10 million tonnes produced) [*]. Vegetable oils, including sunflower oil, make up three of the top five most land-intensive crops, meaning they require a significant amount of land just to produce one kilogram of food, with some needing 3 to 50 times more land per kilogram compared to most other crops [*,*,*].
According to the National Sunflower Association, sunflowers are primarily grown for their oil content [*]. However, the starchy leftovers from pressing sunflower seeds are commonly used in feedlot animal diets [*].
As a result, sunflower oil production may be propagating less sustainable animal agriculture. Reducing the demand for sunflower oil could lead to fewer readily available starchy meals, potentially encouraging a shift towards more sustainable, regenerative agricultural practices.
Sunflower Oil Substitutes
Using vegetable oil alternatives to replace sunflower oil and other seed oils is an easy way to reduce your inflammatory omega-6 intake, including:
Cultured Oil
Avocado oil
Coconut oil
Extra-virgin olive oil

Replacing sunflower oil with oils that are suitable for deep-frying is also wise, as high-omega-6 seed oils are inherently unstable and create harmful oxidation byproducts during high-heat cooking.
When you're shopping for healthy fats and oils, look for products that are low in omega-6 fats, environmentally friendly, and with properties that work for your intended application (such as a high smoke point and good heat stability for cooking oils).
The Takeaway
Sunflower oil is a common cooking oil and processed food ingredient because it's inexpensive and readily available. Unfortunately, it's high in inflammatory omega-6 fats and unstable when heated. 
Consuming sunflower oil and other seed oils is linked with higher rates of obesity, heart disease, some types of cancers, dementia, and chronic pain [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
Reducing your omega-6 linoleic acid intake by eliminating seed oils is a smart move for better health. Sunflower oil and other seed oils like soybean oil are found in most processed foods and restaurant meals, so you'll need to get savvy at reading labels and cooking meals at home with healthier cooking oils.
Cultured Oil is a new type of cooking and culinary oil made through fermentation. It's high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, stable for high-heat cooking, and exceptionally environmentally friendly.

Grapeseed oil is sometimes touted as a healthy cooking oil, but it's important to keep in mind that like other seed oils, it's high in omega-6 linoleic acid which may be problematic for your health.

Is Grapeseed Oil Healthy? Nutrition Facts, Studies, and Alternatives

Is Grapeseed Oil Healthy? Nutrition Facts, Studies, and Alternatives
Grapeseed oil is sometimes touted as a healthy cooking oil, but it's important to keep in mind that like other seed oils, it's high in omega-6 linoleic acid which may be problematic for your health.
Article at a Glance
Grapeseed oil enjoys a reputation as a healthy cooking oil, but its fatty acid profile resembles other inflammatory seed oils such as sunflower, soybean, and corn oil.
Grapeseed oil contains approximately 70% omega-6 linoleic acid which makes it a poor choice for healthy cooking, compared to oils low in omega-6.
Excessive omega-6 intake from seed oils is linked to health problems including obesity, inflammation, and heart disease.
While grapeseed oil has a neutral taste and a high smoke point, there are healthier and more heat-stable oils available for cooks and chefs today.
Introduction
Grapeseed oil is a cooking oil made from grape seeds, usually as a byproduct of the winemaking process. With a neutral taste, relatively high smoke point, and possible health benefits due to polyphenols, this oil is garnering attention among chefs and home cooks. 

However, grapeseed oil has some undesirable properties of which most people aren't aware — as a seed oil, it's high in unstable, inflammatory omega-6 fats. 

Because polyunsaturated omega-6 fats break down easily when heated and form harmful byproducts, grapeseed oil isn't suitable for cooking. Excessive omega-6 intake from seed oils is also linked to health problems including inflammation, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

In this guide, you'll learn answers to common questions about grapeseed oil, pros and cons, nutrition facts, studies, the important reasons that grapeseed oil isn't an ideal choice as an everyday cooking oil, and what to use instead.
What Is Grapeseed Oil?
Grapeseed oil is a light-colored vegetable oil made from the seeds of grape plants (Vitis vinifera L.). It's a pale, light yellow-green colored fat that's liquid at room temperature. This oil is high in polyunsaturated fats, vitamin E, and plant antioxidants called polyphenols [*,*].

Unlike a lot of cooking oils, grapeseed oil is neutral-tasting — it doesn't impart a flavor of its own to dishes. That’s a major reason a lot of people use grapeseed oil as a cooking oil, a base for salad dressing and sauces, and a topical ingredient for cosmetics and skin care products. 
How is Grapeseed Oil Made?
Most grapeseed oil comes from wine pomace, the leftover solids that remain after pressing wine. Dried grape seeds contain 8-20% oil by weight [*]. Manufacturers separate them from pomace and use mechanical pressure, solvents, or a combination of these extraction methods [*].

Cold-pressed grapeseed oil is extracted using mechanical pressure with no heat or solvents [*]. This method results in a lower yield, but less damage to the unstable polyunsaturated fats and other natural constituents of the oil, such as antioxidants from grapes.

Grapeseed oil extracted with solvents is more economical, but using chemical solvents such as hexane poses environmental concerns [*]. In fact, solvents like hexane may cause air pollution and toxicity to both humans and the environment [*]. As a result, most people opt for cold-pressed oil for culinary purposes.
Is Grapeseed Oil a Seed Oil?
Yes, as you may have guessed, grapeseed oil is a seed oil. While grapeseed oil may have a reputation as a healthy cooking oil, it's got plenty in common with other seed oils like soybean, sunflower, and corn oil. All of these oils are high in omega-6 fats which don’t hold up well to high heat and are linked to inflammation and other health issues.
Grapeseed Oil Nutrition Facts
One tablespoon (14 grams) of grapeseed oil contains [*]:

125 calories (kcal)
0 grams of protein
14 grams of total fat
0 grams of carbs
0 grams of fiber
4-7 milligrams of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) [*].

Grapeseed oil is high in polyunsaturated omega-6 fats and low in monounsaturated and saturated fats. Each tablespoon provides approximately:

10 grams of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats
2.5 grams of monounsaturated fats, and 
1.5 grams of saturated fats

Grapeseed oil is naturally high in vitamin E, with a tablespoon serving providing approximately 27%-47 of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for men and women 14 years of age or older [*].
Pros and Cons of Grapeseed Oil
According to early research, grapeseed oil may have some health benefits due to its antioxidant content. However, this research doesn't necessarily account for the high amount of polyunsaturated omega-6 fats contained in the oil, which are linked to inflammation and other health problems.

Let's take a balanced look at the pros and cons of grapeseed oil in terms of health, flavor, culinary, and environmental properties. 
Pro: High in Vitamin E and Plant Antioxidants
Grapeseed oil is high in alpha-tocopherol, an important form of vitamin E, providing 27-47% of the recommended daily allowance in a one-tablespoon serving [*,*]. 

It's also rich in other fat-soluble antioxidants related to vitamin E, known as tocopherols and tocotrienols [*]. Early research suggests that by protecting cells from damage, these compounds may be beneficial for brain, metabolic, and reproductive health [*]

Like grapes (and wine), grapeseed oil also contains plant antioxidants called polyphenols, including [*]:

Phytosterols including beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol
Anthocyanins like proanthocyanidin 

These compounds appear to help protect cells from damage and could have cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic, and anti-cancer benefits [*,*].

The research into the health benefits of plant compounds is relatively new, but appears to be promising. However, it's worth noting that you can also obtain these and similar compounds by eating whole food fruits (including grapes) and vegetables, which have many additional proven health benefits [*]. 

Supplements high in polyphenols but without the polyunsaturated fats, such as grapeseed extract, are also available [*,*].
Con: High in Polyunsaturated Omega-6 Fats
Grapeseed oil may have a healthy reputation — but in reality, its fatty acid composition is almost identical to other industrial seed oils. 

Like all seed oils, grapeseed oil is high in polyunsaturated omega-6 fat. It contains approximately 70% omega-6 linoleic acid, which is unstable and appears to cause inflammation when consumed in excess [*]. Compare that to Cultured Oil, which has a linoleic acid content of under 3%.

Humans evolved to consume low levels of omega-6 fats in their diets, but as seed oils became popular in the 20th century, the average dietary intake increased 10-fold [*,*]. Consequently, the amount of omega-6 linoleic acid in our fat cells has risen alongside our increased consumption.

In 1960, omega-6 fats made up only 7-9% of our fat cells, but by 2008, it had increased to over 23% [*]. 

Your body incorporates omega-6 fats from grapeseed oil and other seed oils into cellular membranes, fatty tissue, and breast milk [*]. As a result, the excess linoleic acid bioaccumulates (builds up) in cells over time, resulting in instability and inflammation at the cellular level [*,*,*].

Studies show that eating too much omega-6 fat may contribute to:

Higher rates of obesity [*,*] 
Heart disease [*,*,*]
An increased risk of some types of cancers [*,*,*,*,*,*]
Dementia or cognitive impairment [*]
Migraines and other types of chronic pain [*,*]

Over-consuming inflammatory omega-6 fats also creates an imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats in your body and depletes anti-inflammatory omega-3s in tissues [*]. 

Researchers think that humans naturally evolved to consume an equal ratio of these fats, but today, many people now consume 20 times higher levels of omega-6 than omega-3 fats [*].
Pro: Neutral Flavor
Recipes often call for a neutral-tasting oil. From a culinary perspective, cooking oils that impart their own flavor into a dish aren't always desirable.

Think about the grassy, peppery notes of extra-virgin olive oil, or the sweet, tropical aromas of virgin coconut oil. While delicious, these flavors don't belong in every recipe.

The fact that grapeseed oil doesn't have a detectable taste is certainly one reason for its popularity. Chefs looking for an all-purpose oil that won't interfere with the other flavors of foods they're preparing may find it attractive.

That said, there are better alternatives for all-purpose cooking oils that are way lower in inflammatory fats, including Cultured Oil, which is flavor-neutral. fresh-tasting, and rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
Con: Unstable During Storage and Heating
Because of its high polyunsaturated fatty acid content, grapeseed oil has low oxidative stability [*]. In other words, because polyunsaturated fats are inherently unstable, grapeseed oil is prone to breaking down and going rancid when stored, and especially when it’s heated.

Like other seed oils, grapeseed oil is very high in polyunsaturated fats. According to studies, it's even more prone to oxidation when stored or heated compared to other seed oils like corn, canola, or peanut oil [*].
Pro: Relatively Environmentally Friendly
In general, seed oils are bad news for the environment. Seed crop agriculture and the manufacturing and production of seed oils are significant causes of deforestation, habitat loss, water usage, and pollution.

But compared to other seed oils, grapeseed oil is relatively sustainable. Because most grapeseed oil is produced using waste products from the winemaking industry, its environmental impact is much lower. 

While viticulture (wine production) is not without environmental impacts, it seems unlikely that people will stop drinking wine any time soon. As long as people continue to buy wine, grapeseed oil production from leftover wine solids doesn't add a significant burden.

One caveat: solvents like hexane that are used to extract grapeseed oil cause air pollution and toxicity to both humans and the environment [*]. Cold-pressed grapeseed oil doesn't contribute to solvent pollution, but unfortunately, most grapeseed oil production today is produced using solvent extraction.
Con: May Contain Traces of Solvents and Other Contaminants
Studies have found that commercially-available grapeseed oil products are often contaminated with harmful chemicals, including:

Traces of hexane or other solvents left over from extraction [*]
Mineral oil paraffins [*] 
Phthalates [*]
Pesticides [*,*]
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [*]

Buying cold-pressed grapeseed oil is the best way to avoid solvent contamination, but it may not help with other types of contaminants.

According to some researchers, grapeseed is more likely to be contaminated with PAHs than most cooking oils because the raw material is dried prior to oil extraction [*]. The drying process can create smoke that comes into contact with the material. PAHs are lipophilic (attracted to fats) and concentrate in grapeseed oil during extraction, even when cold-pressed [*].

Another reason for the PAH contamination of grapeseed oil that the grape pomace (leftover solid material) is often compressed with a bulldozer for storage purposes prior to extraction, which can result in contamination with engine exhaust or motor oil [*].
Pro: Benefits of Topical Grapeseed Oil
Eating a diet rich in omega-6 seed oils may contribute to skin problems including inflammation, premature aging, acne, melanoma, and more.

On the other hand, polyunsaturated fats aren't so bad when applied topically to skin — and may even have some benefits when used for cosmetic or skin care purposes.

While research into topical grapeseed oil is relatively new, evidence does suggest that the tocopherols, tocotrienols, and plant antioxidants in this oil could help support skin health and appearance [*,*,*].

Some studies have also shown benefits to applying topical omega-6 oils similar to grapeseed oil to restore barrier function and hydrate skin [*].
Is Grapeseed Oil Healthy?
Grapeseed oil may be touted as a healthy fat, and there's a limited amount of research that suggests the tocopherols, tocotrienols, and plant antioxidants in this oil are good for humans. However, there aren't any large-scale human studies investigating the health effects of eating grapeseed oil.

Equally importantly, grapeseed oil is very high in omega-6 linoleic acid — an unstable polyunsaturated fat that, when consumed in excess, is linked with inflammation, obesity, heart disease and other health problems including cancer [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*].

Due to the prevalence of common, inexpensive seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil in the modern, industrialized food system, humans today are eating at least 10 times more omega-6 fats than ever before  [*,*]. 

While grapeseed oil is relatively uncommon in restaurants and packaged foods and thus not as big a contributor to excess omega-6 intake as other seed oils on average, its fatty acid composition is still very similar to other seed oils.

It's likely true that the plant-based antioxidants in grapeseed oil have beneficial health properties, but keep in mind that you can increase your consumption of whole food fruits (including grapes!) and vegetables to obtain similar or greater benefits — without the inflammatory omega-6 fats found in grapeseed oil.

There's no good reason to further increase your intake of omega-6 fats by using grapeseed oil when there are other proven (and likely less expensive) ways to get plant-based antioxidants that are equally good or better for your health.
Grapeseed Oil Smoke Point and Heat Stability
The smoke point of grapeseed oil is approximately 420-445°F [*]. While grapeseed oil has a fairly high smoke point, this doesn't tell you everything you need to know — in fact, it's not very stable when heated and can produce harmful byproducts during high-heat cooking, even when it's not smoking.

An oil's smoke point is the temperature at which it starts to visibly smoke when heated. Home cooks and chefs typically use the smoke point to determine whether or not a given cooking oil is a good choice for high-heat sauteing, pan-frying, or deep-frying foods. 

In general, the smoke point is the absolute upper limit of the usable temperature range of an oil. In other words, an oil's smoke point is the maximum usable temperature for cooking, and you should always avoid heating it past that point. 

That said, a relatively high smoke point actually doesn't mean an oil is stable when heated. While it may seem to be true that oils with higher smoke points should be better for high-heat cooking, this often isn't the case in reality.

The thermal oxidative stability — or heat stability —  is how slowly or quickly a cooking oil breaks down when heated [*]. And in fact, heat stability doesn't correlate directly to an oil's smoke point, but rather to the fatty acid composition of an oil.

Of the common types of fatty acids, saturated fats are the most heat-stable, followed by monounsaturated fats, while polyunsaturated fats are the least heat-stable [*].

Grapeseed oil and other seed oils are high in unstable polyunsaturated fats that oxidize or break down rapidly when heated (including during manufacturing and cooking), forming unhealthy oxidation byproducts such as acrylamides, toxic aldehydes, hydroxylinoleate, free radicals, and trans fats [*,*].
Grapeseed Oil for Frying
Grapeseed seed oil is a poor choice for deep-frying and other high-heat cooking because it's extremely unstable when heated [*]. As a result of its poor stability, it forms harmful byproducts as soon as it's heated, and even more so when reheated multiple times. 

Consuming foods fried in omega-6 seed oils is associated with higher risks of cancer, heart disease, and death from all causes [*].

Healthier frying oils you can use at home include Cultured Oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. You also may be able to reduce the  negative health effects of eating fried foods by discarding your frying oils after high-heat cooking instead of reusing them.
Grapeseed Oil Substitutes
Adding healthy seed oil alternatives to your diet to replace grapeseed oil and other seed oils is an easy way to reduce your inflammatory omega-6 intake, including:

Cultured Oil
Avocado oil
Coconut oil
Extra-virgin olive oil

Replacing seed oils with oils that are suitable for deep-frying is also a wise choice, as polyunsaturated omega-6 seed oils are inherently unstable and create harmful oxidation byproducts during high-heat cooking.

When you're looking for healthy fats and oils, shop for products that are low in omega-6 fats, environmentally friendly, and offer properties that work for your intended application (such as a high smoke point and good heat stability for all-purpose cooking oils).

Unlike most seed oils, grapeseed oil does offer some potential health benefits due to its high antioxidant content, including tocopherols and tocotrienols (compounds related to vitamin E) and polyphenols (plant antioxidants) [*,*]. 

But instead of relying on grapeseed oil, you can easily obtain similar or better health benefits by:

Eating plenty of fresh fruits [*]
Consuming adequate amounts of vegetables [*]
Taking grape seed extract or other plant extract supplements, which contain polyphenol compounds without the high levels of omega-6 fats [*,*]. 
The Takeaway
Grapeseed oil enjoys a reputation as a healthy cooking oil, but it's got a similar fatty acid profile to other seed oils like sunflower, soybean, and corn oil.

Seed oils are found in most processed foods and restaurant meals, and most people are consuming 10 times more than the healthy amount [*,*]. Reducing your omega-6 linoleic acid intake by eliminating seed oils is a wise choice for better health. 

If you're looking to increase your intake of plant-based antioxidants, eating more fresh fruits and veggies or even taking grapeseed extract supplements are better options than eating grapeseed oil.


Try a healthier spin on jalapeno poppers when you make them at home with Cultured Oil.

Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Shrimp

Jalapeño Poppers Stuffed with Shrimp
Reminiscent of boisterous happy hours, tailgating or rooting for your favorite team from your couch, jalapeño poppers are a bar food classic for a reason.
The cream cheese and aged sharpness of the cheddar cheese cool the tingly spice of the peppers, the bacon adds a smoky, salty edge, and the shrimp add a slightly sweet, briny elegance to the appetizer that’s baked then broiled until bubbly. These poppers lack the thick coat of breading and deep-fried treatment of frozen heat-and-eat boxed appetizers or chain restaurant offerings, but oily breadcrumbs would only disguise the stars of this pepper and stuffed shrimp recipe. 
Keep a bag of frozen shrimp in your deep freeze, place about eight shrimp in a resealable bag, then thaw in a bowl of cold water for 40 minutes if you don’t have fresh raw shrimp on hand. The rest of the recipe prep takes five minutes and, aside from cooking the shrimp and bacon, your oven does the rest of the work. It’s just the thing for a Friday night when you’re too worn out from the work week to go out but want to bring a little bar food to your living room. 

Ingredients
½ pound raw shrimp (approx 6–8 pieces of shrimp) 
1 tbsp. Cultured Oil
½ tsp. onion powder 
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. chili powder 
5 slices of bacon 
6 medium jalapeños
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature 
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Garnish: jalapeño slices, diced green onions, 1 piece of cooked, diced bacon 
Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 42 minutes
Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add Cultured Oil and the raw shrimp. Sprinkle seasoning mixture (onion powder, paprika, chili powder) over the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook. 
Allow shrimp to cool, remove the tails, and dice into small pieces.
In the same skillet, prepare the bacon. Use kitchen scissors to cut the bacon in very small pieces (~¼ inch) and add to the pan on medium heat. Cover the skillet with a lid and allow the bacon to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is crispy, remove from heat and drain on a plate covered with a paper towel to remove any excess grease.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Slice the jalapeños in half vertically, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and place in a baking dish. 
In a mixing bowl, combine cooked bacon, cream cheese*, ½ cup cheddar cheese, and diced shrimp. Use a rubber spatula to fold together. 
Use a spoon to scoop the shrimp mixture into the jalapeños. Press the filling down to fill the peppers completely. 
Top the poppers with the remaining ½ cup cheese. 
Bake for 20–25 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and jalapeños have slightly softened. 
Broil at 500°F for 2–3 minutes for bubbly, caramelized cheese.
*Cook’s tip: Starting with room temperature cream cheese will make it easier to mix. If needed, use an electric hand mixer to break down the cream cheese block prior to mixing with the rest of the ingredients.


How to Switch Up Your Poppers
Make a dairy-free version: Use vegan cream cheese and no-dairy shredded cheese.  
Use a different protein: Swap the shrimp for diced, cooked chicken thighs or breast, cooked and cubed ham, or cooked lump crab meat.
Use a different pepper: Try the recipe with poblano, banana, anaheim, or bell peppers.
Switch up the dairy: Cream cheese is classic, but you could try herbed cream cheese, goat cheese, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or mayo instead. Cheddar isn’t always better; try pepper jack, monterey jack, or gruyere.

Tips for Storage and Advanced Prep
Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in a toaster oven, Airfryer, or under the broiler to keep the cheesy bubbly and avoid the peppers from getting soggy.
You can make these jalapeño poppers a day in advance. Prep them until they’re ready for the oven, cover, and store in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to nosh, transfer to your baking pan and bake as directed.
Serving Suggestions
While these handheld snack-a tizers explode like a firecracker of flavor when they hit your taste buds, you can cool things down or amp up the spice factor with dipping sauces. 
Coat your poppers in cool creaminess with ranch or bleu cheese dressing, sour cream, guacamole, or french onion dip. 
Add more spicy kick with buffalo sauce, cholula or sriracha, chili onion crunch (from Trader Joe’s), or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Walk the line between cool and kicky by serving these poppers with salsa. Pick your poison — from mild salsa verde to punchy mango habanero.
Nutritional Information
Servings: 12
1 popper:
Calories: 111
Fat: 9 grams
Carbs: 2 grams
Protein: 6 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.

Inflammatory omega-6 fats can increase pain signaling and sensitivity. Lowering omega-6 intake by avoiding seed oils may be a promising option for chronic pain.

Can Seed Oils Cause Chronic Pain? Research Suggests Yes

Can Seed Oils Cause Chronic Pain? Research Suggests Yes
Article at a Glance
Chronic pain is on the rise, with over a quarter of people in the U.S. suffering from pain lasting longer than 3 months.

Omega-6 fats are an overlooked contributor to inflammation, pain signaling, and pain sensitivity.

The average person today eats 10-20 times more omega-6 fats than people did in the past, which could explain rising rates of chronic pain as well as obesity, inflammation, heart disease, and cancer.

Reducing inflammatory omega-6 intake by avoiding seed oils may be a promising option to prevent chronic pain.

Introduction
Chronic pain — pain that lasts more than three months and usually involves increased pain sensitivity — is an expensive problem, physically, emotionally, and financially. And it's on the rise [*,*]. 

Over a quarter of people in the United States suffer from chronic pain, which is extremely difficult to treat [*]. Conventional over-the-counter treatment options aren't always effective, while prescription opioids are intensely habit-forming and may make pain worse over time.

One potentially overlooked contributor to chronic pain is the high levels of omega-6 fats in most diets today. Excess intake of omega-6 fat, primarily linoleic acid, can heighten pain signaling and pain sensitivity, and the average person today is eating 10-20 times more linoleic acid than people did in the past [*,*,*,*].

In this article, we'll dive deep into the causes of chronic pain, how inflammation can trigger or worsen chronic pain, the link between inflammation and seed oils, and research suggesting that reducing your seed oil intake could be a helpful approach to preventing chronic pain.

What Is Chronic Pain (And What Causes It)?
Chronic pain is any pain that lasts longer than three months [*]. It's usually challenging to treat with safe medications, leading some patients to depend on habit-forming opioid drugs. There are many causes, and most chronic pain patients suffer from more than one type of pain [*].

Physicians categorize chronic pain into the following common types [*,*]:

Musculoskeletal (including back pain and myofascial muscular pain) 

Inflammatory (caused by inflammation, autoimmune disorders, or infection) 

Nociceptive (pain caused by injuries to tissues, such as burns, bruises, or sprains)

Neuropathic (resulting from nerve damage or dysfunction) 

Psychogenic (originating from stress or other psychological factors)

Idiopathic (chronic pain without a known cause)

Constant pain reduces quality of life and affects every aspect of patients' lives. Over two-thirds of people with chronic pain suffer from issues like depression or anxiety, and chronic pain patients have an increased risk of suicide [*].

There's no single, universal root cause of chronic pain, even within the well-understood types of chronic pain. And pain persists over time in some cases, but not others [*]. Some patients are simply unable to experience relief from pain.  

All pain, not just chronic pain, is complex. The perception of pain usually begins in tissues, with a process known as nociception. Nociception involves neurotransmitters and signaling compounds that are released by cells and then communicate with neurons [*]. The neurons and circulating compounds transmit electrical and chemical signals to the brain, where a large network of regions including the thalamus, amygdala, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and areas of the cerebral cortex is involved in perceiving pain [*].

To make matters more complicated, in some types of chronic pain, the brain perceives pain — including severe pain — without nociception occurring at the tissue level [*]. These types of pain appear to be caused by dysfunction at the level of the nervous system [*].

Although scientists now have a fairly good understanding of pain mechanisms, this unfortunately hasn't led to any significant breakthroughs in chronic pain treatment. 

Most non-habit-forming drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, and NSAIDs simply aren't very effective and can have serious side effects, while opioids are expensive, carry a strong risk of addiction, and can make pain worse over time for some patients [*,*,*].

A shortage in options for treating pain has led researchers to investigate off-label uses for various anti-epileptic drugs and antidepressants, and to combine pain medications with muscle relaxers or experimental drugs, but most of these treatment options are habit-forming and also come with significant adverse effects [*].

If you don't already have chronic pain, you can keep these risk factors in mind. From a study of chronic lower back pain (one of the most common manifestations of chronic pain) [*]:

Obesity increased the risk by 52% 

Smoking raised the risk by 56% 

A diagnosis of depression or anxiety increased the risk by 66% 

Receiving improper care within the first three weeks of developing lower back pain increased the risk by 39-116%.

Researchers have also investigated biomarkers of chronic pain — cells, molecules, or chemicals in tissue or blood that are higher, lower, or otherwise altered in people with chronic pain compared to those without. 

Findings include:

A higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is associated with a 75% higher risk of temporomandibular disorder and 63% higher odds of lower back pain [*]. 

Adults living with chronic pain have a higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio and higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation [*]. 

There is an association of obesity and chronic pain with CRP levels in adolescents [*].

An association exists between chronic lower back pain and CRP levels, as well as levels of another inflammatory biomarker, TNF-alpha [*]. 

There is an association between chronic lower back pain and levels of CRP, TNF-alpha, and another inflammatory biomarker called IL-6 [*]. 

Fibromyalgia patients have significantly higher levels of CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-8 compared to controls [*].

As you can see, all of these biomarkers involve inflammation. In particular, they relate to low-grade systemic inflammation, a long-lasting inflammatory state that can disrupt immune function and lead to pain and other health problems [*].

Unlike acute inflammation, which is a healthy, short-lived biological response to illness or injury, chronic systemic inflammation is detrimental to your health [*]. Research demonstrates that systemic inflammation can increase pain signaling at the tissue level as well as sensitize your central nervous system to pain [*].

In the next section, we'll explore some of the likely reasons for systemic inflammation that leads to chronic pain, and what you can do to prevent it.

What Is the Connection Between Seed Oils, Inflammation, and Chronic Pain?
Seed oils like soybean, sunflower, and canola oil are high in linoleic acid, an inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid. By driving inflammation, seed oil intake may contribute to chronic pain.

Increasing intakes of this omega-6 fat are also correlated with obesity, inflammation, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic health problems. 

Before the 20th century, people consumed a relatively low ratio of inflammatory omega-6 fats to anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. Researchers estimate that the "evolutionary ratio" of these two types of fatty acids is around one-to-one, but the average modern intake is between 15-to-1 and 17-to-1, reflecting an extremely high intake of omega-6 fats [*]. 

As the production of industrial seed oils from soybean, sunflower, corn, and other sources increased, these inexpensive ingredients became incredibly popular as cooking oils and a low-cost calorie source in processed, pre-packaged foods. Today, most people consume between 6-10% of their calories from linoleic acid, reflecting 10-20% of daily calories coming from seed oils, a trend that's projected to increase further as time goes on [*,*,*].

Our bodies evolved to maintain a balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cellular signaling. Eating too much omega-6 fats increases inflammation, damages cells, and reduces the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory processes in the body. In fact, eating seed oils high in omega-6 linoleic acid can even deplete tissues of essential omega-3 fats [*].

As we covered in the previous section, people living with various types of chronic pain ranging from lower back pain to fibromyalgia tend to have a higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, and higher levels of inflammatory chemicals like C-reactive protein (CRP), compared to people who don't have chronic pain [*,*,*,*,*,*]. 

Chronic inflammation appears to increase pain signaling and make your brain and central nervous system more sensitive to pain [*].

While this area of research is relatively new, it may be possible to prevent or reduce chronic pain by avoiding inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid in foods. While seed oils are extremely common today, you can reduce your omega-6 intake by using alternative cooking oils and avoiding restaurants and pre-packaged foods that use seed oils as ingredients.

Cultured Oil is an all-purpose cooking oil made by fermentation. Because it's sky-high in healthy fats and low in bad fats (like linoleic acid), it's an easy way to reduce your seed oil intake.

How Do Seed Oils Contribute to Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is usually caused by multiple factors, but seed oils may contribute to chronic pain symptoms and could increase the risk of chronic pain. Seed oils like soybean and sunflower oil are high in omega-6 linoleic acid, an inflammatory fat that appears to increase pain signaling and pain sensitivity [*].

In a 2022 observational study, researchers examined 605 adults to learn more about the relationship between omega-6 intake and chronic pain [*]. 

​​The study volunteers provided answers to questions about orofacial pain, headache, lower back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and other types of bodily pain, which were then converted into a scale of 0-100 (0 being the least pain, 100 being the most) [*]. Researchers correlated the pain data with blood levels of omega-6 and omega-3 fats, then controlled for other variables that could alter the results.

With every type of pain aside from abdominal pain, there was a strong correlation between omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, with each one-point increase in that ratio correlating to approximately a 5- to 8-point increase in pain score [*].

Again, for the sake of comparison, scientists estimate that the optimal evolutionary ratio of these two types of fatty acids is one-to-one, but the average modern person's intake is between 15-to-1 and 17-to-1, reflecting an extremely high intake of omega-6 fats [*]. 

In a 2016 experimental study performed on rats, researchers measured omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in various tissues, as well as signaling chemicals involved in pain that are derived from these fats, before and after increasing linoleic acid in some of the rats' diets for 15 weeks [*].

The rats received diets containing 0.4%, 5.2%, or 10.5% linoleic acid, corresponding to early human diets, typical intakes today, and high intakes today, respectively.

After the 15-week dietary intervention ended, the researchers discovered that the rats fed a diet high in omega-6 linoleic acid had higher levels of linoleic acid, as well as pain signaling chemicals derived from linoleic acid, in many different tissues [*].

What's more, the high-omega-6 diet also reduced the abundance of omega-3 fats and derivatives with anti-nociceptive (pain-reducing) properties in the rats' tissues [*].

According to the researchers, these findings "​​provide biochemical support for the hypothesis that the high linoleic acid content of modern industrialized diets may create a biochemical susceptibility to develop chronic pain" [*].

In a separate, 2012 study, researcher Christopher Ramsden and his colleagues tested the hypothesis that oxidized (molecularly damaged) linoleic acid byproducts could be responsible for chronic headaches, and that lowering linoleic acid intake might help reduce headache symptoms [*].

The scientists enlisted 67 volunteers who experience chronic daily headaches, then tested their blood levels of omega-6 linoleic acid as well as byproducts of linoleic acid that are linked to chronic pain, including 9-HODE and 13-HODE [*]. 

For 12 weeks, study participants reduced their linoleic acid intake from an average of 6.74% of daily calories down to 2.42% of daily calories [*].

The study found that consuming a diet lower linoleic acid significantly reduced linoleic acid byproducts as well as dramatically reduced several measures of chronic headaches and pain, and also increased quality of life compared to the control group [*].

Interestingly, 9-HODE and 13-HODE are also created during deep-frying with seed oils, which suggests eating restaurant-fried foods may contribute to chronic pain [*].

These results show that reducing linoleic acid in your diet may quickly reduce harmful, inflammatory compounds in your body that are linked with headaches and other types of chronic pain. 

The Takeaway: Can Seed Oils Cause Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is a complex problem with more than one cause. Along with injury, illness, and inflammation, factors like stress and an individual's psychological state can also come into play [*]. However, high seed oil consumption appears to be one plausible explanation for why chronic pain is on the rise [*].

Even as recently as 100 years ago, our ancestors ate a low ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats. Following the widespread introduction of seed oils like soybean, sunflower, corn, and canola oil, people began consuming more inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid from these oils.

Consuming too much omega-6 appears to shift your body into an inflammatory state and increases tissue levels of linoleic acid and chemicals associated with pain signaling. It's also possible that chronic inflammation makes your brain and nervous system more sensitive to pain.

Altering this balance to potentially reduce the risk of chronic pain (as well as other conditions, including obesity, heart disease, and cancer) requires reducing your linoleic acid intake by eliminating seed oils (in the form of cooking oils, restaurant foods, and pre-packaged foods). 

Unfortunately, it's not possible to consume enough wild-caught fish to lower your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Even though fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fats, eating sardines at every single meal still wouldn't provide enough omega-3s to offset the average person's linoleic acid intake [*]!

Cultured Oil is an all-purpose cooking oil made by fermentation. Containing over 90% heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and less than 3% linoleic acid, it's one of the easiest, tastiest ways to reduce your inflammatory omega-6 intake.

Most mayo contains unhealthy fats, but products with avocado, olive, or coconut oil are better. Or you can make your own healthy mayo, including vegan or fat-free.

Is Mayonnaise Healthy? It Depends!

Is Mayonnaise Healthy? It Depends! 
Article at a Glance
Commercial mayonnaise contains at least two-thirds vegetable oil by weight.
Most vegetable oils are actually seed oils like soybean or sunflower oil, which are high in omega-6 fats and linked to inflammation, obesity, and other health problems.
Healthier authentic mayo products made with avocado oil, olive oil, or coconut oil are available, or you can make your own using our delicious recipes.
It's also easy to create homemade vegan, low-calorie, or fat-free mayo without using unhealthy fats (and we'll show you how).

Introduction
Love it or hate it, mayonnaise is the most popular condiment in the world. 
In the U.S. alone, it's a $2 billion a year industry, because the average American consumes over 4 pounds of mayo annually [*]. To put its popularity into perspective, the market for mayo is twice the size of the ketchup market and four times the size of the mustard market or hot sauce market [*].
Whether or not you agree with the outrageous popularity of plain mayo, it's likely in many of your favorite sauces. Mayonnaise is the base ingredient of aiolis, tartar sauce, ranch and thousand-island dressings, most fry-dipping sauces, and countless "secret sauces" and specialty sauces served at restaurants.
In this guide, you'll learn important health and nutrition info about mayonnaise, including the reasons most mayo options may be unhealthy, what to look for when you're shopping for mayo, the healthiest brands, mayonnaise substitutes, easy and healthy homemade recipes, and more.
Mayonnaise Ingredients and Nutrition Facts
Contrary to popular belief, mayonnaise isn't a dairy product. 
According to FDA regulations, commercial mayo products must contain [*]:
At least 65% vegetable oil by weight
Vinegar or lemon or lime juice (or a combination)
Eggs or egg yolks

Optional ingredients that are commonly used include salt, sugar, natural flavoring, and preservatives.
Commercial and homemade mayo's unique, creamy texture occurs because the yolks are beaten and fluffed as the oil is added slowly. The acidifying ingredients add a mild, tangy bite.
A tablespoon of store-bought mayonnaise contains [*]:
94 calories (kcal) 
0 grams of protein 
10 grams of fat 
1.5 grams of saturated fat 
5.5 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid 
0 grams of carbs 
0 grams of fiber

A tablespoon of reduced-fat or "light" mayo has [*]:
37 calories (kcal) 
0 grams of protein 
3.5 grams of fat 
0.5 grams of saturated fat 
1.8 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid 
1.5 grams of carbs 
0 grams of fiber

A tablespoon of vegan mayonnaise contains [*]:
33 calories (kcal) 
0 grams of protein 
3 grams of fat 
0.5 grams of saturated fat 
1.3 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid 
2.5 grams of carbs 
0 grams of fiber

From a quick glance at the nutrition facts, mayo might seem like a benign food if consumed in moderation. However, most mayonnaise is high in an omega-6 fatty acid that's linked with health problems.
Is Mayonnaise Healthy?
The short answer is: it depends. Commercial mayonnaise brands contain seed oils, which are high in inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid. Unfortunately, research links high linoleic acid consumption to health problems, including inflammation, obesity, chronic pain, heart disease, cancer, and more [*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
Food historians think the original mayonnaise recipe contained Spanish olive oil [*]. But today, mass-produced seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and seed oil blends are commonly used in processed foods and condiments (including mayo) because they're cheaper than higher-quality oils. 
The problem is that until recently, humans evolved on diets containing only 1-2% of their daily calories from linoleic acid, which they derived from minimally processed food sources like nuts, grains, and meat [*]. This omega-6 fat is required in low amounts, but higher intakes increase inflammation and disease risk [*].
During the 20th century, when industrial mass production of seed oils first became commonplace, there was an unprecedented increase in linoleic acid intake in the United States and elsewhere. And the average person today eats approximately 6-10% of their daily calories from linoleic acid — five to ten times what our bodies need [*].
A single tablespoon of mayonnaise made with soybean oil has nearly 6 grams of linoleic acid, and a large sandwich or a serving of egg salad or tuna salad normally contains about two tablespoons of mayo [*]. 
For an individual who eats approximately 2,000 calories per day, this means a typical serving of mayonnaise singlehandedly elevates your linoleic acid intake to 5.4% of daily calories, which is about five times higher than the evolutionarily appropriate, healthy level.
Of course, commercial mayonnaise isn't the only food that's high in linoleic acid. If you don't regularly read ingredient labels and avoid seed oils, you may be consuming unprecedented amounts at every meal. Restaurant foods, and especially fried foods, are another common source of linoleic acid that most people don’t even realize they’re consuming.
What to Look for in Mayonnaise
Shopping for better mayonnaise isn't difficult at all if you know what to look for. And fortunately, healthier options are available at most grocery stores.
First and foremost, make sure the nutrition label doesn't list any of these ingredients, all of which are moderately high to very high in inflammatory omega-6 fats:
Corn oil
Canola oil 
Cottonseed oil
Grapeseed oil
Peanut oil
Rice bran oil
Safflower oil
Soybean oil
Sunflower oil
"Vegetable oil blend" (most of the time, this simply means soybean and sunflower oil)

Of course, authentic mayo still contains fat as the primary ingredient, so the best quality products substitute healthier oils in place of seed oils.
When you're purchasing mayonnaise, be aware that some companies list healthier oils on the front of the package (particularly olive oil), but the products often still contain undesirable seed oils that only show up in the fine print of the ingredients list.
It's also wise to choose products that contain no added sugar, synthetic flavoring agents, or artificial preservatives. These ingredients don't necessarily improve the taste or quality of authentic mayonnaise and are usually a sign of an inferior mayo.
Seed Oil-Free Mayonnaise Brands
You can buy seed-oil-free mayonnaise made with avocado oil, olive oil (as in the original recipe), or coconut oil. These options are much lower in unhealthy omega-6 fats. 
And while they have a subtly different flavor profile, they may taste fresher than mayos made with seed oils. Linoleic acid, the predominant fatty acid in seed oils, is an unstable polyunsaturated fat that breaks down during processing and storage, which can lead to a stale or rancid taste. 
Chosen Foods 100% Avocado Oil-Based Classic Mayonnaise
Chosen Foods Classic Mayonnaise is a popular classic mayo made with avocado oil. It contains cage-free eggs, organic ingredients, and no added sugars or synthetic preservatives.
Ingredients: Avocado oil, filtered water, egg yolks, organic whole eggs, organic distilled white vinegar, organic mustard (distilled organic vinegar, water, organic mustard seed, salt, organic spices), salt, organic rosemary extract.
Hunter & Gather 100% Olive Oil Mayonnaise
It's nearly impossible to find 100% olive oil mayo — almost every brand contains a blend with around 75% seed oils (usually soybean or canola) in addition to olive oil. 
UK-based Hunter & Gather sells a reasonably-priced mayo that uses Spanish olive oil exclusively and is one of only two brands that offer such a product (the other is Ybarra, a Spanish company, which doesn't have worldwide distribution).
Ingredients: Spanish olive oil (80%), pasteurized British free-range egg yolk (9%), apple cider vinegar, Himalayan salt. 
Thrive Market Coconut Oil Mayonnaise 
Thrive's seed-oil-free mayo offering uses a base of coconut oil. Some customers prefer the unique flavor profile. It also contains a very small amount of added honey (contributing less than 1 gram of sugar per serving), and the eggs are from cage-free hens.
Ingredients: Coconut oil, organic egg yolks, organic distilled vinegar, water, organic honey, salt, organic lemon juice, mustard, rosemary extract
Chosen Foods Classic Keto Mayo with MCT Oil
Most mayo is low enough in carbohydrates to be considered keto-friendly, but Chosen Foods' Keto Mayo includes a special ingredient. The medium-chain triglycerides or MCT oil, derived from coconut oil, increase your body's production of anti-inflammatory ketones whether or not you follow a ketogenic diet [*].
Ingredients: Refined coconut oil (medium chain triglycerides), egg yolks, water, distilled vinegar, salt. Less than 1%: Mustard, organic rosemary extract
Cultured Oil Mayo Recipe
Making your own mayonnaise is a fun, easy way to reduce your seed oil consumption and discover your favorite twist on classic mayo.
Cultured Oil is a new type of cooking oil made through fermentation. It contains over 90% monounsaturated fats and the lowest level of inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid (less than 3%) of any liquid cooking oil. It's also much better for the environment than conventional oils.
Homemade Cultured Oil Mayonnaise (makes 1 cup):
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice
1 teaspoon (5 ml) Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) cold water
3/4 cup (177 ml) Cultured Oil

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt and 1 teaspoon cold water together until frothy. Starting drop by drop, slowly add the oil while whisking constantly. When the mayonnaise is thick and emulsified, you can add the remaining oil in a steady stream. 
Refrigerate your homemade mayo and it should last about two weeks.
Healthy Mayonnaise Alternatives
Eliminating unhealthy seed oils is the biggest reason to steer clear of commercial mayonnaise products. However, if you're vegan or follow a low-fat or low-calorie diet, alternatives to mayo that don't contain eggs or have less fat can work — even where healthier versions of classic mayo may not.
Vegan Mayonnaise Substitutes
All vegan mayonnaise substitutes and recipes exclude eggs, but many still contain seed oils. Companies like Avonaise, Chosen Foods, and Thrive Market offer vegan avocado-oil-based mayo with ingredients like avocado, chickpeas, or fava beans in place of eggs, but you can also make your own.
Vegan mayo recipe (makes 2 cups):
A cup and a third (315 ml) of Cultured Oil, olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil 
Two-thirds of a cup (160 ml) of unsweetened soy milk or aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid)
1 tablespoon of vinegar (distilled, red or white wine, or apple cider)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

Ensure all the ingredients have reached room temperature, then add the soy milk or aquafaba to a food processor, blender, or bowl (if using an immersion blender). Process or blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the liquid thickens.
Add vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, and salt to the thickened liquid, then process or blend for 30 seconds or until well-mixed.
Use a spatula to scrape any excess off the sides and bottom of your container, then mix while slowly adding a few drops of oil at a time simultaneously. 
When you've added about a third of the oil, the mixture should be noticeably thicker due to emulsification. Scrape the sides again, then slowly add the rest of the oil as you continue mixing.
Store it in the fridge.
Reduced-Calorie Greek Yogurt Imitation Mayo Recipes
Plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt has a thick, creamy texture similar to authentic mayonnaise, but with fewer calories, less fat, and more protein. 
You can mix it with real mayo to make a "lite" version, or create your own imitation lower-fat or no-fat imitation mayonnaise from scratch. Greek yogurt also works well as a one-for-one substitute in most recipes that call for mayo.
Nonfat Greek yogurt is available, but even full-fat Greek yogurt has significantly less fat than mayo, so either type can work for mixing, imitation mayo, or substitutions, depending on your dietary needs and taste preferences.
To make a reduced-calorie mayo blend, simply mix equal parts Greek yogurt and mayonnaise (preferably a brand without seed oils!). You can also add salt, vinegar, or lemon juice to taste.
Low-calorie Greek yogurt imitation mayo (makes 2 and 1/4 cups):
One cup (236 ml) of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt (optionally nonfat) 
2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons (1/4 cup) of arrowroot or cornstarch
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) lemon juice (optional)

Allow the ingredients to come to room temperature, then heat the vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk the arrowroot or cornstarch into the vinegar until thickened, then remove from heat.
Add the yogurt to a bowl or food processor, then whisk or mix while slowly adding the thickened vinegar. Scrape with a spatula, then add remaining ingredients and continue stirring or mixing until thoroughly blended.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until the mixture cools and thickens, which takes about two hours.
The Takeaway
Most commercial mayonnaise is high in unhealthy omega-6 fats, but some brands offer healthier alternatives made with avocado oil, olive oil, or coconut oil.
You can also make your own delicious mayo at home with Cultured Oil, a new, environmentally-friendly cooking oil that's low in omega-6 linoleic acid with a clean, neutral taste.
Switching to healthier mayonnaise that's made without seed oils is important, but lowering your linoleic acid levels as much as possible also requires eliminating other common sources, especially processed food and seed-based cooking oils.
Instead, switch to vegetable oil alternatives that are low in inflammatory omega-6 fats. But rather than throwing out your soybean, sunflower, or other seed oils, keep them on hand to season cast iron pans, lubricate squeaky door hinges, and for other household uses that don't involve eating them.

Choosing quality seed oil-free snacks means reading labels, which can be a hassle. Here’s a full list of seed oil-free snacks so you don’t have to think about it.

The Big List of Seed Oil-Free Snacks

Article at a Glance
Outdated health advice tells you that snacking works against you, but incorporating a moderate amount of high-quality snacks can help you sustain a healthy diet. 
Seed oils are ubiquitous in packaged foods — even seemingly healthy ones. Finding seed oil-free alternatives is possible but involves some legwork. 
Whether you want to stock your desk, throw a party, satisfy a sweet tooth, or crunch on something while streaming a new series, we’ve got you covered with a list of seed oil-free snacks for every snacking scenario. 
Introduction
Taking steps to eat better used to mean no snacking and no fun. Thankfully, we now understand that high-quality snacks can be a healthy and enjoyable part of a healthy diet. Still, choosing quality seed oil-free snacks means reading label after label, which can make a quick snack run pretty labor-intensive. So, we’ve put together a list of snacks you can reach for whenever you want a little something — and you don’t have to give them much thought beyond that. 
Sweet Snacks
Sometimes you need something sweet in your life. There are plenty of sweet options that do not contain seed oils. Here are a few to get you started:
Straus Family Creamery Organic Maple Cream Ice Cream
Smart Sweets sugar-free candies
Hu Grain-free Cookies
Hu Chocolate Bars
Emmy’s Coconut Cookies
Silk Vanilla Almond Dairy-free Yogurt
Fresh fruit
Salty and Crunchy Snacks
You might associate salty with fried, and that’s accurate a lot of the time. But you can take care of your cravings for salty and crunchy foods without resorting to snacks that contain seed oils. 
Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Sea Salt Potato Chips
Sea Salt Pop Chips
Savor by Susie Grain-free Sea Salt Pretzels
Lesser Evil Organic Popcorn
MASA Chips
Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips
Dips
Dipping makes everything more interesting and fun to eat. And, adding dips to your quick throw-together snack spread makes you feel like you can slap together a last-minute get-together in your sleep. 
Cava Traditional Hummus
Primal Kitchen No Dairy Plant-based Queso Style Dip
Good Foods Plant Based Tzatziki Style Dip
Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip
Roasted Beet Dip With Goat Cheese and Honey
Elevated Snacks
Level up your at-home date night or impress a crowd without thinking about whether or not you’re eating clean. 
The “Caviar Queen” Danielle’s viral favorite snack, bottom-to-top: Mestemacher Fitness Bread (Whole Foods), butter, crème fraiche, and black caviar 
Bruschetta: tomatoes, basil, and red onion tossed in low-linoleic oil, served with toast points
Prosciutto-wrapped apples, brie, or melon
Snacks On-The-Go
Keep these snacks in your desk, in your car, or in your bag, and you’ll be ready for the next snack attack — no matter where or when it happens. 
88 Acres Seed + Oat Bars
Epic Provisions Performance Bar
Chomps
Sans Meal Bars
Whether you’re hit with a craving, your day isn’t going as planned, or you want to have fun with friends, snacks can be part of a healthy lifestyle. The key is to aim for snacks that align with your goals. Labels can be overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out with a seed oil-free eating pattern. For snack shopping, be sure to use our comprehensive list until you discover your own seed oil-free favorites.
Shoot us an email at hello@zeroacre.com if you’d like us to add any seed oil-free snacks to this list!

This seed oil-free shopping list has everything you need for a well-stocked kitchen, from cooking ingredients to ready-to-eat meals, snacks, dips, and more.

The Ultimate Seed Oil-Free Shopping List: 65+ Must-Haves

The Ultimate Seed Oil-Free Shopping List: 65+ Must-Haves
Article at a Glance
If you’ve recently eliminated or limited seed oils, the grocery store may seem a lot more difficult than it used to be. A seed oil-free shopping list can make food choices easier. 
Foods that are billed as “healthy,” like protein bars, granola, and frozen vegetables can contain seed oils. 
This seed oil-free shopping list can help you find your new favorite items that suit your lifestyle, and we’ve already checked the ingredients labels for you. 
These 70 foods do not contain seed oils, so you can add them to your cart — no thinking or label-reading required. 

Introduction
If you look at most ingredient lists on your favorite packaged foods, you'll likely see at least one type of seed oil. From chips to popcorn to granola bars, oils like canola, soy, sunflower, and safflower oil are everywhere, and overall consumption has increased dramatically over the last 100 years. In fact, U.S. consumption of soybean oil alone has grown 1,000-fold since 1909 [*].
Unfortunately, seed oil consumption also increases linoleic acid levels in the body, which is connected to a myriad of health issues like inflammation, obesity, heart disease, and more.
If you recently decided to move away from seed oils, congratulations! You’re bound to start lowering inflammation, feeling more clear-headed, and even improving your brain and skin health.
But, let’s face it — you’re going to have to start reading some labels. There might be a learning curve, but we’re here to get you over the hump. We’ve put together this seed oil-free shopping list of everything you need for a well-stocked kitchen, from cooking ingredients to ready-to-eat meals, snacks, dips, and more. So, let this list give your brain a break and move through the store with ease. 
Oils and Fats
Butter. Real butter should be a single-ingredient product, but some tub butters contain oils to make them spreadable. Always check ingredient labels to be sure. Try: Kerrygold
Virgin coconut oil. Solid coconut oil in the jar is likely just coconut oil, but some liquid coconut oils cut their product with cheaper oils like safflower oil, so you’ll want to double check. Opt for organic unrefined when you can. 
Cultured Oil. Cultured Oil stands up to high-heat sauteéing and wok cooking, baking, frying, and more. Try: Zero Acre Farms
Beef tallow. Beef tallow is simply rendered beef fat. The final product is shelf-stable with a neutral, slightly beefy flavor. Try: Epic Provisions

Sauces, Dressings, and Marinades
Hot sauce. True hot sauce like Tabasco® typically contains pepper, vinegar, and salt — no oil. Check labels, but you can expect that most hot sauce will be fair game. Try: Yellowbird Hot Sauce
Buffalo sauce. Unlike hot sauces that you use by the drop, traditional Buffalo sauce is made by mixing hot sauce and butter. However, when companies bottle and sell it, they often add ingredients to make it pourable and shelf-stable. Check ingredient labels to be sure. Try: Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce 
Vinaigrette dressing. While most bottled salad dressings contain seed and vegetable oils, you don’t have to resort to making it yourself every time if you know what to look for. Try: Fody Balsamic Vinaigrette
Caesar dressing. Look for an olive oil or avocado oil based caesar dressing for a classic salad that keeps you on track. Try: Chosen Foods Caesar Dressing
Teriyaki sauce. Most teriyaki sauces do not contain oils, but some contain sesame oil for a toasty, nutty flavor. Try: Kinder’s Organic Teriyaki Marinade and Dipping Sauce
Citrus herb marinade. Store-bought marinades typically contain cheap oil as a primary ingredient, so you might have to do some hunting to find the good ones or make your own. Try: Noble Made Marinade & Cooking Sauce, Citrus Herb 

Meal-Replacement Bars
Granola bars. Granola bars sometimes contain added oils to toast the oats and grains, or to keep the bar from sticking to the wrapper. Try: 88 Acres Seed + Oat Bars or Perfect Keto Nola Bars
Protein Bars. Protein bars typically contain added oils to keep them soft and chewy, and the ones that are coated almost always contain palm oil. Try: Epic Provisions Performance Bars or Bare Performance Nutrition Field Bars
Meal Replacement Bars. As with protein bars, meal replacement bars typically contain oils for an appealing texture. Try: Sans Meal Bars

Chips, Popcorn, and Crackers
Avocado oil potato chips. Leading brands of chips are fried in canola, corn, soybean, or sunflower oil. Look for chips that contain simple ingredients, like potatoes, high-heat-friendly, low-linoleic oils like avocado oil, and salt. Try: Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Sea Salt Potato Chips
Grain-free tortilla chips. If you’re avoiding grains and seed oils but still need a vehicle for your homemade guac, you have more options than ever. Try: Siete Sea Salt Grain Free Tortilla Chips
Potato chips. Indulge in the satisfying crunch and savory flavor of thinly sliced potatoes that have been fried or baked to crispy perfection.Try: Jacksons’s Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips or Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Sea Salt Potato Chips
Popcorn. A lot of microwave popcorn brands use palm oil, and you’ll see sunflower oil on the ingredients list of many bagged varieties. Try: Lesser Evil Organic Popcorn
Pork rinds. When you buy pork rinds, the ingredients list should be short and simple. Look for brands containing pork skins, pork fat, and some seasonings. Try: Epic Provisions Pork Rinds

Condiments
Mayo. Buying mayonnaise with quality ingredients can be tricky. Even if you see “olive oil” or “avocado oil” on the label, companies often blend in cheaper oils to increase profit margins. As always, check your labels. Try: Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo or Primal Kitchen Mayo
Ketchup. Ketchup should not contain oil at all, so most brands will fit into your seed oil-free lifestyle. Try: Good Food For Good Sugar-Free Organic Ketchup
Mustard. Mustard ingredients should be simple — typically, mustard seeds, vinegar, water, and seasonings. Most mustards won’t contain any oil at all. 
BBQ Sauce. Most BBQ sauces do not contain oil at all, but check labels to be sure. Try: The New Primal, Noble Made BBQ Sauce

Breads, Tortillas, and Wraps
Bread. Store-bought breads and bread mixes contain a range of ingredients — some are high quality, and others are the cheapest available. The majority of breads that you find on grocery shelves will contain seed oils, so check ingredient labels. Try: Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Bread, King Arthur Alaskan Sourdough Yeast Bread Mix. 
Gluten-free bread. As with wheat breads, gluten-free bread ingredients can vary in quality. Try: Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White
Tortillas. Traditional homemade tortillas contain lard, but companies save money by using shortening, derived from seed oils, in its place because it’s shelf-stable and inexpensive. Try: Siete Cassava Tortilla Wraps

Beans
Single-ingredient dried and canned beans will almost never contain added oil. Traditional homemade refried beans are made with lard, and canned versions often contain seed oils in place of lard. Here are a few better-for-you brands. 
Try:
Black beans: Good & Gather Black Beans (Target)
Pinto beans: Thrive Market Organic Pinto Beans
Chickpeas: Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans
Refried beans: Siete Refried Pinto Beans

Bone Broths and Stocks
Frozen broth or stock. When you buy chicken and beef stock, you could be buying expensive saltwater, or you might find rich, slow-simmered broth with a high nutrient value. Some contain oil, some do not. Try: Kettle & Fire Organic Chicken or Beef Broth
Stock in a carton. As with frozen stocks, the ingredients in broths and stocks vary between brands. Try: Pacific Organic Chicken Stock 

Cereal and Granola
Cereal. Seed oil-free cereal is a tall order. Even quality brands with clean, organic ingredients often have seed oils near the end of the ingredients list. Try: Three Wishes Grain-free Cereal, Fruity flavor
Granola. Granola sometimes has added oil but many brands do not. Check labels to be sure. Try: Bear Naked Granola

Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
Frozen fruits. Most frozen fruits will not contain fats and oils. 
Frozen vegetables. Look for single-ingredient frozen vegetables to ensure that you’re buying seed oil-free products. Frozen vegetables that contain buttery sauces may contain seed oils, so check labels if your veggies contain any enhancements.
Fried foods. Frozen fries, tots, and onion rings are fried before they are packaged and will almost always contain seed oils. Try Gold Rush organic fries and hash browns

Nut and Seed Butters
Nut and seed butters are naturally free of seed oils. The problem comes in when the manufacturer wants to make them last longer on the shelf, or minimize separation by preventing the nut’s natural oils from floating to the top of the jar. To accomplish this, producers mix nut butters with fats that are solid at room temperature. Most often, you’ll see palm kernel oil or hydrogenated vegetable oil (derived from cottonseed or soybean oil) on the ingredients label. 
Look for nut and seed butters that contain only ground nuts and salt. 
Try: 
Kirkland SignatureOrganic Peanut Butter
Justin’s Almond Butter
SunButter No Sugar Added Sunflower Butter

Cookies and Cookie Doughs
As far as ingredient quality goes, cookies, mixes, and ready-to-bake cookie doughs run the gamut. Here are a few brands that have squeaky clean ingredients lists, are seed oil-free and will satisfy your sweet tooth. 
Try:
Deux Enhanced Cookie Dough
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Hu Grain-free Cookies
Emmy’s Coconut Cookies
Home Dough Frozen Cookie Dough
Cappello’s Double Chocolate Cookie Dough

Milks, Cream, and Creamers
Seed oils are a common ingredient in many non-dairy milks, creams, and coffee creamers to help mimic the creamy consistency of animal milks. Make sure to always check your labels, even with the most trusted brands.
Milk. Most dairy milks, including half-and-half and heavy whipping cream, are naturally seed oil-free. For a seed oil-free milk alternative, try Malk almond milk.
Coffee creamer. Companies often thicken creamer with seed oils and other additives to achieve a creamy texture. Try: Kitu Super Creamer 
Non-dairy creamer. Non-dairy coffee creamer producers are notorious for formulating with seed oils, particularly hydrogenated seed oils, as primary ingredients. Choose carefully, and be prepared to spend a little more for quality ingredients. Try: Nut Pods creamer

Yogurt and Yogurt Products
Dairy yogurt. Most often, dairy yogurt doesn’t contain added fat. Try: Nancy’s Organic Grass-fed Yogurt
Vegan yogurt. There are plenty of non-dairy options for yogurt, and most do not contain added oils. Check labels though, because plant milks often ferment into a thinner yogurt, and companies use additives to thicken the yogurt into a consistency similar to dairy yogurt. Try: Forager Cashew Milk Yogurt
Meats and Cheeses
Meats. Single-ingredient meats that you buy from the butcher counter or meat case never contain added oil. Ask your deli clerk to read the label when buying meat mixtures like sausage, or marinated meat or fish as those usually contain seed oils. Deli meats sometimes contain additives and cured meats, like salami and prosciutto, almost never contain added oil, but check labels to be sure. 
Cheeses. Most real cheeses do not contain added oil. Cheese spreads and cheeses labeled “cheese product” or “cheese food” usually contain seed oil as a primary ingredient. Try: Horizon organic cheeses
Vegan cheese. Many vegan cheeses contain seed oils as a main ingredient. Look for brands that use better-for-you oils instead. Try: Miyokos Smoked Gouda Plant Milk Cheese 

Hummus and Other Dips
Hummus. Traditional homemade hummus contains chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon, and garlic, with variations here and there. Store-bought hummus is often made with cheaper oils, so keep an eye on ingredient labels. Try: Cava Traditional Hummus
Cheese dips. Most cheeses aren’t naturally dippable at room temperature or refrigerated, so cheese dips often contain oils to achieve a chip-friendly texture. Try: Primal Kitchen No Dairy Plant-based Queso Style Dip
Guacamole. Avocados are a source of fat, so most guacamole recipes do not need additional oil. Still, it’s a good idea to check labels. Try: Wholly Guacamole Classic
Salsa. Most salsas do not contain oil. 

Ice Cream
Dairy ice creams. Traditional ice cream doesn’t contain added oil, but the brands that use cheaper ingredients may use seed oils as stabilizers or thickeners. Flavors that contain candies or cookies may contain seed oils if the candies or cookies were made with seed oils. So, even if a brand generally favors clean ingredients, check your labels. Try: Breyer’s Natural Vanilla
Non-dairy ice creams. Just like non-dairy milks and creamers, non-dairy ice cream may contain seed oils for a thicker consistency and creamier taste. Try: So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Ice Cream 
Pasta Sauce
Pasta sauce starts with sauteing onions and garlic. Most jar pasta sauces use seed oils for this step, so read labels before buying. 
Try: 
Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce
Fody Marinara Pasta Sauce

Frozen Pizza and Pizza Crusts
Pizza and pizza crust without seed oils can be tough to find, but they do exist. Here are a few that we found. 
Cappello’s frozen pizza
Cappello’s naked pizza crust
Daily Harvest flatbreads

Ready-to-Eat Foods
It can be challenging to find ready-to-eat foods that do not contain seed oils, so we’ve done the label-reading for you. Here’s a list of foods that can be prepared in minutes. 
Three Bridges Egg Bites
WestEnd Cuisine Grilled Chicken Skewers, Mediterranean Style
Kevin’s Entrees: Chicken Chile Verde, Korean BBQ Chicken, and others
Canned tuna in water or olive oil (check labels to make sure it’s olive oil and not a blend)
Wild Zora Paleo Meals To Go
Grandcestors meals
Patagonia Provisions Lemon Herb Mussels

Check out our Seed Oil-Free Snack List for more snack go-tos.
The Takeaway
When you decide to limit or eliminate seed oils from your life, you’ll read a lot of labels early on. After a few grocery trips, it will become second nature to choose fresh and packaged foods that fit your lifestyle. It takes practice, but in the meantime, use this shopping list of seed oil-free foods as your cheat-sheet to a well-stocked pantry. It won’t be long before you build your own list of favorite items that work with your lifestyle. 
If there are any seed oil-free foods that we forgot to add to our list, feel free to let us know by sending an email to hello@zeroacre.com and we’ll be happy to add it!

It’s hard to find seed oil-free versions of your favorite game day snacks, so we’ve put together a list of 35+ options that work with your seed oil-free lifestyle. 

35+ Seed Oil-Free Big Game Day Snacks

35+ Seed Oil-Free Big Game Day Snacks
Article at a Glance 
A lot of your football party favorites are made with seed oils — especially fried foods. 
We made a list of 35+ seed oil-free foods that are sure to please a crowd, no matter who you’re watching the Big Game with. 
From traditional favorites, to dips, appetizers, and more, we’ve got your Big Game day spread covered. 
Try Cultured Oil in place of the other oils in these recipes, for more sustainable, vegan, low-linoleic options.

Introduction
Whether you’re in it for the football, the halftime show, or the commercials, you’re probably looking forward to the Big Game snacks and dips the most. But, if you’re staying away from seed oils, you might be a little lost or frustrated when it comes to choosing dips and delicious appetizers for your football party. 
So, we’ve put together a massive list of 35+ football party snacks that work with your seed oil-free lifestyle. The best part? You can still enjoy your favorite game-day snacks without compromising your health! Simply make these snacks from scratch and sub Cultured Oil whenever your recipe calls for a higher-linoleic acid vegetable oil like soybean or canola oil. 
35+ Game Day Seed Oil-Free Snacks
When you watch football with friends, some foods are just expected. Here are a few favorites to get your party started. First, we’ll cover all the classics, from wings to chips to onion rings — all without inflammatory oils!
Buffalo Wings
Wings are standard football party fare, and for the big game, they’re almost expected. Problem is, wings usually take a dunk in high-heat seed oils before they make it to your party table. In this buffalo wings recipe, you air fry your wings using your favorite non-seed oil. The recipe calls for avocado oil spray, but tossing your wings in Cultured Oil will further reduce your linoleic acid intake and let the flavor of the wings shine.
Hot Dogs
Whether you serve them in a bun or dress them up as appetizers, hot dogs are great to have around when you’re expecting a hungry crowd. Hot dog ingredients run the gamut, so label-reading is a must. Choose a brand that won’t derail your seed oil-free goals and is preferably organic and nitrate and nitrite-free. Applegate Organics is a good choice!
Chicken Tenders 
Chicken tenders are always a hit — especially if you’re expecting kids at your football party. Most frozen tenders are fried in soybean or canola oil before packaging, so if you’re moving toward better-for-you oils, take a few minutes and make these air fryer Paleo chicken tenders at home.
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Homemade Potato Chips
Potato chips are great for grazing and dipping, but most packaged varieties are dripping with soybean oil or other high-linoleic acid options. Frying them yourself is less involved than you think, and they taste a million times better than the chips that have been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long.  
Chili 
Chili feeds a crowd, and setting out a variety of toppings is a fun way to let your guests add their own personal flair. Here’s how to set up a chili bar with all the fixin’s. Just add some seed oil-free crackers or cornbread as a finishing touch.
Cornbread
We don’t make the rules — if you’re going to have chili, you have to have cornbread with it. This Paleo cornbread recipe tastes great, doesn’t contain seed oils, and your gluten-free friends can indulge, too.
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Onion Rings
A little salty, slightly sweet — onion rings are a fantastic vehicle for dipping. As with anything fried, store-bought onion rings are usually dripping with soybean or other seed oils. These are easy to make and they’re better than the store-bought version. Plus, they’re baked, so you won’t have to worry about cleaning up oil splatter before everyone arrives. 
Game Day Dips
Even when your friends aren’t into football, they’ll show up for the dips. Here are a few dips that are great with veggies, crackers, pretzels, chips – anything you like.
Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey
It’s earthy, salty, sweet, and bright pink! You’ll earn major points for the color pop on your game day spread. Bonus points for getting a nutrient-boost from better-for-you ingredients. 
Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey recipe
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Spinach and Avocado Dip
Spinach dip is another versatile condiment that goes with everything. This spinach and avocado dip recipe uses raw spinach and avocado, which gives this delicious dip its brilliant green color. 
Garlic Cauliflower Dip 
This garlicky cauliflower dip adds a delicious umami punch to your snack table. Made with decadent cream cheese, roasted garlic, and a drizzle of spicy honey, your guests won’t be able to tear themselves away.
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7-Layer Dip
If one recipe gets all the compliments, it's a 7-layer dip. It’s colorful and satisfying, and goes great with that chili you made earlier. If you want to make sure your 7-layer dip is seed oil-free, use Siete refried beans for the bean layer. 
7-Layer Dip recipe
Primal Kitchen No Dairy Queso Style Dip
If you’re expecting guests who eat plant-based, they’ll be pretty excited to have a queso-style dip that they can enjoy too! All you have to do is unscrew the lid. Pair with some seed oil-free chips like Siete’s grain-free option. 
Seed Oil-Free Appetizers
For football, grazing for a few hours is more fun than sitting down to a big meal. Here are some seed oil-free small bites so that you can keep your plate filled all day. 
Football-Themed Cheese Ball Platter
Shaping your cheese ball into a football takes about 30 seconds, but looks like you put in major effort. Try this football-themed cheese ball with your favorite veggies, crackers, chips, and pretzels. 
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Everyone loves pizza, but you might not love the pizza hangover that comes after eating a greasy pie. These bite-sized bursts of pizza flavor are just enough so that you will have room to try one (or three) of everything else. And they’re great for any of your low-carb or keto friends.
Better-For-You Egg Rolls
Egg rolls make a fantastic party food, but the typical takeout version is a seed oil double-whammy: First, restaurants sautee the filling in cheap oil, then they deep-fry them in oil that’s been used over and over, and likely super oxidized by the time it gets to your batch. You can try your hand at making your own Paleo version for a healthier flavor-packed punch.
Bacon Avocado Deviled Eggs
Bacon makes everything better, and whipped avocado adds a creamy, colorful spin on traditional deviled eggs in these bacon avocado deviled eggs.
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Avocado Deviled Eggs




Sloppy Joe Sliders
Sweet potatoes make the perfect mini “bun” for these Sloppy Joe sliders. While they may require a plate, fork, and napkin, they are deliciously seed oil free. 
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Party Nuts
There’s nothing like a mix of salty, spicy, sweet, and crunchy nuts. Unfortunately, most store-bought nuts are drenched in inflammatory seed oils. This delicious nut mix calls for butter, but you could easily make them vegan by subbing Cultured Oil. Make extra, because you’ll refill the bowl of these salty, spicy, sweet, herby nuts over and over. 
More Seed Oil-Free Appetizers to Try
Sausage and Goat Cheese Mushroom Caps
Bacon Meatballs with Mango Honey Mustard Sauce
Ground Beef Jalapeno Poppers
Charcuterie board with meats and dried fruit
Cheese board with fig preserves and Mary’s Gone Crackers Original
Veggie platter with seed oil-free ranch dressing

Ready-to-Eat Superbowl Snacks
Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil Sea Salt Potato Chip
Lesser Evil Organic Popcorn
Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips
Savor by Susie Grain-free Sea Salt Pretzels

Seed Oil-Free Game Day Sweets
Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes
The texture of these paleo chocolate cupcakes is light and fluffy, making each bite a delightful experience. They also offer a rich chocolate flavor – perfect for any chocolate lover.
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7-layer Bars
These paleo-friendly 7-layer bars are meant to be shared, and your football friends will want something a little sweet after passing around all of the salty and crunchy snacks all day. 
Berry Cobbler
You need at least one comfort food option, in case your team has a rough quarter. This blackberry blueberry cobbler is seed oil-free and reminisent of a warm, cozy, crumbly pie. 
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Lemon Bars
Lemon bars are bright and refreshing, and you can cut them as big or as small as you want to feed a crowd. This version is gluten-free and dairy-free so that everyone can enjoy a sweet treat. 
Other Sweet Treats for Game Day 
Straus Family Creamery Organic Maple Cream Ice Cream
Smart Sweets sugar-free candies
Hu Grain-free Cookies
Fresh fruit platter with Silk Vanilla Almond Dairy-free Yogurt for dipping


This stovetop mac and cheese recipe includes a few modern swaps to the classic. Learn how to customize it to suit your preferences and the season.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese With Cauliflower

Few dishes unite a family (or group of friends) around the dining table like mac and cheese. Whether your first brush with the dish came from the blue box with dried elbow pasta and neon orange cheese dust or your grandma’s bubbling casserole topped with golden breadcrumbs and sharp cheddar clinging to spiral noodles, most of us share a childlike fondness for mac and cheese.
Our stovetop version makes a few modern swaps to the classic recipe. Whole-milk shredded cheeses add the expected creaminess to the roux (white sauce), but we use Cultured Oil instead of butter, and recommend an alternative pasta for extra protein or fiber. 
Lightly caramelized white onions and softened cauliflower florets add extra nutrition and balance to the dairy-forward richness. Customize our version to suit your (and your family’s) tastes, the occasion, or what veggies are in season — scroll after the recipe for inspiration.
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Ingredients
14-oz. box ofyour favorite dried pasta 
8 oz. raw cheddar, shredded cheddar 
8 oz. shredded mozzarella 
2 ½ tbsp. Cultured Oil, divided 
¼ cup diced white onion 
1 bag frozen cauliflower* 
¼ cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk or seed oil-free unsweetened plant-based milk 
1 tsp. paprika 
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. spicy mustard 
Optional but tastes great: 16 ritz crackers, crumbled on top

*You can use fresh cauliflower florets (one small head) or even a bag of riced cauliflower. 
Instructions
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Bring a medium-sized pot to a boil. Add salt. Cook the noodles according to the box instructions. Strain after noodles are al dente and set aside until needed. (Feel free to add a few drops of Cultured Oil to your pasta to keep it from sticking.)
Use a cheese grater to finely shred the cheeses. Set aside.
Use a vegetable chopper (or knife) to finely dice the onions and cauliflower. 
Heat a dutch oven/large sauce pot to medium heat and add ½ tablespoon of Cultured Oil. Add in the diced onions and cauliflower and sauté. Cover the pan for a few minutes to let cauliflower steam, allowing it to soften and resemble a noodle-like texture. Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.
Use the same dutch oven/pot and add 2 tablespoons of Cultured Oil. Whisk in flour until completely absorbed. Continue whisking fervently while slowly adding the milk. 
Add all of the shredded cheese while continuing to whisk. The result will be a thick cheese sauce. If the sauce is too thick to stir, add more milk until you have your desired consistency.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle in all of the seasoning and mustard to the cheese sauce. Add the cooked noodles and sauteed vegetables to the pot and stir again so everything is evenly coated.
Top with crumbled crackers (optional) and serve hot!

How to Customize Your Mac and Cheese
Use another cheese: Cheddar and mozzarella are classic cheeses that melt well, but you can use practically anything to switch up the creamy flavor. Try shredded pepper jack, gouda, parmesan, or provolone. Sprinkle in goat cheese, crumbled feta, or blue cheese for different flavors and textures. 
Add extra veggies: Pretty much anything goes here, but favorites include broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, or peas. Make it seasonal with asparagus in the spring, summer squash or eggplant in the summer, butternut squash or pumpkin in the fall, and Swiss chard or kale in the winter.
Add protein: Make this mac and cheese a casserole-like meal by adding shredded chicken, cubed ham, or diced turkey breast. Flaked (or canned) salmon or low-Mercury tuna are also tasty options. 
Change up the spices: Instead of paprika and garlic, try chili powder, turmeric, onion powder, oregano, or elote seasoning.

Savory Flavor Combos To Try
Umami: Add sauteed mixed mushrooms (try cremini, shitake, portobello, and maitake or porcini), shallots instead of white onion, fresh diced garlic, and a few splashes of soy sauce or coconut aminos. Add dried thyme and rosemary instead of paprika and dried garlic. Use a blend of shredded gruyere and parmesan.
Spicy queso: Add diced garlic, chopped tomatoes, diced green onions, and about four ounces of fire-roasted green chilies (you can also use hatch chilies or pickled jalapenos). Use 16 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese (omit the mozzarella) and use cumin and cayenne pepper for the spices. 
Luxe lobster: Add chunks of cooked lobster, a sprinkle of ground nutmeg instead of paprika, and a combo of shredded cheddar and gruyere cheeses. For even more decadence, add a small handful of crisped, crumbled bacon to the top instead of the crackers.

Is This Mac and Cheese Healthy?
This mac and cheese recipe includes cauliflower, real cheese, and skim milk for protein and calcium, plus an extra protein and fiber boost if you use a protein-heavy pasta like Banza. 
Compared to boxed mac and cheese loaded with additives and colors, this homemade stovetop mac and cheese recipe uses real-food ingredients for a healthier family pasta dish. It also uses Cultured Oil to caramelize the diced onions and soften the cauliflower, so, unlike restaurant dishes, you won’t have to worry about high-linoleic seed oils.
You can swap a traditional cracker crumble for the top of the mac and cheese with seed oil-free options like Mary’s Gone Crackers or Hu’s Grain-Free Crackers for some crisp without the toxic additives.
How to Make This Mac and Cheese Kid-friendly 
Tip 1: Blend the cooked cauliflower and onion together with a few splashes of milk in a high-speed blender or food processor. Add it to the cooked pasta before the shredded cheeses. Stir together and nobody will be the wiser!
Tip 2: For sensitive palates, swap the spicy mustard and paprika for a dash of white or black pepper and ground mustard powder. 
Nutritional Information
Servings: 7
Per serving:
Calories: 559
Fat: 27 grams
Carbs: 55 grams
Protein: 29 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.







Excessive vegetable oil intake may increase oxidation and inflammation which can threaten fertility and pregnancy outcomes.

Vegetable Oils, Fertility, and Pregnancy: Are They Safe?

Article at a Glance
Vegetable and seed oils are a major contributor to increased linoleic acid intake across the globe, which is associated with higher rates of inflammation and disease.
Fertility factors in both males and females are susceptible to the effects of chronic, systemic inflammation.
Elevated linoleic acid intake during pregnancy has been associated with preterm labor in animal studies.
Omega-6 linoleic acid intake reduces the placental and fetal concentrations of omega-3 DHA, which is known to improve markers of maternal and fetal health.

Introduction
Many women know the basics of pre-pregnancy and pregnancy nutrition — you take your prenatal vitamins, your fish oil, and avoid ultra processed foods, caffeine and alcohol. But, with infertility on the rise, it might be time to take a deeper look into the foods that may be impacting your ability to conceive.
In the United States alone, about 1 in 5 women are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. And about 1 in 4 of those women experience difficulties carrying a pregnancy to term [*,*]. 
With infertility in both men and women higher than ever, it’s time to explore every possible reason, which could lead to nutrition-based solutions. While there are many contributors to infertility, not many people have looked at the impact of increased vegetable oil consumption — and the resulting inflammatory cascade — on conceiving. In this article, we’ll dive into everything we know about how vegetable oils may affect fertility. 
Are Vegetable Oils Safe During Pregnancy?
During pregnancy, a fetus relies on its mother’s diet to receive the necessary macro and micronutrients needed for proper development. Filtering through the placenta along with oxygen and fluids, nutrients are passed from mother to baby through the umbilical cord. While blood must filter through a protective barrier designed to keep harmful substances like bacteria out of the womb, the placental barrier is fairly thin and does not protect against everything that could harm a developing fetus [*,*].   
Pregnant women need to consume more protein, iron, calcium, and folate throughout their pregnancy in order to support proper development of fetal body systems, on top of their own individual needs [*]. While women do not necessarily need to increase the amount of fat they consume during pregnancy, there are certain types of fats that seem to be much more important for optimal health of the baby — and others that could potentially be more harmful.
For instance, omega-3 intake, particularly in its active form of DHA, is essential for fetal brain and neurological development, and has been shown to improve markers of mothers’ health as well — reducing the risk of premature birth and postpartum depression [*,*,*]. 
Unfortunately, omega-3 intake in the modern diet is overshadowed by the overconsumption of omega-6, with intakes up to 20 times greater than evolutionarily appropriate levels. The unprecedented level of omega-6 intake is a result of the rising prevalence of vegetable oils (aka, seed oils), which are high in a type of inflammatory omega-6 fat called linoleic acid[*].
While the benefits of omega-3 DHA for pregnancy are well-documented, the counterproductive effects of linoleic acid intake on pregnancy and later health outcomes are less well-known. Linoleic acid intake during pregnancy, however, does not appear to be benign.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one animal study found increases in placental linoleic acid concentration, more inflammatory proteins, and alterations in nutrient transporter expression in rats fed a high linoleic acid diet [*]. 
Linoleic acid is a precursor to arachidonic acid, which itself is metabolized into prostaglandins — signaling molecules involved in the inflammatory response and the induction of labor. While it is important to note that some involvement of arachidonic acid is present in a normal and uneventful pregnancy, another animal study revealed that increased linoleic acid intake late in pregnancy was associated with increased risk of preterm labor [*,*]. 
The time from conception to about 2 years old is thought to be instrumental in preventing future disease [*]. What mom eats during her pregnancy may have implications for her child’s future health, and some new research looks specifically at the effects of linoleic acid: One 2022 experimental study of pregnant rats found that high doses of linoleic in the diet led to increases in depressive symptoms in male offspring later in life [*].
While not necessarily conclusive, one 2013 study found an association between maternal linoleic acid intake and increased fat mass in children later in life [*]. Long term human studies are still underway and experts suggest that more research is needed to fully understand how dietary linoleic — and by extension, vegetable oil intake — affects pregnancy outcomes [*].
Female Fertility
Infertility is defined as the inability to get pregnant after one year of actively trying to conceive [*]. Women struggling with infertility are more likely to experience recurrent miscarriages and fail to successfully carry a pregnancy to term [*]. The World Health Organization estimates that 15% of couples globally experience some form of infertility, with rates increasing over the 20th century and plateauing over the last two decades [*,*]. 
Female factors known to affect fertility include ovulation, disruptions to the endothelial lining of the uterus (like endometriosis), low energy availability and eating disorders, obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome (dysregulated ovarian function), and pelvic inflammatory disease (among others) [*,*]. 
A 2022 study on infertility in married women in the U.S. found that significant socioeconomic disparities in fertility rates exist between racial groups and across levels of education [*]. It is well-documented that people of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to struggle with lifestyle factors known to harm fertility rates, including limited food access, alcohol abuse, smoking, stress, and exposure to environmental toxins — all things that lead to increased bodywide inflammation [*,*,*].
Direct evidence of specific foods that increase rates of infertility in women is lacking. However, evidence suggests that high linoleic acid diets contribute to the onset of diabetes, obesity and PCOS — all of which are underlying infertility risk factors [*,*,*,*].
While it did not investigate linoleic acid intake specifically, a large cohort study that followed over 17,000 women for 8 years found women who consumed more monounsaturated fat than trans fat, more plant-based protein than animal protein, and more full-fat dairy had lower rates of infertility [*]. 
One recent cross-sectional study identified that dietary linoleic acid intake was slightly associated with infertility, and was particularly harmful for women with primary infertility (women who have never been able to conceive) [*]. However, another smaller study that looked at blood concentration of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids did not find any significant differences between fertility groups [*]. 
People with infertility in this study were no more likely to have increased omega-6 concentration in their blood than individuals who had no difficulty conceiving. This highlights the complexity of female fertility and the difficulty of isolating single factors that can worsen or improve fertility outcomes for women specifically.
Male Fertility
Male fertility also plays a critical role in conception. The primary male role in conception and pregnancy is the creation of healthy sperm that can survive the journey through the female reproductive system. 
Sperm cell membranes are uniquely high in polyunsaturated fatty acids [*]. The PUFA in sperm cell membranes provide structural qualities essential for fertilization, but are unfortunately highly susceptible to oxidation [*]. Studies since the 1970s have linked the oxidation of the polyunsaturated fatty acids within sperm cell membranes to poor sperm quality and loss of fertility [*,*,*].
Excess oxidative stress impacts the health of sperm by increasing the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the cell membrane. Damage to sperm cells includes disruption of the maturation process, injury to the sperm’s “turbine” which allows it to swim into an egg, and scrambling of gene regulation patterns [*]. 
A recent 2022 review suggested that excessive dietary intake of polyunsaturated fats, as is common in the modern Western diet, may be related to the formation of ROS in sperm cells, thereby affecting male fertility [*]. 
While omega-3 fatty acids are also polyunsaturated fats, their effects on sperm quality seem to be protective — reinforcing the importance of maintaining a low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in the diet [*,*]. Diets with added omega-3 fats (rich in DHA) have been shown to increase testicular and sperm membrane DHA concentration in humans, which is itself associated with improved sperm motility [*,*]. 
Interestingly, excessive omega-6 linoleic acid intake appears to deplete tissue levels of omega-3 fats in both humans and animals [*,*,*,*]. So, it’s even more important to prioritize cutting down on dietary linoleic acid intake, instead of only increasing omega-3 intake [*]. 
Research also shows that energy balance and body weight are associated with fertility outcomes for both men and women. On one hand, men who are underweight tend to have lower sperm concentrations than those who are considered to have a normal BMI [*,*] On the other hand, higher BMI has been associated with a decrease in sperm concentration and motility, as well as increased DNA damage in sperm [*,*.*]. 
Knowing this, the link between linoleic acid and weight gain should not be ignored. Studies have shown that a diet high in linoleic acid can contribute to obesity and the development of chronic health issues like heart disease and diabetes [*,*,*]. Thus, reducing linoleic acid intake and maintaining a healthy weight may have a positive impact on fertility outcomes for both men and women.
Best Fatty Acids for Pregnancy
Existing evidence reveals the importance of maintaining low levels of inflammation for supporting fertility and pregnancy outcomes. Vegetable oils, which are often high in pro-inflammatory linoleic acid, could lead to higher omega-6 concentrations in sperm cells and placental cells. During pregnancy and beyond, experts recommend maintaining a ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 between 1:1 and 1:4 [*]. 
Pregnant women are encouraged to increase their intake of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy, particularly the active form — DHA [*]. DHA is abundant in marine food sources like salmon and trout, and is also commonly consumed as a supplement. While the body can convert some of the inactive form of omega-3, ALA (often found in plant food sources like flax seeds) to its active form, it does this at an extremely low rate [*]. 
The amount of DHA passed from mom to growing baby depends not only on the amount of DHA in mom’s diet but also on the relative amount of omega-6 linoleic, with lower linoleic acid intake improving DHA concentration in infants [*]. Further, studies of women in developing countries show that low linoleic acid intake could help support the transfer of more DHA from mother to fetus during pregnancy [*]. 
Diet patterns most consistently associated with positive fertility outcomes are high in unprocessed, whole foods including plentiful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and seafood. On the other hand, diets high in ultra-processed foods and fried foods, which typically contain seed oils, are associated with worse fertility outcomes [*,*].
Fatty acids to emphasize during pregnancy include omega-3 DHA and stable monounsaturated fats, which resist oxidation. 
What Foods Contain Vegetable Oil?
To avoid excessive intake of linoleic acid for increased fertility and during pregnancy, you’ll want to replace your cooking oil with a low-linoleic acid option like Cultured Oil and look out for foods that contain hidden seed oils. 
High linoleic acid seed oils hide in foods like: 
Most deep fried foods at restaurants (donuts, french fries, fried chicken, etc.)
Salad dressings
Mayo and other condiments
Ice cream
Potato chips
Granola bars
Coffee creamers
Non-dairy milks
Protein shakes
Meal replacement drinks

Which Cooking Oils are Best During Pregnancy?
Supporting your fertility and pregnancy journey starts in the kitchen. Among other healthy lifestyle behaviors (not smoking, exercising regularly, avoiding exposure to environmental toxins, etc.), cooking with an oil that resists oxidation is a great way to ensure your diet is not contributing to excess inflammation and undermining your fertility. 
Oils that are high in monounsaturated fats like olive oil, avocado oil, and Cultured Oil are more resistant to oxidation. Cultured Oil contains the most monounsaturated fat, and the least amount of linoleic acid of any cooking oil on the market. Even olive oil and avocado oil can contain over 20% linoleic acid while Cultured Oil maxes out at below 3% [*].
Cooking with a low-linoleic acid oil increases the chances that other sources of omega-3 DHA in your diet will contribute beneficial effects and is likely to lead to improved health outcomes overall. 
The Takeaway
It’s difficult to get high-quality scientific data on pregnant women, period. However, we do know that chronic inflammation can have detrimental effects on fertility, pregnancy, and even early childhood development.
Increasing your omega-3 intake during pregnancy is widely recommended, but avoiding excess linoleic acid intake is crucial as well. Since high-linoleic acid seed oils can hide in foods from french fries and chips to protein bars and meal replacement shakes, it’s important to read food labels and do the best you can to avoid restaurants that use seed oils.


In this exclusive Q&A with Dr. Molly Maloof, we talk all about seed oils, cellular health, hormones, and her brand-new book, The Spark Factor.

Seed Oils, Cellular Health, and Energy: A Doctor’s Perspective

Interview at a Glance
At Zero Acre, we’re always excited to pick the brains of experts in health, wellness, biology, and physiology. In this exclusive Q&A with Dr. Molly Maloof, we talk all about seed oils, cellular health, hormones, and her brand-new book, The Spark Factor.
About Dr. Molly Maloof
Dr. Molly Maloof is passionate about extending healthspan through her medical practice, personal brand, entrepreneurial and educational endeavors. She optimizes health and provides personalized medicine to world-class entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. Dr. Maloof is on the frontier of digital health technologies, biofeedback-assisted lifestyle interventions, psychedelic medicine, and science-backed wellness products and services.
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How did you first become interested in health? 
I’ve been interested in health for pretty much my entire life since I was a child. I wasn’t a super healthy kid. I regularly got pneumonia, sore throats, tonsillitis, etc. I think being unwell made me more interested in becoming a doctor. I made that decision as a 5th grader and, since then have been dedicated to understanding human suffering and how to remedy it.
How has your health journey or your health philosophies evolved over the years?
I have to say the pandemic certainly woke me up to the reality of how hard it is to be healthy in different parts of America. I spent 10 years in California, where it is easier to be healthy because of the incredible access to high-quality food. Living in Illinois and Florida made me become a modern-day hunter and gatherer. I dug into my dad’s venison and went out of my way to source grass-fed meat. I learned to forage and find farmers' markets everywhere I traveled. It wasn’t nearly as easy as living on the West Coast, but I figured it out.
Your new book “The Spark Factor” is a program for women to revive their lost energy and vitality. If you could distill the top reasons why women lose their spark into a few sentences, what would they be?
The big one is that eating the wrong foods over many years will degrade your metabolism. But on top of that I think the amount of alcohol women are consuming these days is totally detrimental to health. 
I rarely drink, even on vacation. It’s just not worth the health costs anymore. Then there’s stress. Women’s bodies are super sensitive to stress because of our hormonal fluctuations. Yet, we are living these modern lives filled with tons of stress from all directions. Stress is not good or bad, it’s part of life, but chronic stress does drain the batteries and dim our spark. I go into metabolism and stress at length in the book, along with the importance of movement and maintaining connection.
Should men be concerned about the same things?
Yes, of course, men also need to pay attention to what they eat, how they move, their stress levels and especially their connection. Women are wired for connection, but men often forget about this part of their lives. 
The craziest statistic I read recently was that 1 in 5 men don’t have any friends. That made me really sad. Somewhere around 1 in 10 women don’t either. We all need a tribe of people we can love and trust if we want to thrive in the face of adversity. But, it seems like men are more disconnected than women and have higher rates of suicide as well.
Do you remember when you first became aware of high PUFA diets and the dangers of vegetable oils?
Yes, in medical school, I learned about omega 3:6 balance, but at the time, it wasn’t common knowledge. I realized personally when I increased my omega 3’s and reduced my omega 6’s how much my skin improved and how it kept my skin from burning in the sun on hot summer days.  
In your opinion, what’s the biggest risk factor when it comes to high PUFA diets and health? Specifically, women’s health?
PUFAs that come from fried foods, certain packaged and processed foods, and fast foods are toxic to health because they are highly oxidized. If you want to have proper mitochondrial function and optimal fertility, you have to limit these foods as much as possible and find other sources of fats to consume instead. This is why I love Zero Acre Farms!
Can you explain the connection between PUFAs, oxidation, and cell health?
Here’s an excerpt from the book on the topic:
“If there is one kind of fat you want to examine your intake around, it’s vegetable oil. I don’t believe on its own that it’s necessarily poisonous or as problematic for health as many people claim, but I think it’s important to look at the potentially negative health effects of excessive intake of vegetable oil, and the consumption of rancid vegetable oil (which could happen during extraction, storage, and repeated frying).
Today, vegetable oil is a highly refined, industrially processed food product. A hundred years ago, vegetable oil made up a tiny portion of the American diet. We are now consuming significantly more calories from industrially produced vegetable oils, especially soybean, canola, cottonseed, and corn oil, and this has resulted in people now consuming over five hundred calories — about 20 percent of their calories — from vegetable oil every day. That’s a lot. Globally, more vegetable oil is produced than poultry, beef, cheese, and butter combined. It’s the most consumed food in the world after rice and wheat.
Furthermore, because so much vegetable oil that is consumed has gone rancid due to factory processing, poor shelf stability, or oxidation with repeated frying, it’s even more damaging to health. Fried food is delicious, but it is one of the worst things we can consume. The negative effects on health, it is believed, are largely due to consuming heated vegetable oil in the context of fast food and processed snack foods like chips. We know these foods aren’t healthy. Are vegetable oils like canola oil on their own toxic to health? Probably not. But consuming vegetable oils in excess, eating fried foods, and binging on ultra-processed snack foods and fast foods certainly is.”
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Why is it so important to learn about cellular health?
Mitochondria are the power plants of the cells and the signal transducers, so they decide how much energy we have and where it goes to do work on a cellular level. If you break these organelles by eating the wrong foods in the wrong amounts, you will end up with lower energy and less capacity for your body to repair itself and maintain normal cellular functions. Without energy, our “spark” dims, and we end up tired, sick, and with signs of chronic disease.
If you could give people one simple tip to feel more energetic quickly, what would it be?
If you don’t sleep well, it’s time to start prioritizing sleep! And, if you sleep well, but you don’t exercise yet, it's time to start that too! But, the simplest tip for maintaining better health is to connect more with friends and your community and to avoid isolating yourself as much as possible. Social connection fuels the best health, but it’s totally overlooked.
What does a typical day of eating look like for you?
Wake up, meditate, brush my teeth, make some hot beverage of some sort, read the Wall Street Journal, do some stretching, exercise, and then shower, take supplements and start work. 
Then I work throughout the day and take breaks for meals and movement and making more elixirs. Then in the evening, I wind down around 8 and do my evening routine of biohacking recovery using different devices, sometimes taking a bath, doing my skincare routine, doing some prayer and visualization in bed, and getting a lot of rest. I sleep more in the winter and I think it’s a superpower. 
Thank you, Dr. Molly Maloof, for sharing your time and experience with the Zero Acre Blog! If you’re interested in Dr. Maloof’s work, check out her work or order her newest book, The Spark Factor: The Secret to Supercharging Energy, Becoming Resilient, and Feeling Better Than Ever.


Nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The best nut butters have only a single ingredient: high-quality nuts.

10 Healthy Nut Butters: Nutrition Facts, Benefits & How to Choose 

Article at a Glance
Nut butters often contain several added ingredients like seed oils and sugar. Be sure to look for nut butters that contain only one or two ingredients like nuts and salt.
Though nut butters are calorically dense, they can be healthy in moderation and provide a rich source of certain vitamins and minerals
Some nut butters are relatively high in omega-6 linoleic acid, making them less-than-ideal as a daily snack.
By making nut butter at home, you can easily save 40% or more compared to retail nut butter products.
You can make your own low linoleic acid nut butter by mixing a one-to-one ratio of peanut butter powder and Cultured Oil.

Introduction
Whether you prefer crunchy or creamy, nut butters are one of life's simple pleasures. And if you know what to look for, nut butter can be a healthy snack or fun addition to your favorite recipes.
Nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber — the problem is that some manufacturers add unnecessary ingredients for sweetness, flavor, or cost savings, which means some nut butters shouldn't be considered health foods.
In this guide, you'll learn about the healthiest types of nut butters with detailed nutrition info, brand recommendations, and recipes, but first, here's what you should keep in mind next time you shop for nut butter.
How to Choose a Healthy Nut Butter
The best nut butter products have short ingredient lists, often with just one ingredient: nuts. With the exception of a little bit of salt, or blends with more than one type of nut, it's generally best to avoid products that add any extra ingredients.
Ingredients like artificial flavors, sugar, or seed oils are unnecessary — it's difficult to improve on naturally delicious nut butter — and are usually a sign that the manufacturer is looking to save money or cut corners in terms of product quality.
Research suggests synthetic additives like artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives may be harmful to your gut microbiome [*]. And they likely serve no benefit to the average consumer, so you're better off skipping products that list them on the label.
Cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are sometimes added to nut butter products to "enhance" the flavor, but these ingredients don’t add any real nutritional value. High-quality nut butters have a subtle, yet balanced, natural sweetness. 
When you look at a nut butter label, not only should the ingredients list not show sugar or related ingredients, but there should be zero grams of "added sugars" in the nutrition facts section. While most nut butters naturally contain a few grams of carbs (which are harmless), added sugars refer to sugary ingredients other than nut butter, like sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.
A common reason for ingredients like added sugar is to increase profit by substituting a less expensive ingredient (sugar) in place of a more expensive one (nuts). A leading national brand of peanut butter contains 3-4 grams of added sugars per 2-tablespoon (33-gram) serving. That's not a ton of sugar from a dietary perspective, but why not let the natural flavor of nuts shine in your snack or dish? 
If you want extra sweetness, you can always add your own cane sugar, honey, or a natural sugar substitute like monk fruit, stevia, or allulose without paying extra for low-quality pre-mixed products. 
Finally, many nut butters contain added seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, or grapeseed oil. These ingredients serve a similar purpose to added sugar as an inexpensive filler but there's another issue: they're high in inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid.
Excess linoleic acid intake is linked with chronic health issues like inflammation, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and more. Seed oils used as cooking oils and ingredients in processed foods are the single biggest source of linoleic acid in modern diets.
Avoiding nut butters with added seed oils is easy, especially since seed oils don't add any benefit in terms of taste or texture. 
The 10 Healthiest Nut Butters
These are the healthiest nut butters, including some nutrition information and recommended brands. This list isn't a ranking from healthiest to least healthy, but we've provided some information so you can make fully informed decisions that suit your nutrition and health goals.
Any type of nut butter can be healthy in moderation (provided it doesn't contain unnecessary ingredients like added sugar and seed oils), although some people may choose to limit their consumption due to the caloric density of nuts. 
Fortunately, research shows that nuts are also very filling and satisfying, so for most people, eating nut butter or nuts daily won’t significantly increase your caloric intake [*]. You can enjoy a daily nut butter snack and chances are, it won't result in gaining unwanted weight. On the flipside, adding some nut butter to your meals can help you bulk up if you’re looking to gain weight. 
Macadamia Nut Butter
Macadamia nuts are high in fiber, low in digestible carbs, and a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and selenium [*]. They're also high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and low in omega-6 linoleic acid, making for a healthy, delicious, naturally sweet nut butter. 
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of macadamia nut butter contains [*]:
203 calories (kcal)
2 grams of protein
2.5 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
22 grams of total fat
3.5 grams of saturated fat
Less than half a gram of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Vör Pure Macadamia Nut Butter Spread: Premium, single-ingredient macadamia nut butter.
Wilderness Poets Raw Macadamia Nut Butter: Raw, salt-free macadamia nut butter made in micro-batches.
Blue Mountain Organics Macadamia Nut Butter: Stone-ground nut butter made from raw, sprouted macadamia nuts.

Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is the world's most popular nut butter, but often comes with unnecessary additives and fillers (like sugar or seed oil). Quality peanut butter is high in protein, a good source of fiber, and provides magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and vitamin E [*]. 
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of peanut butter contains [*]: 
182 calories (kcal)
6.5 grams of protein
1.5 grams of fiber
5 grams of net carbs
14.5 grams of total fat
3 grams of saturated fat
3.5 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Vitacost Certified Organic Peanut Butter Smooth & Unsalted: The best deal on organic peanut butter.
Trader Joe's Creamy Unsalted Peanut Butter From Unblanched Peanuts: Widely available, reasonably priced single-ingredient peanut butter.
PBfit Pure Peanut, 100% Powdered Peanut Powder: An innovative, reduced-fat powdered product made from non-GMO peanuts.

Coconut Butter
Coconuts are a good source of fiber, potassium, and selenium [*]. Coconut butter, made from shredded or dried coconut meat, is a light, sweet, creamy, delicious nut butter that resembles coconut oil but with more texture (and additional protein, carbs and fiber).
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of coconut butter contains [*]:
190 calories (kcal)
2 gram of protein
4.5 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
18 grams of total fat
16 grams of saturated fat
Less than half a gram of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Kevala Organic Coconut Butter (8 lb): An extremely good deal on bulk organic coconut butter.
Artisana Organic Raw Vegan Coconut Butter: This pureed organic coconut butter is perfect for spreading.

Almond Butter
Almonds are a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, and vitamin E [*]. Use almond butter anywhere you would normally use peanut butter.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of almond butter contains [*]:
165 calories (kcal)
6 gram of protein
3.5 grams of fiber
2.5 grams of net carbs
14 grams of total fat
1 gram of saturated fat
3.5 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Trader Joe's Creamy Almond Butter No Salt: The best deal on single-ingredient almond butter.
Jiva Organics Raw Sprouted Organic Almond Butter: Made with unpasteurized almonds, then soaked for 24 hours to sprout them before grinding.
Wilderness Poets Organic Almond Butter (7 Pound - 1 Gallon) - Save big by buying a bucket of raw, organic, unsweetened, salt-free almond butter.

Pistachio Nut Butter
Pistachios are a good source of protein, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium [*]. Pistachio nut butter is earthy, slightly sweet, and decadent. 
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of pistachio butter contains [*]:
160 calories (kcal)
5.5 gram of protein
3 grams of fiber
4.5 grams of net carbs
13 grams of total fat
1 gram of saturated fat
4 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Fiddyment Farms Pistachio Butter: Reasonably priced, single-ingredient pistachio butter.
Nutrawbar 100% Raw Organic Pistachio Butter: High-quality, raw organic pistachio nut butter.
Wilderness Poets WPBulk Organic Pistachio Butter - Excellent prices for 7 lb (1 gallon) and up.

Hazelnut Butter
Hazelnuts, also called filberts, are a good source of monounsaturated fats, fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and vitamin E [*]. Hazelnut butter is delicious by itself, and you can use it as a base for DIY chocolate hazelnut spread and other tasty treats.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of hazelnut butter contains [*]:
175 calories (kcal)
4 gram of protein
2.5 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
17 grams of total fat
1 gram of saturated fat
2 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Vör Pure Hazelnut Butter Spread: Premium single-ingredient hazelnut butter.
Artisana Organics Hazelnut Cacao Spread: This organic blend includes coconut sugar and cacao along with hazelnuts, but it's also reasonably priced and delectable.

Walnut Butter
Walnuts are a good source of fiber, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and copper [*]. However, they are relatively high in omega-6 linoleic acid, so they're not an ideal choice as a daily staple.
The earthy, savory, slightly bitter taste of walnut butter pairs well with sweet or savory foods.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of walnut butter contains [*]:
185 calories (kcal)
4.5 gram of protein
2 grams of fiber
2 grams of net carbs
18.5 grams of total fat
2 grams of saturated fat
11 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Crazy Go Nuts Organic Walnut Butter: Best deal on organic walnut butter.
Sun & Seed Raw Organic Walnut Butter Spread: Premium raw organic single-ingredient walnut butter.

Cashew Butter
Cashews are high in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and monounsaturated fats [*]. Cashew butter has a mild, light taste with a hint of sweetness and a creamy texture.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of cashew butter contains [*]:
165 calories (kcal)
4.5 gram of protein
1 gram of fiber
8.5 grams of net carbs
13 grams of total fat
2.5 grams of saturated fat
2 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Blue Mountain Organics Bulk Cashew Butter (8 lb): The most economical raw organic cashew butter.
Octonuts Dry Roasted Pure Cashew Nut Butter: Budget-friendly dry-roasted cashew butter.

Pecan Butter
Pecans are low in digestible net carbs and a good source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and monounsaturated fats [*]. The unique, rich flavor and texture of pecan butter make it equally at home in sweet or savory dishes, as a stuffing ingredient, or as a snack.
Nutrition Facts
An ounce of pecan butter contains [*]:
195 calories (kcal)
2.5 gram of protein
2.5 gram of fiber
1 grams of net carbs
20.5 grams of total fat
2 grams of saturated fat
6 grams of omega-6 linoleic acid

Recommended Brands
Pecan Shop Texas Native Pecan Butter: Premium wild-harvested, raw, sprouted, single-ingredient pecan butter.
Guidry Organic Farms Organic Pecan Butter: Lightly salted, small-batch handmade organic pecan butter.
Wilderness Poets Organic Raw Pecan Butter Organic, Bulk (4 lb): Budget-friendly raw, organic pecan butter.

Nut Butter Blends
Buying or making your own nut butter blends opens up a nearly endless number of possibilities. You can strike a balance between sweet and savory flavors, or add a smooth, creamy ingredient like coconut butter to an old favorite for an entirely different texture.
You can also save money on multi-nut blends compared to buying expensive single-ingredient nut butters like pistachio or hazelnut. 
The same rules of thumb apply for buying nut butter blends. Look for quality products that have as few ingredients as possible, and preferably only nuts listed on the label. Avoid fillers like sugar and seed oils.
Recommended Brands
NuttZo Organic Power Fuel: Reasonably priced, organic blend of cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and celtic sea salt.
Kirkland Signature Mixed Nut Butter: Economical and tasty blend of dry-roasted almonds and cashews with pumpkin, chia, and flax seeds.
Nutrawbar 100% Raw Pistachio + Macadamia Butter: Premium raw organic blend.

How to Make Nut Butter at Home
Making your own nut butter is easy, takes as little as 30 minutes, and can save you money compared to store-bought products. All you need to get started are quality nuts, a food processor or high-speed blender, and any optional ingredients like salt or cacao.
First, let's talk about the economics of making homemade nut butter. How much money can you actually save, and is it worth it?
Kirkland Creamy Almond butter from Costco costs around $27 for two 27-ounce containers, 54 ounces total, or about 50 cents per ounce. In comparison, you can buy 48 ounces (3 pounds) of bulk almonds for about $14, or around 30 cents per ounce. 
Making your own nut butter could save you at least 40% compared to buying it, or even more if we compare the savings on premium brands rather than discount (Costco). That's significant.
You do need a quality food processor or a high-speed blender like a Vitamix. Normal blenders won't do the trick because they don't have the horsepower.
The 30-minute time investment (including clean-up) is relatively small, but might be important depending on how much you value your time. But if you make a large enough batch of nut butter — or devise a particularly delicious recipe — it's probably worth it!
What about raw versus roasted? It's mostly personal preference based on the flavors, but raw nut butters may have a slightly higher nutritional value on average and tend to have a shorter shelf life. Roasting nuts can break down the polyunsaturated fatty acids, contributing to rancidity.
If you choose the roasted route, you can buy roasted nuts or buy raw and roast them in the oven before you process them into nut butter. Roast your nuts for 15-20 minutes in the oven on a baking sheet at 325°F, checking regularly to make sure they aren't burning.
Making the nut butter is easy:
Weigh the nuts before you add them to the blender or food processor.
Optionally, add sea salt to taste: a 1/4 teaspoon per pound of nuts works well.
Blend or process on a high setting until they reach your desired consistency, usually between 5 and 10 minutes.

If you want to add extra dry ingredients, you can add them before blending or at any stage prior to completion, depending on the texture you want. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
Raw cacao or other yummy chocolate
Dates, dried berries, or other dried fruit
Coffee beans (an ounce of arabica beans has around 500 milligrams of caffeine, so don't go overboard!)
Matcha powder for a kick of caffeine and antioxidants
Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or other seeds for a boost in crunchiness and nutrition
Monk fruit extract, stevia, or allulose for sugar-free sweetening
Stir in granola for some extra crunch
Add a small amount of vanilla extract or maple syrup — just don’t go overboard or your nut butter will be too thin

That's it! Use a spatula to scrape your homemade nut butter into a jar or other sealed food storage container, refrigerate to preserve freshness and prevent natural oil separation, and you're finished. You can also freeze nut butter for long-term storage.
Homemade Nut Butter Alternatives
For a low-calorie, lower-fat version of nut butter, powdered peanut butter is an interesting option. This product is made the same way as peanut butter, then pressed to remove oils, leaving mainly protein and fiber. It's literally a powder that tastes like peanut butter and can be used similarly.
The two most popular peanut butter powder brands are PB2 and Naked Nutrition.
With either of these products, you can make a nut butter paste by adding water. Use a two-to-one ratio of water to powder for a spreadable paste, or a one-to-one ratio for a more buttery consistency (like normal peanut butter).
But the big reason peanut butter powder caught our eye is that you can also mix your own low-omega-6 peanut butter. Using a healthy fat low in linoleic acid to reconstitute peanut butter powder is a great way to enjoy delicious peanut butter and minimize your intake of inflammatory omega-6.
We recommend mixing a one-to-one ratio of peanut butter powder and Cultured Oil. With over 90% heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and just 3% linoleic acid, Cultured Oil is an exciting new option to reduce your omega-6 intake.
The Takeaway
Nut butter is naturally delicious, and the simplest products are usually the healthiest (and tastiest).
There's nothing too complicated about shopping for nut butters. Always read the label and try your best to avoid products that contain added sugar, seed oils, artificial flavoring, and other unnecessary additives. The fewer ingredients, the better — a single-ingredient nut butter is generally best.
If you're feeling creative, you can also make your own at home easily using an oven and a food processor or blender to roast and grind your own nuts into nut butter. You can easily save 40% or more compared to retail nut butter products, or even more if you buy nuts in bulk.


Coconut oil is often touted as a superfood, but controversy remains surrounding its impacts on health and the environment.

Coconut Oil: Superfood or Sustainability Issue?

Article at a Glance
Consumer demand for coconut oil has increased by about 10% each year since 2015 thanks to its reputation as a healthy fat [*].
Coconut oil is uniquely high in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which have been studied for potential health benefits ranging from fat loss to Alzheimer's disease support.
There are many different methods used to produce coconut oil, and distinct functional differences between refined and unrefined coconut oils.
Scientists have not yet come to a consensus on coconut oil’s health impact and controversy surrounding its nutritional value remains.
The deforestation caused by coconut oil production poses a more severe threat to biodiversity than palm oil production.

Introduction
Whether you’re vegan, keto, paleo, or don’t subscribe to any particular way of eating, coconut oil has likely made it onto your grocery list or into your pantry at some point in the last few years. Its popularity in the U.S. has been steadily increasing by about 10% each year since 2015, but coconut oil is not just a 21st century fad [*]. 
Coconut oil has been used traditionally in tropical regions like India, Malaysia, and West Africa for thousands of years. According to the American Oil Chemists’ Society, European colonists and traders started importing coconut oil to the U.S. and Europe in the late 19th century for use as both a cooking oil and to make goods like soap [*]. Its popularity in the West waned during World War II and didn’t gain traction again until more recently, with the end of the low-fat craze of the 1980’s and 90’s and the increase in research surrounding health-promoting fats. 
Even though coconut oil is often touted as a superfood by consumers today, there is still controversy surrounding its impacts on health and the environment. This article covers some of the facts.
What is Coconut Oil? 
Coconut oil is the buttery fat extracted from the white flesh of the coconut fruit. It has been used for millennia as a cooking oil, a base for soap and shampoo, and for topical applications like moisturizing skin. 
Like butter, coconut oil is solid at room temperature due to a large share of saturated fats. Its high saturated fat content once categorized coconut oil as “too fattening to be healthy,” but more recent research suggests that saturated fat might not be as big of a problem as we once thought [*,*]. Even more research highlights the potential health promoting effects of coconut oil’s high concentration of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) [*].
MCTs refer to fat molecules (triglycerides: a trio of fatty acids connected by a glycerol backbone) that are made of fatty acids between 6 and 12 carbons in length. The human body is much more efficiently able to use medium chain triglycerides for energy. In comparison to longer chain fats, MCTs are directly absorbed into the bloodstream and shuttled to the liver for energy production, while long chain fats must first bind to transporter molecules and circulate the lymphatic system [*].
Coconut oil begins to melt around 78° Fahrenheit, and is often solid on a pantry shelf. To produce liquid coconut oil, some manufacturers use a process of fractionation to separate the solid fats from the liquid fats, yielding an oil that can remain liquid at colder temperatures. Fractionated coconut oil is tasteless and odorless and most often used for dermatological purposes like moisturizing or as a massage oil [*]. 
Is Coconut Oil a Seed Oil?
Botanically speaking, coconuts are not actually tree nuts like walnuts or almonds. Coconuts are classified as a drupe – a fruit whose seed is enclosed by a hard, stone-like covering [*]. Other drupes include stone fruits like peaches, cherries, and olives. 
Unlike olives, however, whose oil is extracted from the fleshy outer layer surrounding the seed, coconut oil is extracted from within the seed. So, technically, coconut oil could be considered a “seed oil.” 
However, that is where most of its similarities to other industrial seed oils ends. 
For one thing, coconut oil contains very little linoleic acid — the polyunsaturated fat abundant in most conventional seed oils like cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, and sunflower seed oil [*]. In fact, coconut oil is fairly low in unsaturated fat in general. 
How is Coconut Oil Made?
While all coconut oil comes from the same place, its various extraction methods result in oils with different functional properties. Generally, coconut oils can be differentiated into two categories: unrefined and refined.
Unrefined Coconut Oil
The terms “virgin” and “extra virgin” are not regulated when it comes to coconut oil. At this point, health experts consider unrefined, virgin, and extra virgin coconut oil to be interchangeable terms [*].
Unrefined coconut oil can be made by either first drying out the coconut flesh to what is known as “copra,” or by processing the fresh coconut meat directly in what is known as a “wet” process. Many (but not all) unrefined coconut oils are made using a wet process where the milk and oil are separated from the fibrous coconut meat using centrifugation, fermentation, enzymes or acids without first subjecting the coconut to high heat [*]. Unrefined coconut oil is mechanically extracted from the milk/oil mixture or the dried copra using hydraulic or expeller pressing. Cold-pressed coconut oils refer to those where the temperature was kept below 115° Fahrenheit throughout the extraction process [*].
Because unrefined coconut oil undergoes no further processing, the finished product retains some bioactive compounds like antioxidants as well as a stronger flavor and aroma. This is why unrefined coconut oil will have more of a “coconutty” taste and smell, and also has a lower smoke point than refined coconut oil of about 350° F [*].
Refined Coconut Oil
Refined coconut oil is generally always made using dried copra and is extracted using either mechanical means or with the use of chemical solvents like hexane. Regardless of what method of extraction is used, all refined coconut oils undergo additional processing to remove free fatty acids, flavors, aromas, and other impurities. Various steps in the refinement process include degumming, neutralization, bleaching, and high temperature deodorizing which ultimately reduces the total antioxidant content of refined oil compared to unrefined varieties [*].
Despite reductions in antioxidant concentration, refined coconut oil is generally thought to be better suited for high-heat cooking due to its higher smoke point of 400-450ºF and neutral flavor [*].
Coconut Oil Nutrition
Coconut oil, like all other oils, is 100% fat. Fiber, protein, and many micronutrients like potassium, iron, and magnesium are lost during the extraction process. Both refined and unrefined coconut oils are high in saturated fats and MCTs, which are at the center of controversy surrounding the potential health benefits (or perceived health risks) of the oil. 
Made up of approximately 83% saturated fat, coconut oil is one of the most concentrated sources of saturated fat among cooking oils [*]. Two thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil is made of medium chain fats, with about 50% coming from lauric acid, a 12-carbon MCT [*].
Many of the health claims made about coconut oil are related to the proposed health benefits of these MCTs. As mentioned earlier, MCT oils are much easier for the human body to absorb and use for energy compared to more common long chain fats. This is particularly useful for individuals following a keto diet where cellular metabolism relies on fat oxidation instead of the breakdown of carbohydrates. Intake of MCT oil has also been associated with increased satiety, energy expenditure, fat loss, increased insulin sensitivity, and improved Alzheimer's outcomes [*,*,*,*,*].
Lauric acid is suggested to have antimicrobial effects, which is why coconut oil is used in the mouth washing practice “oil pulling” [*,*,*]. 
Despite the multitude of proposed benefits, some health experts remain wary of recommending unabandoned consumption of coconut oil because of its high saturated fat content. 
Many animal and human studies conducted over the past several decades have shown that coconut oil intake is associated with an increase in LDL cholesterol, which some researchers believe can increase heart disease risk [*,*,*]. Other studies, however, have found the opposite to be true [*,*].
Many researchers now believe that the susceptibility of LDL particles to oxidation is a more reliable predictor of heart disease than changes in total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels [*,*]. This is supported by numerous human clinical trials that demonstrate that increased consumption of high-linoleic vegetable oil increases LDL’s susceptibility to oxidation.
And while the research behind the benefits of MCT oil is promising, the same is not necessarily true for coconut oil [*]. Even though coconut oil contains more MCTs than many other naturally-derived oils, it also contains long chain fats like myristic and palmitic acid, which means that consuming coconut oil is not necessarily the same as consuming 100% MCT oil.
Most researchers seem to agree that more research is still needed to better understand long-term health outcomes associated with coconut oil consumption in humans.
Environmental Impacts of Coconut Oil Production
If you are concerned with the sustainability of food production, you’re likely familiar with the devastating impact of palm oil on both human rights and the environment in Southeast Asia over the past several decades [*]. 
While palm oil and coconut oil are similar (both come from various species of palm trees grown in biodiverse tropical regions), they are not the same. 
For one thing, coconut trees are far less efficient at producing coconut oil than oil palm trees. Palm oil trees are capable of producing 10-15x more oil per hectare than coconut palms, which means more land is required for coconut trees to produce a similar amount of coconut oil [*]. 
While global coconut oil demand still pales in comparison to that of palm oil, the potential for environmental harm is likely greater if coconut oil popularity continues to rise [*]. Per million tons of oil, coconut oil production threatens more total species than palm oil — 18.1 for coconut oil compared to 3.8 for palm oil. This is due, in large part, to deforestation of tropical island forests typically richer in biodiversity than mainland forests where palm oil is most commonly grown [*].
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Number of species threatened by vegetable oil crops




Though not perfect solutions, Rainforest Alliance Certified coconut oil and Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance certified coconut oil are two better options to seek out. Both ensure that growers maintain sustainable growing practices, provide traceability back to the farms, and do not engage in harmful labor practices [*,*]. 
The Takeaway
Though the science supporting the health benefits of MCT fats is exciting and encouraging, coconut oil as a good source of MCT fats remains controversial. Still, coconut oil is often recommended as an alternative to seed oils due to its low linoleic acid content. Coconut oil quality is not regulated like olive oil, so it can be hard to know exactly how the oil you purchased was made, or where it came from. From an environmental standpoint, coconut oil is more devastating to tropical ecosystems than palm oil, per volume of oil produced. More sustainable options that are Rainforest Alliance Certified or Fair Trade Certified exist, but because it’s grown in biodiverse tropical regions, environmental impacts are largely unavoidable.


This cake mashup combines all you love from pumpkin spice with a twist on the traditional carrot cake. Oil instead of butter makes the crumb moist and tender.

Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This isn’t your grandma’s carrot cake. Packed with unexpected substitutes — think craisins instead of raisins, brown sugar instead of white, and honey roasted pecans instead of plain — this cake recipe throws in a few flavor bonuses like lemon zest, toasted coconut, and yes, pumpkin!
It uses oil instead of butter for a meltingly tender crumb. The oil combined with pumpkin puree and hand-grated carrots lends a level of moisture to the cake that stays for days after it’s baked. Observe how a baked slice of the layered cake slumps cozily on the plate. This is a good thing; it's a visual affirmation that each bite will dissolve on your tongue and leave behind a whisper of warm cinnamon, caramelized pumpkin and carrot, and sweetened creamy frosting. 
The list of ingredients runs a touch long, but don’t let that intimidate you. Homemade cakes are well worth the effort, and a food processor makes quick work of grating the carrots so you have little left to do aside from beating or folding the ingredients together and letting the oven do the rest. 
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Healthier-Carrot-Cake-30




Ingredients
For the cake:
8 large carrots, finely grated 
2 cups light brown sugar 
½ cup Cultured Oil 
1 cup canned pumpkin 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
4 eggs 
3 cups oat flour (we used Bob’s Red Mill) 
2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
1 tsp. salt 
1 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. baking soda
⅓ cup dried craisins 
⅓ cup honey-roasted pecans, finely diced 
1 tsp. lemon zest, optional
Cooking spray

Cook’s tip: Grate your own carrots instead of buying the pre-shredded kind from the store. It makes a big difference in the taste and texture of the cake. 
For the frosting: 
4 oz. cream cheese 
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk 
¼ cup shredded coconut  
¼ tsp. lemon extract 

For the topping:
¼ cup shredded coconut, toasted

Instructions
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. 
Prep the carrots: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the carrots and then add to a food processor. Pulse until all of the carrots are shredded into small pieces. You can also shred on a cheese grater if you don’t have a food processor; just make sure to grate them finely. 
Add brown sugar and oil to a mixing bowl. Beat on high until all of the sugar is absorbed by the oil. Add the canned pumpkin and vanilla extract and beat again until combined. 
Add the eggs to the bowl, one at a time, beating after each. Beat for 4–5 minutes until everything is very well combined. 
Pour oat flour, ground cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda into the mixing bowl. Beat for another 2 minutes until well combined. 
Use a spatula to fold in dried craisins, diced pecan pieces, lemon zest, and shredded carrot. 
Line two 8x8 pans with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly among the two pans.
Bake for 35–40 minutes or until the center is completely set. Note: Depending on the size pan used and how much is in each pan, baking times will vary. Insert a toothpick into the center of each cake to test for doneness (if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done).
Allow the cakes to cool completely before adding the frosting. Remove the cakes from the cake pans and let cool on a cooling rack.
Make the frosting: Combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, almond milk, and lemon extract in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer. Mix until all of the powdered sugar is dissolved. Fold in the shredded coconut. 
Place ⅓ of the frosting on one of the cakes, then place the other cake on top of the frosted one. Add the additional frosting to the top of the cake and decorate as you wish.
To add toasted coconut on top of the frosted cake: Spread shredded coconut in one layer on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet under the broiler and toast for 2–3 minutes. Remove it promptly before it starts to burn! Allow the toasted coconut to cool before sprinkling on top of the frosted cake. 

Cook’s tip: Store any leftover cake in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Carrot Cake?
Yes, pumpkin spice cake, carrot cake, and pumpkin carrot cake freeze well. Just wrap the baked cake layers in plastic cling twice (or once and then wrap again with aluminum foil) and freeze the cake layers for up to six months. 
When you’re ready to eat the cake, defrost the cake layers in the refrigerator or on the counter. If you defrost the cake layers in the refrigerator, take them out to come to room temperature on the counter. Once the cake layers are at room temperature, ice them and top them with toasted coconut.
Is Carrot Cake Healthy?
This might depend on how loosely you define “healthy.” Yes, the cake contains carrots and pecans, which are nutrient-dense whole foods, but it is still a cake that contains a fair amount of sugar and calories. Everything in moderation, right?
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Carrot Cake
Tip 1: Shred the carrots into small pieces, aka finely grated, so they suspend evenly throughout the cake batter. Since the cake doesn’t bake for a very long time, you want to make sure the carrot pieces are small enough to cook completely (no crunchy bits).
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Healthier-Carrot-Cake-14




Tip 2: While the oil in the recipe keeps the cake moist for days (really, until it’s gone), it doesn’t add the same leavening that a cake with creamed butter and sugar does. Some bakers could overcompensate for this and add too much baking powder to the cake, but this recipe doesn’t do that. You’ll see that this cake doesn’t have the same fluffy volume that a buttery vanilla cake might, but the tender, moist crumb and spiced flavor make this cake unique. 
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Healthier-Carrot-Cake-24




Nutritional Information
Servings: 12
Per slice:
Calories: 547
Fat: 20 grams
Carbs: 88 grams
Protein: 8 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.




You've probably got unused vegetable oil in your cabinet. Instead of cooking with it, you can use it around the garden, kitchen, and home.

9 Household Uses for Vegetable Oil (Do This Instead of Eating It)

Article at a Glance
Common vegetable oils like soybean, sunflower, and canola oil are high in unstable, inflammatory omega-6 fats and are usually rancid.
You've probably got a quart or more of vegetable oil in your cabinet right now that you probably won’t be using for cooking anytime soon.
Instead of cooking with it or discarding it, you can use vegetable oil as an inexpensive, non-toxic replacement for various products around the kitchen, garden, and home.
Some applications even work with used cooking oil that would otherwise be thrown out. 
We've also included suggestions on easy ways to get gallons of oil for big projects when you need it!

Introduction
Maybe you're moving away from eating vegetable oils for culinary reasons. Why cook with rancid-tasting oil when there are tastier, healthier substitutes?
Or maybe you recently learned that seed oils are full of inflammatory omega-6 fats, may be toxic when consumed, and are among the worst foods for the environment.
Or maybe you've always known, deep down, that something wasn't quite right about vegetable oils. 
Speaking of which, how long has that old bottle of soybean, sunflower, or canola oil been sitting in your cabinet? Better not to check, probably.
But not so fast! Before you toss your vegetable oil, read these fun, useful suggestions on what to do instead (none of them involve eating it — and your body will thank you for that). 
Season Your Cast Iron Pan
If you own a cast iron pan, you might already be aware of seasoning. When your pan is new, or any time you need to renew the all-natural "non-stick" surface, you can slick it down with cooking oil and heat it to 350-400°F for about 20 minutes.
This seasoning process works through a process known as polymerization. During heating, unstable unsaturated fatty acids form cross-linked molecular bonds and become polymers [*].
The newly-formed polymers bond at a molecular level with the pan's iron surface, preventing food from sticking during cooking and making it easier to clean. As long as you don't burn food onto the surface or scrub it too hard, they can remain for a long time. This is also why most people scrub their cast-iron pans with minimal (if any) soap.
Interestingly, the very same properties that make common vegetable oils unhealthy for consumption are what make them excellent for seasoning cast iron. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like omega-6 linoleic acid are the least stable form of fat and naturally form polymers when heated.
Polymers and other oxidation byproducts are what make food fried in seed oils bad for your health. But when you use seed oils to season your pan, the polymers form a relatively stable bond with the cast iron, so it doesn't accumulate in your food once the seasoning process is complete.
Manage Garden Pests
Neem oil an organic insecticide or "biopesticide" extracted from the neem tree, Azadirachta indica Juss., originally from India [*].
When sprayed onto affected areas, neem works to inhibit the growth of fungus, mites, and eggs, preventing damage to plants and disrupting pests' reproductive cycles. It smells similar to garlic with a strong sulphuric odor. It's also relatively expensive.
If you don't have neem on hand for pest control, you can use canola oil or sesame oil as an inexpensive alternative. 
According to Health Canada, canola oil "has properties of an insecticide, miticide, and fungicide since it controls a variety of insects and mites and suppresses powdery mildew on many ornamental, vegetable, fruit, and nut crops both in the field and greenhouse, as well as on Cannabis (marihuana) produced commercially indoors for medical purposes. As an insecticide/miticide, canola oil acts predominantly through suffocation, while as a fungicide, it creates a physical barrier to prevent plant infection by fungi" [*].
And according to the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, sesame oil works similarly as an antimicrobial, fungicide, and insecticide [*].
Want to mix your own organic broad-spectrum pesticide? It doesn't take much: simply add one tablespoon of canola or sesame oil and one tablespoon of liquid soap, detergent of silica to a gallon of water in a bucket or pump sprayer. Mix thoroughly to emulsify and spread the oil evenly into the solution, then apply to plants.
You can also add essential oils like thyme oil, mix in other vegetable oils like corn, soybean, or cottonseed oil, emulsify it with lecithin, or mix oils with diatomaceous earth as a soil dressing to kill nematodes (roundworms) [*].
Lamp Oil for Emergencies
When the power goes out, you can use vegetable oil in place of lamp oil (paraffin) or kerosene. 
If you've got hurricane lamps, you can refill them with vegetable oil instead. You can also mix it 50/50 with your usual lamp fuel.
Another viable option for your inner survivalist: try making your own vegetable-oil-burning lamps using cotton swab wicks and shallow jars with a hole cut in the lid.
We recommend testing your oil-burning lamp with vegetable oil ahead of time and, of course, stay safe. Don't leave it unattended and be sure not to fall asleep while it's burning.
Moisturize Your Skin
Eating vegetable oils high in omega-6 fats isn't good for your skin, but you can use them topically.
Your skin barrier or stratum corneum is an important part of your immune system. This tough, outermost layer of skin protects against external threats and helps your skin stay smooth and moisturized [*]. Skin barrier breakdown results in itchy, dry, cracked skin and sometimes causes conditions like eczema.
Omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats are both required for proper skin barrier functioning. In conditions like eczema, patients often have skin deficiencies of these essential fatty acids, even though, in some cases, the rest of their bodies aren't deficient [*].
Some research has shown benefits to applying topical omega-6 oils to restore barrier function and hydrate skin [*]. Your skin barrier is responsible for keeping moisture where it belongs. If your skin is dry and flaky, you can rehydrate your skin's protective barrier by moisturizing with oil. 
Lubricate Door Hinges 
Got squeaky door hinges? Try brushing or dripping some vegetable oil onto them.
When used as a lubricant for metals, oils help reduce friction between contact areas and prevent further corrosion.
Vegetable oil doesn't have the proper high-performance lubricating properties required for small engines or other applications that involve high speed, pressure, or heat, but it's perfect for most of the metal objects around your house that squeak and creak.
Polish and Clean Your Wood Furniture 
For oil-rubbed wood or old-fashioned furniture finished with varnish, a little bit of regular upkeep goes a long way toward keeping it nice. 
If you've got clean wood furniture that's looking a little bit dull or dry, simply wipe some vegetable oil onto it with a clean rag, rub it in, allow it to soak in, and then wipe it off with a clean, dry rag.
Note that different types of oil may affect the hue of the wood slightly, so it's smart to test on a small area first if you're unsure. Three of the most popular oils recommended for furniture polish are olive oil, walnut oil, and flaxseed oil (which is virtually identical to linseed oil), but there's no rule against using other oils. Although you may want to save that olive oil for healthy cooking if you don’t have any Cultured Oil in your kitchen.
On the other hand, if your furniture is dusty, filmy, or grimy, you'll be better off using a two-in-one cleaning polish. But no need to purchase it — you can DIY with vegetable oil!
Here are two easy options that can work for a wide variety of furniture applications:
Vegetable oil furniture cleaning polish #1: Two parts vegetable oil to one part fresh lemon juice (1 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice)
Vegetable oil furniture cleaning polish #2: Sixteen parts or more white vinegar to one part vegetable oil (1 cup or more of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon or less of vegetable oil)

For both recipes, be sure to mix thoroughly right before applying.
When applying an oil or cleaning mixture to your furniture, less is more. Instead of spraying or pouring it directly onto the surface, wipe it on and use the least amount possible to get your intended result.
Clean and Restore Your Leather Boots
You can maintain your leather boots — or any worn leather accessory — with vegetable oil. While the very best options are saddle soap or mink oil, depending on the leather product, vegetable oil also works fine.
Here's what you'll need:
Warm water (add a small drop of soap if the boots are really dirty)
A soft bristle brush
Several clean, lint-free rags or paper towels
Vegetable oil

First, remove the laces and wipe the boots down to moisten them with water (optionally, slightly soapy water). You don't want to soak them. Just get the surface damp.
Now you're going to gently brush them to work the grime out of the surface. Repeat the wiping and brushing steps until there's no more dirt to be removed with a clean rag or paper towel.
Wait overnight or until the boots are completely dry, which shouldn't take long if you didn't use very much water.
Now, simply apply small amounts of vegetable oil in a circular motion, section-by-section, using a clean, dry rag or towel. Allow it to absorb, then wipe any excess oil off.
Note that applying oil or any leather conditioning product can darken leather, so be sure to test on a small area first if you're uncertain.
Refurbish Roofing Shingles 
Keep an open mind for this one. 
Most common roofing shingles in the United States are made out of a base fabric material like felt, cellulose (wood fiber), or fiberglass that's treated with asphalt (the same sticky, black, petroleum-derived tar used for paving roads). They typically last 15-20 years. 
These shingles are designed to expand and contract as they heat and cool each day under changing weather conditions. The asphalt allows them to retain their waterproof and insulating qualities year-round.
But over time, the oil component of asphalt shingle dries out and becomes brittle. As it begins to crack, your roof will begin to leak and shingles can come loose.
Replacing your roof is expensive, averaging around $8,500, with about 60% of that going to labor costs [*]. 
Recently, some companies have begun offering soybean oil-based treatments that can extend the life of your roof for a lot less than replacing it. They contain synthetic soy methyl ester, which is a derivative made from soybean oil. (It doesn't occur naturally in your leftover cooking oil.)
Should you paint your roof with soybean oil or other vegetable oils? Would that even work since it's not the same as the commercial soy methyl ester products?

Actually, yes, it might work! According to a 2019 paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Construction and Building Materials, "Using Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) is one of the eco-friendly solutions which contains the similar lighter oil components of asphalt and can be used as an acceptable rejuvenator" [*].
In other words, used vegetable cooking oil works to rejuvenate asphalt. Don't think too much about the fact that it "contains similar components" to asphalt — that's why you're not eating it, right?
Commercial treatments cover about 250 square feet per gallon of product, or five gallons to cover a common 1,250 square foot roof [*].
You're going to need a lot of oil to treat your roof. Once you scrape together whatever's left in your cabinets, try asking your friends for their old vegetable oils, too. If you know a restaurant owner, ask for their discarded frying oil.
You can heat all the oil together carefully (without burning yourself or setting anything on fire) for several hours or longer, allow it to cool, then strain it through cheesecloth or a paint strainer.
Use these tips for proper application [*]:
Fix broken or missing shingles first. 
Repair cracks with acrylic caulk or roof repair tape. 
Apply downward to 45 degrees using a roller, painter's brush, or paint sprayer.
Don't apply to moist or wet roofs, or if rain is forecasted within 24 hours. 

If your roof is dirty, you can apply a roof cleaning solution first (such as a homemade mix of bleach and laundry detergent), let it sit for about half an hour, then rinse with a hose and allow it to dry. 
You can also apply two coats of waste cooking oil if you've got enough oil and time.
Clean Your Skin or Make Soap 
We already covered that cooking oil can moisturize your skin (and unlike consuming vegetable oil, the omega-6 fatty acids may be beneficial when applied topically).
But you can also use it as part of your bathing routine.
Water is a natural solvent, and contrary to what you might think, it's doing most of the work when you take a bath or shower. It's actually possible to remove dirt, oil, dead skin, and bacteria from your skin's surface without soap, provided you scrub enough and use running water.
According to physician James Hamblin, author of Clean: The New Science of Skin, showering frequently and using soap and cosmetic products harms your skin's microbiome, leading to irritation, opportunistic colonization by harmful microbiomes, and overproduction of oil leading to imbalanced, oily skin in the long run [*].
And at least one study has found that showering without soap could be effective to help prevent recurrence of eczema (a breakdown of the skin's natural barrier) in children [*].
Regardless of whether you'd like to try showering without soap, there's an interesting rationale for pre-treating your skin with an oil massage before you bathe. Topical oil on your skin can act as a gentle solvent in lieu of harsh soap, trapping the dirt and dead skin cells while also moisturizing your skin. Be sure to rinse thoroughly to remove all the oil, though.
In fact, this practice has historical precedent. Roman athletes once applied oil to their skin following vigorous activity before undergoing a steamy bathing ritual, then used a blade-like tool called a strigil to remove the oil (and presumably to exfoliate) [*]. 
Finally, you can also make your own soap with unwanted or even already-used cooking oil. Here are the basic steps, courtesy of the website of the journal Nature [*]: 
Use a kitchen scale to weigh the cooking oil. Record this number.
Strain the cooking oil with a cheesecloth if you've already used it for cooking.
Suit up with goggles, mask, face covering, shoes, and long sleeves because you'll be working with corrosive lye (aka NaOH, sodium hydroxide, or caustic soda). It’s also best to use lye in a highly ventilated space or outdoors. Don't skip this safety step!
Calculate the amount of lye needed using the saponification value of your oil (about 62 grams of lye per 16 ounces of soybean, sunflower, corn, or canola oil). 
Divide the amount of lye needed by 0.3, subtract the amount of lye you'll be using from that number, and measure out that amount of hot water (in the above example, (62/0.3)-62 = 145 ml or grams of water, or about 5 ounces of water per 16 ounces of cooking oil and 62 grams of lye).
In a mixing bowl or other container, add the lye to the hot water (never add the water to the lye as it can heat the water and cause a reaction that creates dangerous fumes), mix, then add the strained cooking oil to the dissolved lye.
Optionally add other ingredients such as essential oils, fragrance, foaming detergent, or washing powder.
Mix everything thoroughly by hand with a whisk for 40 minutes, or using a handheld mixer for 5 minutes. Be sure to wear safety gear when mixing!

For the final step, add your blended mixture to a mold of your choice and allow it to dry for a week or longer. Once dry, you can use your homemade bar soap for doing dishes, household cleaning, or bathing.
The Takeaway
Even though common vegetable oils may harm your health and devastate the environment, they're not going to go away completely any time soon. Most people have at least one neglected, forgotten bottle lurking in the back of a kitchen cabinet.
But discarding unused cooking oil isn't necessary — instead of wasting it, keep it around. After all, you never know when you might need some emergency lamp oil, garden pest killer, or skin moisturizer!
For big projects that require gallons of oil, like refurbishing asphalt roofing shingles, see if you can talk friends and family into giving up inflammatory omega-6 oils and gifting you their unneeded bottles, or even ask your local restaurant owner if you can have their discarded fryer oil.


This sunshine-bright lemon vinaigrette brightens any dish with fresh citrus flavor and comes together in a flash with four simple ingredients.

4-Ingredient Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette

One look at this sunshine-bright lemon vinaigrette and you can see how it will brighten any salad, slaw, soup, oven-roasted veggie, roasted meat or fish. 
Like the little black dress of the kitchen, lemon garlic vinaigrette pairs well with any veggie and any meaty or plant-based protein you can grill, sear, poach, boil, or bake. Spoon on top of baked salmon or cod with a spatter of capers, add a few spoonfuls to pan-seared shrimp, drizzle on a rack of lamb as you roast it, marinate chicken thighs before air-frying, or brush on top of tofu slices while grilling.
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Enhance the flavor of any raw or cooked vegetable you can think of — bitter greens like arugula, kale, and Brussels sprouts as well as endive and fennel pair particularly well with the tart pucker of the lemon and sharpness of the raw garlic.
As long as you have fresh lemons in the fruit bowl, the rest of the simple ingredient list uses pantry staples and adds up to four easy mix-ins (not counting the perennial salt and pepper). But the real secret to a fresh, delicious vinaigrette is to use top-quality ingredients and, because there aren’t many in here, you’ll want to use the best oil and fresh lemon juice — concentrate or the juice in bottles in the cocktail aisle doesn’t taste as fresh.
Ingredients
½ cup Cultured Oil
¼ cup lemon juice
½ tsp. lemon zest 
3 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of salt
Black pepper, to taste

Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Add all ingredients to a mason jar and screw on the lid. 
Shake until well combined. 

Cook’s tip: If you don’t have a mason jar, a clean cocktail shaker can work, too. Just make sure to put the top on tightly before you shake.
How to Serve Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
A no-brainer for salads, this lemon vinaigrette sings when drizzled on any greens but helps tame the bitter bite of vegetables like dandelion greens, kale, arugula, collards, and broccoli rabe particularly well. Toss with raw, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, pan-fried pancetta or sliced chestnuts, toasted and chopped hazelnuts, and shaved romano. 

In the spring, use a vegetable peeler to shave strands of raw asparagus and toss with carrot and zucchini ribbons; drizzle on the lemon-garlic vinaigrette and sprinkle on crumbles of goat cheese or fresh ricotta. 
Use this vinaigrette as a marinade, basting sauce, or alternative to barbecue sauce when grilling. The citrus works wonders for fish, shellfish, and seafood; it also cuts through the richness of fattier cuts of meat like lamb, duck, and chicken thighs. Dot on top of fresh oysters with a little minced shallot or snipped chives, or serve as a dipping sauce for charred octopus.
This versatile dressing adds pizzazz to white pizzas, whole grain bowls, and lentils. Stir into broth-based vegetable soups, tomato-free seafood stew, or a pot of quinoa or couscous before you fluff it. 
More Variations for Your Lemon Vinaigrette
There are plenty of ways to switch up your lemon vinaigrette if you can’t find fresh lemons or you want to vary the flavor. 
Use a different citrus fruit: Try lime, grapefruit, orange, or blood orange. 
Instead of minced garlic, sub minced shallot, snipped chives, or diced green onion. 
Experiment with a dash of smoked salt, fleur de sel, or Himalayan pink salt. 
Use crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, white pepper, or smashed Sichuan peppercorns instead of the black pepper.
Add a pinch of dried herbs or ½ teaspoon of chopped fresh herbs. Dried herbs de provence, dried oregano, or basil would work. Fresh chopped parsley, rosemary, basil, mint, and thyme — especially lemon thyme — could make lovely floral accents.  
Try a dollop of honey to balance the flavors and sweeten things up.

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Lemon Vinaigrette




How to Store Leftovers
Place any leftover vinaigrette in a storage container or mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. If you’d like to make a double batch and freeze the vinaigrette, pour into empty ice cube trays and place in the freezer until frozen solid. Remove the frozen vinaigrette from the ice cube trays and place in freezer-safe resealable bags (label the outside of the bag so you know what’s inside). The frozen vinaigrette keeps for up to six months. 
Defrost the vinaigrette in the refrigerator or on the countertop. You can also use the frozen vinaigrette ice cubes to flavor soups, broths, or as a starter for a pan sauce. 
Nutritional Information
Serving: 2 Tbsp.
Calories: 151
Fat: 17 grams
Carbs: 1 gram
Protein: 0 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer.
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Caitlin Fontana.



Choose (or make!) a coffee creamer without added seed oils to get the most health benefits out of your daily cup of joe.

13 Seed Oil-Free Coffee Creamer Alternatives

Article at a Glance
Most people like to add creamer to their coffee for flavor and to help balance out the bitter taste of black coffee.
Many conventional non-dairy coffee creamers contain hidden vegetable oils, added sugars, synthetic flavors and thickening agents which may undermine the research-backed health benefits of coffee.
Making coffee creamer at home is simple and easy, and allows you to control the ingredients you use.
In a pinch, reach for a store-bought coffee creamer made without seed oils.

Introduction
When consumed moderately (up to three to four standard cups per day), coffee itself is generally thought to be a healthy beverage, with a large body of research supporting its association with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, mood disorders and more [*]. 
Fresh, high-quality coffee prepared with care can often be extremely flavorful on its own. But if you’re like any of the 6 in 10 Americans who enjoys consuming at least one cup of coffee a day, you may also like your coffee with a bit of cream and sugar — or pumpkin spice [*,*]. Both liquid and powdered coffee creamers have been a supermarket mainstay for years, and come in a range of intriguing flavors. Unfortunately, most conventional coffee creamers also come with a questionable list of ingredients that may undermine most of coffee’s inherent health benefits.
5 Reasons to Avoid Most Coffee Creamers
Seed Oils
Have you noticed that most non-dairy coffee creamers often contain vegetable oils as a primary ingredient? Because non-dairy milk lacks the creaminess of dairy fat, manufacturers often turn to seed oils as an inexpensive plant-based alternative to replace the creamy mouthfeel of dairy fat. The seed oils commonly used as coffee creamer ingredients are soybean and sunflower oil which are primarily composed of the polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) omega-6 fat called linoleic acid. Excessive omega-6 intake has been linked with many chronic diseases related to the modern diet [*]. Coffee creamers are just one contributor to the rising rates of omega-6 overconsumption globally, and it’s about time we find a replacement.
Added Sugars
Beyond adding creaminess, most creamers are also designed to add sweetness to balance out the delightfully bitter notes of coffee. Many sweetened, flavored coffee creamers contain 4-5 grams of sugar — about a teaspoon of sugar — per tablespoon serving. Considering that most people are likely to use far more than one tablespoon per cup of coffee (and have more than one cup of coffee per day), sweetened coffee creamers can easily become a significant source of added sugars in your diet. 
The most recent consensus on dietary guidelines in the U.S. suggests that individuals ages 2 and older should keep total added sugar to less than 10% of total daily calories — about 12 teaspoons for someone who needs approximately 2,000 calories per day [*]. Surely, it may be possible to drink sweetened coffee and still achieve a healthy intake of added sugars; it just depends on what other foods you’re eating consistently and whether or not those foods are also a significant source of added sugars. Sticking with a lower sugar or sugar-free option leaves a lot more room in your day for other foods to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Natural and Artificial Flavors
Most coffee creamers are made without whole food ingredients like maple syrup, cocoa, or vanilla beans. Instead, manufacturers often rely on cheaper and more reliable flavorings to achieve their specific flavor profiles. Natural and artificial flavors are chemical compounds derived either directly from plants or animals (natural flavors) or reproduced in a lab (artificial flavors) [*]. 
Food scientists often combine many flavor compounds together, both natural and artificial, to achieve a desired taste sensation. Labeling laws, however, do not require manufacturers to list individual chemical compounds on their ingredient lists unless they are derived from a top food allergen like milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts or soy. So, as a consumer, it’s virtually impossible to know just what flavor compounds are in your food, or where they came from, which could be particularly concerning for those allergic to less-common allergens like sesame, banana, or cherries. 
In 2018, the FDA banned the use of seven synthetic flavor compounds based on evidence that they are carcinogenic to animals — but their natural counterparts are still in use [*,*]. The FDA generally considers natural and artificial flavors as safe to consume since they are mostly added to food in very small amounts, which is why they’re still plentiful in many packaged food products today. 
Added Thickeners
Like seed oils, manufacturers add gums and thickeners to non-dairy coffee creamer to increase creaminess and make up for the lack of dairy fat. Emulsifying agents like these help to keep the added oil from separating from other water-based ingredients, so you’re less likely to encounter them in a creamer made without added oil. While many added emulsifiers and thickeners are generally thought to be safe to consume in moderate amounts, certain ones, like carageenan, may lead to digestive inflammation and distress for some [*,*]. Scientists continue to explore the relationship between additive emulsifiers and gut health, and more research is likely needed before the FDA changes its stance on their safety [*,*]. 
Expense
Let’s not forget to mention that packaged coffee creamers also come at a cost to your wallet — from around $5 per bottle for conventional coffee creamers to upwards of $35 for specialty products. Your money may be better spent stocking a pantry full of wholesome ingredients you can use to make many more cups of coffee without inflammatory seed oils and other unwanted additives.
13 Healthy Coffee Creamer Alternatives 
Don’t worry — if you’re not up for the challenge of acquiring a taste for black coffee, or simply find yourself in the mood for a sweet and creamy coffee drink, you’re not completely out of luck. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite coffee creamer options that aren’t served with a side of vegetable oil or sketchy additives.
When you make food at home, you get to decide what you add and what you leave out. Making your own coffee creamer might seem a bit extra but we promise it’s worth it. All of these recipes are simple to throw together and require just a few staple pantry ingredients. Plus, you may even be able to sneak a few extra health benefits in that cup of joe, too.
Homemade Coffee Creamers
Vanilla Creamer
2 cups milk or non-dairy milk of choice
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Cultured Oil Coffee
8 oz. coffee
1 tbsp milk of choice
1 tbsp Cultured Oil
1 scoop protein powder of choice
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Pumpkin Spice Creamer 
1.5 cups milk or non-dairy milk of choice
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own by combining cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, allspice, and black pepper)
1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool in the pan before transferring to a jar and storing in the fridge or adding to coffee.

Homemade Powdered Creamer 
1 cup powdered milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ cup powdered sugar (optional)
Pulse dry ingredients together in a blender or food processor until combined. Add coconut oil and blend for another 30 seconds. Store in an airtight container for up to a year!

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Creamer
1 cup milk of choice (or half and half for an extra creamy version)
2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, stir for one minute to allow flavors to meld and cocoa powder to emulsify. Remove from the heat and cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.

Salted Caramel Creamer
1 can full-fat coconut milk
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
A pinch of sea salt
Combine coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, to caramelize the sugar. Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt to taste. Let cool then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for about a week.

Seed Oil-Free Coffee Creamers
Not all store-bought options are off the table when it comes to ingredients you can feel good about. Thankfully, there are some awesome brands out there creating delicious creamers without seed oils. When you’re in a pinch, look no further than these standouts:
Laird Superfood
Offering both powdered and liquid creamer options, Laird Superfood Creamers feature coconut and oat milk and offers a variety of sweetened and unsweetened flavors with no seed oil to be found.
Nut Pods 
Coconut and Almond-based creamers come in a variety of sweet and unsweetened flavors, though their sweetened varieties are still sugar free thanks to erythritol and stevia extract.
Malk 
non-dairy milks are made from almond or oat, and do not contain any added vegetable oils, thickeners or synthetic flavors. Try steaming the vanilla oat milk in your next homemade latte.
Vital Proteins Collagen Creamers
Vital Proteins Collagen Creamers feature 10 grams of collagen peptides and make for a creamy coffee thanks to powdered coconut milk without any added seed oils. Since it’s a dry powder, this is also a great shelf-stable option.
Emulsified MCT Oil 
MCT oil is a popular fat derived from coconut oil. When emulsified, it turns creamy without the use of seed oils or fillers and comes in a variety of creamy flavors. 
Coconut Milk Creamer
So Delicious Organic Coconut Creamer is unsweetened and is made without seed oils. This could be a great dairy-free alternative to half and half.
Chobani 
Milk-based creamers are a simple and flavorful oil-free option for those opting to stick with dairy and who are comfortable with a little cane sugar.
The Takeaway
Drinking black coffee isn’t the only way to harness the most of coffee’s suggested health benefits, and you don’t have to deny yourself the enjoyment of a sweet, creamy cup of coffee forever. Most conventional creamers contain ingredients like vegetable oils and other additives designed to mimic the effect of dairy fat, but thankfully these are no longer your only option. Whip up a homemade version of your favorite coffee flavor using ingredients you already have on hand, or try out Cultured Oil coffee for a tasty, monounsaturated-fat-packed delight.


It can be difficult to prioritize your health during the holidays, but you don’t have to give up your goals of limiting seed oils to enjoy the season’s festivities.

How to Avoid Seed Oils this Holiday Season

Article at a Glance
Holiday gatherings may be rife with seed-oil filled foods like fried appetizers, mayo-based dips, and packaged, processed snacks. 
By making your own seed oil-free dishes to share, you can enjoy the holiday spirit while also limiting your own seed oil consumption.
Holiday gatherings can be a great place to start conversations about the benefits of swapping out seed oils with friends and family.
Cultured Oil makes a perfect holiday gift, just in time for a seed oil-free challenge in January.

Introduction
Holidays are often all about indulgences. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas beckon us with festivities full of joy, shared memories with friends and family, and a lot of delicious food. 
It can be difficult to be both fully immersed in the holiday festivities and prioritize your health. You may be wondering just how you’ll get through the holiday season without undoing your goal of eliminating seed oils from your diet. We’re here to encourage you that it’s not completely impossible!
We’ve rounded up our top 10 tips below for enjoying the holidays while also avoiding seed oils. 
10 Ways to Avoid Toxic Seed Oils Over the Holidays
1. Avoid Fried Foods at Restaurants
When dining out over the holidays, one easy way to avoid seed oils is to steer away from fried foods on the menu. Most restaurants use commercial seed oils for frying because they are cheap, widely available and have a neutral flavor profile. Unfortunately, due to their high polyunsaturated fat content, seed oils are some of the most unstable oils and are the easiest to oxidize, particularly at high temperatures used in cooking. 
Reusing frying oil is an extremely common practice in restaurants. Vegetable oil that’s been repeatedly reheated and reused contains significantly more oxidized byproducts than oil used for frying once [*]. And every time a seed oil is reheated or reused, trans fats form from the breakdown of unstable polyunsaturated fats [*]. The more times the oil is used for frying, the more of those harmful trans fats and oxidized byproducts end up in the dish.
Your best bet for avoiding seed oils at holiday gatherings and catered events where fried foods are served is to opt for fresh, baked, grilled or slow cooked options instead. Unless, of course, you know the host used an air fryer or a stable oil like Cultured Oil in cooking. Then — enjoy away!
2. Be Aware of Salad Dressings 
It’s true that many salads are brimming with an array of nutrients and can be both delicious and nourishing. Fat in salad dressing serves an important purpose beyond making it taste more satisfying. Many of the vitamins and micronutrients found in dark leafy greens and colorful fruits and vegetables are considered fat soluble, meaning they need a fat molecule “buddy” to be most effectively absorbed into your bloodstream. 
Salads need fat, but they don’t need seed oils.
Unfortunately, if you flip over the bottle of most store bought salad dressings, you’ll find that they’re almost always made with some type of seed oil like canola, sunflower or soybean — even if they’re marketed as an “olive oil” based dressing. 
The best way to limit seed oils in your salad dressing is to make it yourself using better oils like Cultured Oil or a carefully sourced olive oil. You can also opt for whole-food sources of fat like whole seeds, nuts, avocado, cheese, and olives, where the polyunsaturated fats are less concentrated, unprocessed and less likely to oxidize. 
3. Make Holiday Treats Yourself
One of the largest shares of seed oil in the food system comes from ultra-processed, packaged foods. And some ultra-processed, packaged foods might be the very holiday treats you look forward to enjoying every year. If you’re hoping to reduce your seed oil consumption around the holidays, you can make a big impact by making some of your favorite treats yourself.
Try your hand making your own potato chips, whip up a seed oil-free dark chocolate peppermint creamer for your coffee, or make your own holiday cookies. Homemade holiday goodies also make great gifts for friends and family — an easy way to continue spreading the word about seed oil-free cooking.
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4. Swap the Oil in Your Favorite Recipe
Does your favorite heirloom recipe call for canola oil, corn oil or another vegetable oil made from seeds? Don’t worry — we’re not going to tell you to toss the recipe in the trash. Thankfully, Cultured Oil looks, feels and behaves a lot like vegetable oil in recipes (and has a much healthier fatty acid profile) so it’s an easy switch to make. Savor and enjoy without hesitation! We’re sure grandma won’t mind.
5. Bring Your Own Dish to Share
Holiday gatherings are often all about the food. For good reason — holiday food is special and can amplify the joy of the season’s memories. Holiday gatherings are also a great time to bring a seed oil-free dish (or two) to share. Make a batch of crowd-pleasing creamy roasted garlic dip, or chunky guacamole and serve with homemade tortilla or pita chips. You can rest assured you’ll have something delicious to enjoy that doesn’t have hidden seed oils, and you can impress everyone with how scrumptious your Cultured Oil recipe tastes.
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6. Eat Before You Go Out 
Eat something before heading out. Not to spoil your appetite, but to ensure you’re able to avoid getting “hangry” around a table full of fried appetizers. This can be especially helpful if you’re not sure what food options will be available, or are quite sure that most of the options served will be filled with seed oils (packaged snacks, fried foods, mayo-based dips, etc.). Having a snack that keeps your blood sugar stable and leaves you with a comfortable level of hunger will make it easier for you to fill up a plate full of seed oil-free foods and still be satisfied, not longing for what’s “off limits.” 
Remember — you don’t have to turn down every morsel of holiday food that could contain seed oils since that might be unrealistic. But you will be less likely to over-do it if you don’t arrive at the gathering overly hungry.
7. Educate Family and Friends About Seed Oils 
Bringing your own dish to a gathering is a great way to open a door to a conversation about the ingredients you chose to use — or not use. Friends and family may be interested to learn about why you care whether there are seed oils in your own food. You may choose to “plant some seeds” about the increasing use of vegetable oils across the globe and the links between high omega-6 intake and health risks. Share with family how you first learned about seed oils and how it surprised you at first, too, to learn just how prevalent they are in our food supply. No need to start any food fights (unless you want to, of course). You know your friends and family best, and what type of conversation they may be open to. Proceed with care.
8. Ask About Ingredients
It might seem like a hassle to ask your server, or family and friends about the oils and fats in their food, but it can make for interesting conversation (see tip number 6, above). If your friends and family are particularly interested in sustainability, cooking, or health, they may be interested to hear more about seed oils and be receptive to spreading awareness. 
Since folks with food allergies need to be aware of what’s in their food, most servers at this point should be trained to be transparent about what ingredients are used in the kitchen. If you find that the dish in question is, in fact, made with seed oils, inquire whether they may be able to accommodate shifting to a less-offensive option like avocado oil, olive oil, or coconut oil (or recommend they look into cooking with Cultured Oil).
If your diet permits it, real butter (not margarine) is another lower linoleic acid option that restaurants may be willing to cook your food in. Alternatively, some restaurants may be willing to cook your food without any oil or fat. Many restaurants may still be using seed oils for most food preparation, so do your best, and don’t sweat one meal. 
Our hope is that if consumers demand better oils and fats, restaurants and food companies will switch to better oils and fats. Someone has to lead the charge!
Pro-tip: Download an app like Seed Oil Scout or Seedy to find local restaurants or products that are seed oil free.
9. Look at Labels
These days, seed oils lurk where you’d least expect them. Flip over the label on a jar of pre-chopped garlic and you might be surprised to find canola oil on the ingredients list. You probably don’t expect cookies, candies, and other desserts to be made with seed oils, but many commercially prepared snacks and treats are. 
This can be a great opportunity to learn more about what’s in your favorite holiday foods and to explore new seed oil-free alternatives. 
10. Gift Cultured Oil 
Finally, if you’re looking for a holiday gift that truly keeps on giving, wrap up a bottle of Cultured Oil and pass it on. Your foodie friends will appreciate getting to test out a new ingredient and your family members will be excited to embrace something you value. Plus, the more Cultured Oil we all share in our pantries, the less you’ll have to worry about avoiding seed oils in the future. Major win.
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The Takeaway
The Holidays are a time of celebration, memory making, indulging, and savoring time with friends and family. It’s possible to enjoy the holidays and limit your seed oil consumption with a few key tricks. But don’t beat yourself up if you do end up eating seed oils. The holiday season makes up a small part of your overall diet, and what you do most of the time has the greatest impact. 
Seed oils are still all over our food supply and we’re just getting started advocating for change. One of the most important things you might be able to do this holiday season is start a conversation and share the benefits of swapping out seed oils with those you care about. 


This unique roasted beet dip with goat cheese and honey is quick to prep and boasts multiple layers of delicious flavor.

Roasted Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Honey

Beets aren’t a “go-to” when you think of popular dips and spreads. Notorious for their gnarled, dirt-laden appears and earthy-sweet taste, beets are more popular as a chopped or shaved salad topping. But beets might just be the missing element at your holiday get-togethers and sports-centric gatherings.
Roasted beets add structure and balance to this creamy beet dip punctuated with tangy Greek yogurt, salty goat cheese, and warm honey. The startling hot pink color of the dip will attract all eyes at a party. If you buy already-roasted beets, you can dispense with making your cutting board and hands look like a crime scene and save time. Simply toss the ingredients into a food processor and whizz.
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Ingredients
6 beets, peeled and roasted*
1 tbsp. Cultured Oil
2 tbsp. Greek yogurt, plain, whole-milk
½ lemon, zest and juice
6 oz. soft goat cheese
1 tbsp. honey
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt

*We used Love Beets pre-roasted beets. If you’d like to roast the beets yourself, preheat the oven to 350ºF, peel the beets and slice them into quarters (tip: wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands). Place the beets in an oven-safe dish and toss with 1 tbsp. Cultured Oil and ½ tsp. salt. Roast for 50 minutes or until soft. Allow the beets to cool before making the dip.
Instructions
Prep time: 5–10 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes (if roasting your own beets)
Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender. 
Pulse for 40–60 seconds until the goat cheese is well combined.

How to Serve Roasted Beet Dip
This dip shines brightest in a bowl with sugar snap peas, baby carrots, jicama sticks, bell pepper strips, or celery sticks. Use a sturdy pretzel stick, corn chip, cracker, or toasted pita wedge for scooping.
To make a more elegant bite, spread the dip on top of crostini and top with pan-seared mushrooms cooked in brandy and a healthy splash of cream. Spoon onto endive leaves and top with crisped cubes of pancetta and snipped chives. Spread onto cucumber rounds and top with caramelized onions and a bite of seared steak for fancy occasions.
More Variations for Your Roasted Beet Dip
There are plenty of ways to dress up your roasted beet dip for even more texture and varying flavors. 
Throw a head of garlic in with your roasting beets and add the umami-sweet garlic to your blender. 
Top with (more) crumbled goat cheese and chopped hazelnuts or roasted and shelled pumpkin seeds.
Add a swirl of fresh yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche on top. 
Experiment with different fresh and fragrant chopped herbs like dill, thyme, or sage.
Sub Greek yogurt with crème fraîche for an even more decadent texture and taste. 

Ingredient Swaps That Work
Don’t do dairy? Switch the Greek yogurt and goat cheese for a vegan cheese made from nuts and a few splashes of full-fat coconut milk to get things whizzing in the food processor. 
Instead of beets, you could use roasted sweet potatoes (envision the sunset-like orange hue!), roasted pumpkin or kabocha squash, or any sort of cooked bean or lentil. The vegetable provides the substantial base upon which to build the flavors that will make the dip linger on your tongue for a bit. 
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How to Store Leftovers
Place any leftover dip in a storage container and store the dip in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you’d like to freeze the dip, place in an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable bag and store in the freezer for up to three months. 
Nutritional Information
Servings: 10
Calories: 88
Fat: 5 grams
Carbs: 7 grams
Protein: 4 grams
Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.




This chunky guacamole combines Tex-Mex and Mediterranean flavors to steal the thunder from other dips. 

Chunky Guacamole with Feta

Part fresh, vibrant salad, part dip loaded with bite-sized vegetables, this chunky guacamole packs fresh, vibrant flavor in every bite. Tex-Mex-inspired ingredients like jalapeno, lime, fresh cilantro, chile pepper, and cumin collide with Mediterranean additions such as salty, briny feta cheese and the sweet burst of cherry tomatoes. 
Each fresh or dried flavor accentuates the strengths of the other: Lime and red wine vinegar add brightness and acidity to balance the palate-coating creaminess of the cubed avocado, feta crumbles, and Cultured Oil.
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The dip uses ready-made spice mixes from Trader Joe’s — either Everything But the Elote (a mix of dried chilies, parmesan cheese, and cumin) or Chile Lime (a blend of red bell and chili peppers plus citrus) — but you can make your own seasoning blend in a pinch. 
If you can find fresh avocados and cherry tomatoes year-round, this dip can act as the “vegetable” at your Game Day party or team sport tailgate. If not, tuck this one in your back pocket for the days when avocados are plentiful and you can find fresh limes aplenty.
Ingredients
2 large avocados
½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 small jalapeno
2 tbsp. cilantro
2 limes, juiced
1 ½ tbsp. Cultured Oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Everything But the Elote or Chili Lime seasoning*
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Note: We used Trader Joe’s seasoning blends (we tested both, and they’re both delish!). If you can’t find these seasoning blends, scroll to the section below titled Make Your Own Seasoning Blend.

Instructions
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Slice the avocados in half and remove the pits. Slide a spoon between the skin and the flesh of the avocado halves to detach the skin. Cut the avocado halves into cubes and place in a bowl.
Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters and place into the bowl with the avocado cubes.
Dice the red onion and jalapeno (leave the stem and seeds if you like spice; if not, remove them), and add them to the bowl.
Chop the fresh cilantro and sprinkle into the bowl.
In a mason jar or bowl, add the lime juice, Cultured Oil, vinegar, salt, and seasoning blend. Screw the top of the mason jar on top and shake to combine. If using a bowl, whisk the ingredients with a fork until combined. Pour the vinaigrette into the bowl with the other ingredients.
Sprinkle the feta cheese in the bowl. With a rubber spatula, carefully mix the ingredients together. Take care not to mash the avocado too much. 

How to Serve Chunky Guacamole Dip
Put a bowl of this in the middle of a big serving platter and pile up crudité, tortilla chips, toasted pita wedges, bagel chips, or plantain chips along the outer ring for a punchy spin on the chips-and-dip party fave.
Make your Chunky Guacamole Dip a side salad by adding diced roasted red bell peppers, fire-roasted corn, and cooked black beans. Serve it as an entree salad by tossing it with chopped romaine lettuce and strips of char-grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, or tofu. 
Use as an avocado salsa to spoon on top of tacos, fajitas, low-carb steak or pork lettuce wraps, or piled on top of quesadilla wedges. This also jazzes up everyday grilled or baked fish, chicken thighs, or pork loin when served as a side. 
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Tips for Finding Ripe Avocados
We like hass avocados (black skin and emerald flesh) for this dip, but you can use any type you like as long as they’re ripe. An avocado is ripe when it’s slightly soft to the touch, but not mushy. You should be able to remove the stem easily when an avocado is at its peak. 
If you can’t find ripe avocados at the store, buy them underripe and place them in a brown bag with another piece of fruit. Fold the top of the brown bag to close the top. The gas the produce emits will encourage the avocado to ripen. Check the avocados each day to see if they’re ripe. 
Make Your Own Seasoning Blend
If you can’t find Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote or Chili Lime seasoning blends, you can make your own. Store the seasoning blends in airtight glass containers or mini mason jars in a cool, dry place. Note: If the seasoning blend contains a perishable item, like cheese, keep it in the refrigerator. Label it with the date you made it; seasoning blends stay fresh for about six to eight months.
To make your own Everything But the Elote blend, combine: 
1 tsp. granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. finely grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. chipotle powder
¼ tsp. lime zest
⅛ tsp. dried cilantro
⅛ tsp. cumin powder

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. 
To make your own Chile Lime blend, combine:
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. lime zest

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and store in the pantry.
How to Store Leftovers
Place any leftover dip in a storage container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the dip. This will help prevent the avocado from turning brown. Secure the top of the storage container over the plastic wrap. Store the dip in the refrigerator for up to three days.
We don’t recommend freezing this dip. Defrosting the dip would add moisture that would make the dip a watery mess. 
Do I Have to Use All Fresh Ingredients?
We recommend using fresh produce, particularly avocados, onions, and tomatoes. In a pinch, you could substitute the fresh cilantro for 1 tsp. dried cilantro and use store-bought lime juice (you can usually find this in the produce or alcohol sections). 
You could also use canned chipotle chilis if you can’t find fresh jalapenos; chipotles are just smoked jalapenos that are canned in adobo sauce. Chop the chipotles like you would a fresh jalapeno. You might even find that you prefer the smoky layer of flavor.
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Chunky-Guacamole-with-Feta




Nutritional Information
Servings: 10
Calories: 90
Fat: 8 grams
Carbs: 4 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Nutrition information includes 1 tsp. Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote Seasoning blend. Nutrition info collected from Cronometer.
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.


Omega-6 seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil are linked with skin aging and conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and melanoma.

Are Seed Oils Bad For Your Skin? What to Eat and What to Avoid

Article at a Glance
Historically, human diets contained balanced ratios of natural omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Modern diets usually include too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3s.
Seed oils high in omega-6 fatty acids, which are the most common cooking oils and also found in most restaurants and prepackaged foods, are linked with skin problems like inflammation, skin aging, acne, melanoma, and more.
Reducing your omega-6 linoleic acid intake by avoiding vegetable oils derived from seeds is vital for achieving a balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 for healthy skin. 
People with skin problems can also consume more omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce skin inflammation and improve skin barrier function, but cutting omega-6 intake is crucial.

Introduction
Healthy skin is about more than just beauty. Although appearance is one major reason people care about skin, skin problems can significantly impact your quality of life and overall health.
Millions of cosmetic products promise smoother, clearer, calmer, skin — but caring for your skin goes beyond what you put on it externally. In fact, evidence suggests that your diet is a much bigger factor in overall skin health and anti-aging. 
Human diets have changed dramatically over the past century, which has led to higher rates of skin issues ranging from acne to skin cancer [*]. Along with higher intakes of sugar and ultra-processed foods, we're also eating more inflammatory omega-6 fats in the form of seed oils than ever before.
In this article, you'll learn about the relationship between dietary fats and skin health, which foods to eat, and what to avoid for healthier skin. Let's dive in.
Omega-6 Fats and Skin Health
Many dietary factors can affect your skin health for better or worse, including your intake of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, refined sugars, ultra-processed foods, and dietary fats (which are made up of individual fatty acids). 
Most people understand that eating too much junk food (and not enough fresh, whole foods) can adversely affect your health. But it's less common knowledge that vegetable oils high in omega-6 fatty acids may be responsible for problems like inflammation, obesity, heart disease, and more. And this is more of a problem than ever as seed oils are the most common cooking oils used in homes, restaurants, and in many packaged foods across the world.
Until recently, most people throughout history ate plenty of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats from whole food sources like seafood. They also ate far lower amounts of refined omega-6 fats than most people consume today. Modern diets typically include a 15-to-1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats, which appears to lead to chronic inflammation in the skin and other organs [*].
Common high omega-6 fats like soybean oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil are implicated in chronic skin conditions including atopic dermatitis (eczema), psoriasis, acne, and hidradenitis suppurativa [*].
For example, researchers have found that some populations had little or no acne historically, including Canadian Inuit, South African Zulus, Japanese Okinawans, the Ache of Paraguay, and Kitavan Islanders from Papua New Guinea. And the same populations began to develop much higher rates of acne when they adopted Western diets high in seed oils [​​*].
For people with skin problems like psoriasis, eczema, acne, skin ulcers, or risk of skin cancer, strong evidence also suggests that consuming more omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce skin inflammation and improve skin barrier function [*]. 
However, research shows that reducing your omega-6 linoleic acid intake by avoiding seed oils is important in achieving a balanced ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 for healthy skin. 
Consuming too much omega-6 doesn’t just throw off fatty acid ratios — it also depletes your tissue omega-3 levels, and some research finds no health benefit to adding omega-3 fats without reducing your omega-6 intake [*,*].
According to a 2018 peer-reviewed paper, there is also "evidence that a high omega-6 fatty acid diet inhibits the anti-inflammatory and inflammation-resolving effect of the omega-3 fatty acids" [*].
Inflammation and Acne
Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory skin condition with several factors involved. For acne to occur, your body first overproduces sebum (a sticky, oily substance made by the sebaceous glands of your skin), which then gets colonized by Propionibacterium acnes, a strain of bacteria [*]. 
The acne-causing bacteria changes your skin's balance and the normal functioning of hair follicles, resulting in inflammation and acne lesions [*]. 
Acne doesn't result from a single cause but rather is related to your genetic makeup, stress, hormone levels, immune functioning, general inflammation in your body, and diet [*]. 
Scientists have found that some types of food do correlate with breakouts in people who are already predisposed [*]. This is likely due to the fact that your diet can affect your immune system, hormones, and inflammation levels. On the flipside, other foods can reduce the likelihood of pimples [*].
The omega-6 fats from seed oils, typically found in fried foods and packaged foods, increase inflammatory compounds in your body, which contribute to the formation of acne [*].
In contrast, evidence suggests omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood can actually liquefy sebum (making it less likely to clog pores and cause blackheads and pimples) as well as increase the skin's resilience to bacteria [*]. 
As we covered already, it's important to achieve a healthy balance of omega fats by increasing your omega-3 levels and reducing your omega-6 levels [*]. Eating more omega-3s without also lowering omega-6 fats simply isn’t practical and may not work very well [*,*,*]. 
Based on today’s levels of omega-6 consumption, you’d have to eat salmon and sardines at every meal to get enough omega-3 to achieve anything close to a 1:1 ratio. Instead of embracing an all-sardines diet, it’s more practical to significantly decrease your consumption of omega-6 and only slightly increase your consumption of omega-3. 
In a 1961 study of over 1,000 adolescents, participants who consumed large amounts of omega-3-rich fish and seafood had less oily skin and fewer acne lesions, including blackheads, papules, and pustules [*]. More recent studies have also replicated similar results and found that increasing omega-3 intake may be even more effective for patients with moderate or severe acne [*].
A separate 2017 study of 31 acne patients and 21 control volunteers without acne found that patients with acne had lower serum levels of omega-3 fatty acids and higher omega-6 levels compared to controls [*]. 
Oxidative stress, a type of cellular damage associated with inflammation, is another important contributing factor in acne [*]. In tissues with high levels of oxidative stress, polyunsaturated omega-6 fats break down into toxic byproducts, which then cause further tissue damage [*].
In a 2005 peer-reviewed paper, researchers discovered that patients with acne had higher levels of malondialdehyde, a toxic aldehyde formed from the breakdown or oxidation of polyunsaturated fats, compared to controls [*]. A separate 2008 study also found that patients with severe acne had higher malondialdehyde levels compared to other acne patients and controls [*]. 
Eating excessive amounts of omega-6 linoleic acid is one reason malondialdehyde formation occurs [*]. Another way malondialdehyde can form is during cooking. When foods high in omega-6 fats are heated, such as during deep frying, malondialdehyde and other toxic compounds are produced [*].
The effects of consuming foods high in malondialdehyde are reflected in statistics from two studies on the role of diet in acne:
In a 2021 study of 2,476 participants, consuming oily and fried food at least 3 times per week was associated with an 84% increase in the risk of worsened acne severity [*].
And in a 2010 study of 783 acne patients and 502 control subjects, intakes of junk food and fried chicken were significantly higher in the acne group[*]. 

Along with removing seed oils from your diet for healthier skin, you may be able to avoid the acne-causing effects of deep-fried restaurant foods by frying foods at home, with oils lower in omega-6 fatty acids. 
Sun Damage and Melanoma
Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is associated with excessive UV (ultraviolet) light exposure that results in sunburn and damage to skin cells [*]. However, melanoma rates increased during the 20th century, even as people used more sunscreen and spent less time outside in direct sunlight than ever before [*].
In the 1950s, a diagnosis of invasive melanoma was rare: only 1.9 patient cases occurred per 100,000 men and 2.6 cases per 100,000 women [*]. But between 1950 and 2007, the rates rose more than 17-fold in men (increasing to 33.5 cases per 100,000) and more than nine-fold in women (to 25.3 per 100,000) [*].   
According to population-wide observational data, the increasing incidence of melanoma (and other cancers, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer) starting in the middle of the 20th century reflects increasing intakes of omega-6 linoleic acid [*].
One way linoleic acid may contribute to cancer formation or growth is by increasing cellular inflammation, which “predisposes to the development of cancer and promotes all stages of tumorigenesis” (tumor formation and growth) [*].
As a result, several cancer researchers have concluded that increasing omega-6 linoleic acid intakes better explain the phenomenon of rising melanoma rates than increases in sun exposure over the same period [*,*,*,*].
And according to results from the 1960s Los Angeles Veterans study conducted by the American Heart Association, a trial including over 800 veterans, the men receiving diets high in linoleic acid (15% of daily calories from linoleic acid versus 4% in the control group) were 82% more likely to die of cancer [*].
The average person today eats 6-10% of their calories from omega-6 linoleic acid, or approximately 13-22 grams of linoleic acid on a 2,000 calorie-per-day diet, which come mainly from soybean and sunflower oils used for cooking and as ingredients in ultra-processed foods[*,*].
The historical human intake of omega-6 linoleic acid required to thrive is a mere 1-2% of daily calories, or approximately 2-4.5 grams per day [*]. It's extremely easy to obtain this amount of omega-6 fats from healthy whole foods like nuts, grains, meat, eggs, and dairy.
In a large 2018 epidemiological study of fat intake and the risk of skin cancer in U.S. adults, higher omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake was associated with an 18-23% higher risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a 4-9% increased risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and a 15-17% higher risk of melanoma [*]. 
According to a 2020 review of 38 studies, along with reducing your omega-6 intake, eating more seafood high in omega-3s can also reduce skin inflammation, provide photoprotection against UV light (similar to how sunscreen works to prevent sunburn), and appears to lower the risk of skin cancer [*]. 
Skin Aging 
Some skin aging is unavoidable due to genetically programmed cell aging, but factors like UV radiation, pollution, and stress accelerate the breakdown of skin cell structures, contributing to wrinkles and the loss of elasticity [*]. Oxidative stress, which is cellular damage caused by free radicals, is a major contributing factor.
The accumulation of radical oxidative species (ROS), also called free radicals, causes DNA damage, skin inflammation, lower levels of antioxidants, and reduced collagen levels in the skin [*]. 
Younger skin can regenerate from oxidative stress [*]. But over time, as damage accumulates and the skin's ability to heal is diminished, skin aging results [*,*].
As we covered in the previous section, UV radiation damages skin through oxidative stress [*]. Consuming too much dietary omega-6 fat increases oxidative stress and inflammation in response to sunlight, contributing to more skin damage and higher rates of skin cancer [*].
Diets high in omega-6 fats also increase the production of aldehydes like malondialdehyde and 4HNE (4-hydroxynonenal), which contribute to skin aging [*,*,*,*,*].
Foods deep-fried in seed oils are also high in harmful, inflammatory byproducts like malondialdehyde and 4HNE, which may accelerate skin aging [*,**]. 
To reduce inflammation and skin aging, you can reduce your omega-6 intake dramatically by avoiding seed oils. Increasing your consumption of anti-inflammatory omega-3 can also help.
In a 2013 study of over 2,900 subjects aged 45-60, researchers found that a higher intake of omega-3 fats was associated with less sun-related aging, and those with the highest levels of sun damage had the lowest omega-3 intake levels [*].
Skin Barrier and Healing
Your skin barrier or stratum corneum is an important part of your immune system. This tough, outermost layer of skin protects against external threats and helps your skin stay smooth and moisturized [*]. Skin barrier breakdown results in itchy, dry, cracked skin and sometimes causes conditions like eczema.
Omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats are both required for proper skin barrier functioning. In conditions like eczema, patients often have skin deficiencies of these essential fatty acids, even though, in some cases, the rest of their bodies aren't deficient [*].
Some research has shown benefits to applying topical omega-6 oils to restore barrier function and hydrate skin, while other studies suggest that oral omega-3 fats can also help for these purposes [*].
In a 2020 mouse study, researchers discovered that providing rats with nutrition containing a 4-to-1 or 1-to-1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats reduced inflammation and decreased eczema-like symptoms [*]. In comparison, most people today eat a 15-to-1 or higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats [*].
And according to the authors of a 2017 rat study, consuming a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats may impair wound healing, but achieving a more balanced intake by reducing omega-6 fats and increasing omega-3s could improve wound healing [*]. 
Answers to Common Questions About Vegetable Oil and Skin Health
The world of dietary fats is complex. Here's what to keep in mind about vegetable oils, omega fatty acids, skin health, and more.
What Oils Should You Avoid?
Consuming seed oils high in omega-6 fats may contribute to inflammation and chronic disease, including inflammatory skin problems [*]. Avoiding seed oils like soybean, sunflower, corn, peanut, safflower, cottonseed, and canola oil is an easy way to reduce your omega-6 intake and decrease skin inflammation.
What Oils Are Not Good for Your Face?
Seed oils high in omega-6 may contribute to skin aging and inflammatory problems like acne when eaten regularly. On the other hand, research shows that some vegetable oils like olive, almond, and avocado oil may cause irritation when applied to the skin topically [*].
Olive oil contains squalene and polyphenols, which likely contribute to its irritating topical effects [*]. However, research suggests dietary intake of monounsaturated fats oils like Cultured Oil can support metabolic health and skin health [*].
Does Omega-6 Help With Acne?
There's no good evidence that dietary omega-6 fats help with acne or pimples. In fact, some scientists make the case that consuming too much omega-6 contributes to acne severity by increasing inflammation and reducing tissue levels of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats [*].
Is Omega-6 Linoleic Acid Good or Bad for Skin?
Seed oils high in omega-6 linoleic acid appear to contribute to skin inflammation, acne, and other skin problems when eaten regularly. However, when applied topically, there's some evidence that high-linoleic oils like evening primrose, safflower, sunflower, or hemp oil might hydrate skin and support barrier function [*].
Interestingly, the linoleic acid contained in these oils might not be responsible for their potential benefits. According to a 2020 peer-reviewed paper on botanical oils, other components of oils, such as antioxidants and micronutrients, might be the active ingredients when used topically [*].
Will Vegetable Oil Clog Your Pores?
Eating vegetable oils high in omega-6 doesn't appear to increase sebum production but can increase inflammation, which may lead to pimples [*]. When applied topically, any vegetable oil could potentially cause comedones (blackheads) to form. In particular, olive oil is high in squalene, which can cause blackheads when applied to skin [*,*].
Which Is Better, Omega-3 or 6?
We require both omega-3 and omega-6 fats from our diets because our bodies can't produce them. However, modern diets are usually low in omega-3 and very high in omega-6, which leads to inflammation [*]. Reducing your omega-6 intake and consuming adequate amounts of omega-3 fats may decrease inflammation and improve skin health [*].
Should We Avoid Omega-6? 
Most whole foods contain low levels of omega-6 fats, so it’s not necessary or realistic to avoid all omega-6 sources. That said, cutting out high-omega-6 seed oils is the best way to avoid overconsumption of these inflammatory fats. You'll still get enough from nuts, grains, meat, and eggs. 
What Cooking Oil Is Best for Skin?
To reduce inflammation and support healthy skin, replace seed oils with vegetable oil substitutes that are low in omega-6 fats for all your recipes. Some of the best options for this purpose include Cultured Oil, avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil. 
The Takeaway
Your diet can have a significant impact on your skin health through its effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, and hormones.
The well-known advice of limiting your intake of sugar and junk food and focusing on plenty of real, whole foods for healthier skin still holds true. 
Along with a healthy, balanced diet, it's also vital to limit inflammation by reducing your omega-6 intake from vegetable oils like soybean, sunflower, and corn oil. You can further improve your skin health by getting plenty of omega-3 fats from wild-caught seafood.


Sweet, roasted garlic mashed with fresh herbs and honey, then drizzled with deliciously clean oil. This dip is a year-round favorite.

Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip

Family-style, bountiful buffet, build-your-own-party-plate boards grab attention on social feeds and at events because we feast with our eyes first. Quintessentially classic charcuterie boards don’t fall out of style like the of-the-moment breakfast and butter boards do. This Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip competes for the spotlight on a charcuterie board and blows any herb- and spice-studded butter board away with its layers of flavor. 
It also stands alone as the centerpiece for game day snacking and shouting at the TV, or as a room temperature-friendly dip to tote to a potluck. 
The best part: You get caramelized, savory, mellow umami flavor from slicing the stems off two garlic bulbs and placing them into a hot oven to roast. The magic starts there and crescendos when you dump all of the ingredients into a food processor or high-speed blender and whizz until smooth. Effort is as minimal as dumping wings into the air fryer. 
published


Cream Cheese Garlic Dip




Ingredients
2 bulbs (or heads) garlic
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. Cultured Oil, divided
1 ½ tsp. salt, divided
4-5 stalks fresh parsley
8 oz. cream cheese
½ lemon, juiced
½ tsp. black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ tbsp. Green Goddess seasoning*
1 tbsp. spicy honey, optional

*Note: We used Trader Joe’s Green Goddess Seasoning. If you can’t find this blend, you can combine any of the following spices you have on hand: granulated garlic, onion, salt, pepper, dried chives, dried parsley, spinach powder. 
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
Cut the top ½ inch or so of each garlic bulb off so the cloves are exposed (no need to peel). 
Place the two full bulbs of garlic on a small oven safe baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of Cultured Oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. 
Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the garlic is golden brown and sizzling. 
Allow it to cool before handling. 
Use a knife or small spoon to lift the skin away from the edges of each glove. Pick up the bulb and squeeze it from the bottom up and the roasted gloves should slide right out. 
In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine parsley, cream cheese, ¼ cup cultured oil, lemon juice, all seasonings, roasted garlic, and spicy honey (if using). 
Blend on high until the cream cheese block is fully blended and mixture is smooth throughout. 
Remove the dip from the food processor with a rubber spatula and place into a serving dish. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of Cultured Oil.

Cook’s Tip: To make homemade crostini for the dip, leave the oven on, cut French bread into ½-inch thick pieces, drizzle with Cultured Oil, and any seasoning you like. Bake for 14 minutes, flipping halfway through.

How to Serve Creamy Roasted Garlic Dip
Plunk the dip into a serving bowl, dump into a hollowed-out sourdough boule, smear on crackers or crostini topped with sliced cherry tomatoes and snipped chives, or dollop on top of any soup. This versatile dip doubles as a spread, substitute for sour cream, or even as a sauce stirred into a hot skillet with bronzed chicken thighs and mushrooms. Mix it into hot pasta for a creamy alternative to alfredo. Other serving ideas:
Dip for chips, pita, veggies, crackers, crusty bread, or pretzels
Spread on a sandwich 
Swap it with the fig jam on your charcuterie board
Smear onto the inside flap of butterflied chicken breasts. Top with prosciutto and sliced creminis or baby spinach leaves, close the top of the chicken breasts and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. 

How to Customize Your Dip
Make it en fuego: Add your favorite hot sauce, chopped serrano peppers or arbol chilies, or stir in adobo sauce and diced chipotles
Add smoky flavor: Stir in crumbled crispy bacon bits, a few drops of liquid smoke, or pan-fried pancetta cubes
Add chewy sweetness: Chop sun-dried tomatoes and stir in
Switch up the cheese: Swap cream cheese for goat, ricotta, feta, or chevre
Go vegan: Use nut-based soft cheese or tofu cream cheese
Go green: Switch the chopped parsley for fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, or basil 

Do I Need to Use Fresh Garlic?
Yes. The roasted garlic is the namesake of this dip and what gives it a smokey, sweet taste. Swap it with raw garlic or cooked (but not roasted) garlic and it’s just not the same. 
Do I Need to Use a Food Processor?
If you have a food processor, pull it out. The ease of this dip makes the clean-up effort worthwhile. A high-speed blender also works to create the smooth consistency you want. You just may need to scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula to ensure everything gets blended evenly.

Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
Absolutely. You can make the roasted garlic ahead of time, let it cool, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days before you make the dip. You can also make the whole recipe ahead of time and store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
While it’s highly unlikely that you’ll have leftovers after tasting this smooth, garlicky dip, you can store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also store it in a freezer-safe bag or vessel and freeze for up to 3 months. 
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 2 tbsp.
Number of servings: about 15
Calories: 110
Total Fat: 11 grams
Sodium: 338 mg
Total Carbs: 3 grams
Protein: 1 grams
Nutritional information supplied from Cronometer. Nutritional info does not include optional 1 Tbsp. spicy honey. 
This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.


Vegetable oils are one of the most consumed foods on the planet; and also some of the worst for the environment.

Environmentally-Friendly Cooking Oils: The Best and Worst Options

Article at a Glance
Most people overlook the environmental impact of cooking oils, which is significant.
The biggest problems with cooking oils include land use, deforestation, chemical runoff, pollution, and emissions.
Each oil has its own unique environmental tradeoffs. For example, palm oil is extremely efficient but results in major deforestation, while sunflower oil has a low carbon footprint but uses a lot of water.
By making careful, well-educated purchasing decisions, you can vote with your dollar to make an immediate impact and also help reform the food system over time.

Introduction
If you look on the back of most packaged foods, or ask how your latest restaurant meal is cooked, it’s likely you’ll find the same thing: vegetable oils. Vegetable oils are everywhere and producing cooking oil is a huge global industry. 
Like any big business, it's industrialized, commodified, and optimized for profit — sometimes at the expense of the environment and sustainability.
In this guide, we'll show you how different cooking oils affect the environment, the factors that make them sustainable (or not), and how you can make better choices that make a real difference.
published


Understanding the Environmental Effects of Vegetable Oils




What Makes Cooking Oil Environmentally Friendly?
Cooking oils are essential commodities. Most of us use them daily, yet it's easy to forget how many different steps those conveniently bottled, transparent liquids undergo before they reach your kitchen.
For the most part, environmentally-friendly cooking oils are the oils that minimize adverse environmental effects at each point of production and distribution, from the land where the crops grow to water use to importing. The environmental impact of each type of cooking oil varies based on each of these factors. 
Here's how oils go from the crop stage to your kitchen:
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How Vegetable Oil Production Can Affect the Environment




While each step in cooking oil production can potentially result in negative environmental consequences, these are also opportunities to reduce environmental impacts.
How Sustainable Are Common Cooking Oils?
Here's how most cooking oils compare in terms of land use, ecosystem impact, water footprint, pollution, emissions, and energy usage. 
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is a versatile, high-heat cooking oil that's high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, but current avocado production has some serious sustainability problems.
A single avocado requires over 60 gallons of water to produce, and intensive avocado farming in Mexico is now leading to erosion and loss of forest habitats [*,*]. Now, consider that it can take 10 pounds of avocados to produce a standard 16.9oz bottle of avocado oil [*].
Avocados are also associated with higher CO2 emissions than many crops, especially since they often travel significant distances from where they're grown [*].
When possible, buying avocado oil that's organic, fair-trade, and produced in regions near where you live may help mitigate these issues.
Canola Oil 
Canola (rapeseed) is among the most efficient oil crops in terms of water use, and it's also got a favorable yield of cooking oil  [*]. Around 45% of the canola seed consists of oil (fat), which is double that of soybeans [*].
However, canola oil production does have environmental issues, including significant land use, pesticide usage (which appear to be affecting wild bee populations), and the use of large amounts of fertilizers and other chemicals [*,*,*].
Most commercial canola oil is extracted using hexane, an industrial solvent associated with toxicity and air pollution [*]. 
You can avoid some of these issues by buying organic, expeller-pressed canola oil.
Coconut Oil
As a tropical crop, coconuts grow in the most biodiverse regions of the planet, in the tropics near the equator. And unfortunately, coconut oil production has a significant negative impact on biodiversity. 
Even though the overall production of coconut oil is relatively small compared to other cooking oils, it threatens more species per ton of oil produced than any other cooking oil.
According to a study from the University of Exeter, deforestation from coconut oil production affects 20 threatened plant and animal species per million liters of oil produced (compared to olive oil, 4.1 species per million liters, and palm oil, 3.8 species) [*,*].
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Number of species threatened by vegetable oil crops




You can offset some of the harm of coconut oil production by buying Rainforest Alliance Certified coconut oil [*].
Corn Oil 
Corn is the single biggest agricultural commodity produced in the United States, and it's not considered very sustainable [*].
The vast majority of corn is grown in monocultures that rely heavily on nitrogen, herbicides, pesticides, and industrial farming equipment.
There are plenty of better cooking oil options than corn oil, from a health and a sustainability standpoint, so you might as well skip this option altogether.
Cultured Oil
Cultured Oil is a new type of oil made through fermentation. It was introduced as a viable solution to the environmental problems posed by conventional cooking oils, and it's high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and low in inflammatory linoleic acid.
Unlike vegetable oil crops, Cultured Oil can be produced anywhere in the world and therefore results in zero tropical deforestation, with minimal impact on biodiversity.
Furthermore, the sugars used to feed the fermentation of Cultured Oil are never sourced from rainforest regions or equatorial zones (including previously deforested areas).
Before Cultured Oil, palm oil was by far the most productive oil crop, producing 3.6 metric tons of oil per hectare of land. Cultured Oil is as productive as palm oil when it comes to oil yield per acre, but without the negative impact on tropical ecosystems [*].
Compared to the most prevalent vegetable oil in the U.S. (soybean oil), Cultured Oil emits 86% fewer greenhouse gasses, consumes 83% less water, and uses 90% less land [*]. 
And compared to other common vegetable oils like canola oil, sunflower oil, and olive oil, Cultured Oil requires 86-94% less land.
No other oil comes close to Cultured Oil’s small environmental footprint and total impact on biodiversity, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and water consumption.
Cultured Oil also comes in a 100% recyclable BPA-free aluminum bottle, offering a more sustainable option than plastic or glass [*].
Olive Oil 
Olives are a thirsty crop that typically rely on freshwater irrigation to support oil yield. Without sufficient water, most olive trees produce a low yield, and also result in oil with bitter and unpleasant flavors [*].
Among all food crops, only nuts like almonds require more water than olive oil. In fact, olive oil requires more water per kilogram of food than even beef, eggs, pork, or milk [*].
On the positive side, olive trees are perennials (meaning they don't die off and require replanting each year), so they don't have the same degree of land use or deforestation issues as many other oil crops.
You can reduce the impact of buying olive oil by seeking out organic or pesticide-free olive oil from old-growth trees, which often come from Europe. Older olive trees require less watering and are generally more sustainable.
Just be sure to read the bottles to ensure that your olive oil is coming from a reputable source. Many olive oils are adulterated with cheaper seed oils like soy and canola.
Palm Oil 
Palm oil is by far the most prevalent cooking oil in the world — and its reputation for being environmentally unfriendly is at least partially deserved.
Three years ago, annual global palm oil production reached 72 million tons, which accounts for about a third of all cooking oils produced worldwide each year [*]. 
Like coconuts, oil palms are a tropical crop. The majority of palm oil comes from Indonesia (57%) and Malaysia (27%) [*]. As with coconut oil, the production of palm oil affects tropical regions with high biodiversity.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, oil palm expansion has significant negative effects on global biodiversity and affects at least 193 threatened species [*]. 
The adverse environmental effects of palm oil aren't inevitable, but are mainly a result of disregard for ethical land management practices. Another, related reason is the growing demand for palm oil without consumer awareness over environmental impact.
On the positive side, palm oil is the most efficient traditional oil crop, producing 4 times more oil per hectare than sunflowers, over 6 times more oil than soybeans, and 11 times more than olives [*].
The best way to avoid the environmental impacts of palm oil is to look for an environmentally certified product like Sustainable Palm Oil, certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm oil (RSPO), or with a certified fair trade logo on the label (FairPalm, Fair for Life, or other organizations).
Peanut Oil
On the whole, peanuts and peanut oil are refreshingly sustainable and environmentally friendly. 
As legumes, peanuts are nitrogen-fixing with the ability to restore depleted soils, and their deep roots (reaching over two meters into the soil) reduce the need for freshwater irrigation [*].
The main downside of peanut oil is its relatively high omega-6 linoleic acid content, which is harmful for health when consumed in excess. 
It's easy to eat too much linoleic acid when you cook with seed oils, so it's probably wise to limit your peanut consumption to snacking on whole peanuts and natural peanut butter, not peanut oil. Peanuts use 17 times less water compared to almonds, so you can feel good about them as an occasional snack.
Sunflower Oil 
Sunflower oil has a relatively low carbon footprint and typically uses lower amounts of herbicides than other oil crops (sunflowers are allelopathic, meaning they naturally kill off competing plants, like weeds) [*].
However, sunflowers use a relatively large amount of water (but still only half as much as olive oil, on average) and are often produced using destructive pesticides [*,*]. 
In addition to its environmental impact, sunflower oil tends to contain higher levels of inflammatory linoleic acid than most other vegetable oils.
Soybean Oil 
Soybean crops are a major cause of deforestation, loss of natural habitats, displacement of small farmers and indigenous peoples, soil erosion and degradation, chemical runoff, and excessive water use [*].
As a legume, soybeans have the potential to restore nitrogen levels in depleted soils, but only as part of responsible land management and regenerative agriculture.
Currently, the most sustainable choice is to avoid soybean oil when possible in favor of more environmentally-friendly cooking oils.
The Takeaway
If you're serious about sustainability, it's time to vote with your dollar and make the right choices when you're shopping for cooking oils.
The good news is that you can consume avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and palm oil in a more environmentally responsible manner. Look for the appropriate certifications and guarantees from credible organizations when you shop for these oils.
Canola, peanut, sunflower, and soybean oil are best to avoid when possible. Each of these seed oils may require you to make compromises on your values surrounding sustainability, health, or both.
The bottom line is that all cooking oils derived from conventional oil crops require you to make compromises.
On the other hand, Cultured Oil, which is made by fermentation, avoids many of the environmental issues associated with oil crop agriculture.
It's a better choice in terms of its land use, water use, emissions, and other criteria we've covered in this article — not to mention its high levels of heart-healthy fats and unmatched culinary performance.
When it comes to choosing more sustainable food options, it’s tough to strive for perfection, but small changes really do make an enormous difference over time.


Canola oil is a seed oil derived from the rapeseed plant, and it contains problematic levels of the inflammatory omega-6 fat linoleic acid.

Is Canola Oil Bad for You?

Article at a Glance
Canola oil was created as a lower-cost alternative to olive oil that growers could produce in North America. It’s named after the Canadian plant breeders who developed it.
Canola oil is unique in that it contains omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in addition to omega-6 linoleic acid. Both are susceptible to oxidation and break down into dangerous molecules during cooking.
Reheating canola oil is typical in restaurant settings, which leads to the formation of trans fats and other harmful breakdown products, according to several studies. 
Canola oil can contain upwards of 4% trans fat content while still labeling the bottle as “trans fat free.”

Introduction
Canola oil (also known as rapeseed oil) is one of the most popular oils used in the United States today, with consumption rates nearly doubling over the last 13 years alone [*]. Historically, it’s had a reputation of being a “heart-healthy” fat, and is generally less expensive than other similarly marketed oils like olive or avocado oil. Over the last several decades, canola oil has exploded in popularity and is used in homes, restaurants, and packaged foods all over the world. 
Does canola oil really deserve its reputation as a healthy oil? How does it stack up against other options in the cooking oil aisle? Read on to find out for yourself.
What is Canola Oil?
Canola oil is a product of the 1980’s, born into the boom of “heart-healthy” alternatives to saturated fats. While olive oil was touted as a promising solution to heart health with its high monounsaturated fat content, oil industry producers in North America were forced to grapple with their inability to grow enough olive trees to produce the olive oil necessary to supply the trend. They needed a less expensive olive oil alternative, and they found it in canola oil.
Canola oil was derived from an industrial oil known as rapeseed oil, used for centuries as a lubricant during the industrial revolution [*]. Industrial rapeseed oil is high in erucic acid, a fatty acid whose properties make it ideal for use as an industrial lubricant, but not so much as a cooking ingredient. 
Oils high in erucic acid, like rapeseed oil, are generally recognized as unsafe for human consumption based on findings that show an association between erucic acid intake and the development of lesions on heart muscle fibers [*]. Recognizing the public health concerns over the erucic acid of rapeseed oil, Canadian plant breeders were quick to develop a variety of rapeseed oil with lower amounts of erucic acid [*].
This new oil needed a new name. Originally called LEAR (an acronym for Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed), food marketers opted to rebrand the oil in celebration of its Canadian origins, and “Can-ola” oil was born (Canadian oil low acid). 
Is Canola Oil Vegetable Oil?
Because canola oil is derived from the seeds of the inelegantly named rape plant, it is considered a seed oil. And all seed oils are considered vegetable oils.
Canola oil is the world’s third-most produced vegetable oil behind soybean oil and palm oil [*]. Today, Canada remains the largest producer of canola oil worldwide [*].
In addition to the concerns that canola oil consumption may pose for your health, canola oil production poses serious environmental concerns.
Due to its reliance on mono-crop agriculture, excessive amounts of land and resources are devoted to oil crops like canola. Canola oil production is also closely tied to the widespread use of harmful pesticides.
In 2013, the European Union banned the use of pesticides that were commonly used on the bright yellow flowers of the canola crop [*]. The ban came after scientists linked the use of pesticides on crops like canola to an alarming 30% decline in the populations of bees and other essential species [*,*].
About 90% of canola oil today comes from seeds engineered to be resistant to herbicides like RoundUp [*]. There are a host of controversies surrounding the use of herbicide-resistant crops in the agricultural industry, from the questionable impact on humans, animals, and the planet to Roundup’s known carcinogenic properties [*].  
How is Canola Oil Made? 
Most canola oil is extracted from the rape seed using a process that requires chemical solvent extraction and high heat processing to produce the familiar, light-colored and mildly-flavored oil [*]. Oil manufacturers use this process to produce most vegetable oils.
During the extraction process, oil is separated from its protective seeds, and the fragile polyunsaturated fats are exposed to heat, light, and air. As a result, the delicate omega-6 and omega-3 fats can begin to oxidize or break down even before making it into the bottle, especially when exposed to high heat.
Because of canola oil’s high polyunsaturated fat content, as part of the deodorization process, some of the unstable fats are converted to trans fats. Samples of canola oil have been found to have up to 3.6% trans fat content. Since this results in less than 0.5 grams per 14 gram serving, manufacturers have been able to get away with leaving trans fat content off of nutrition labels, and may even claim “zero trans fat” on their bottles [*]. 
Though the FDA banned trans fats from use as a food ingredient in 2015 based on numerous studies linking them with increased heart disease risk, food companies had until 2018 to comply without penalty [*]. Prior to the ban, oil manufacturers commonly used a process of partial hydrogenation to saturate and stabilize the unsaturated fatty acids in oils like canola. 
While partially hydrogenated oils are generally no longer found in the U.S. food supply, canola oil refined using high-heat could have upwards of 4% trans fat content that is able to skirt by labeling laws and pass as “trans fat free.”
Canola Oil Nutrition
Canola oil contains moderate amounts of monounsaturated fats compared to other vegetable oils, and this was its primary selling point in the ‘80s when it debuted. However, like most seed oils, canola oil also contains a significant share of polyunsaturated fats. Upwards of 25% of canola oil’s fatty acids are polyunsaturated, and predominantly composed of pro-inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid [*].  
Omega-6 is an essential fat, meaning that the body can’t produce it on its own. However, the amounts humans need to survive are much smaller than the amounts generally consumed by the average person today, and excess intake has been linked to a variety of chronic diseases [*,*,*,*,*].
While both omega-3 and omega-6 functions include brain development and cellular structure on some level, omega-6 fats are converted by the body to arachidonic acid which plays a role in our inflammatory response. In other words, too much omega-6 seems to lead to more inflammation, and more inflammation can lead to more disease [*]. 
Omega-3 fats on the other hand, are thought to play an anti-inflammatory role in the body. Adequate omega-3 intake has been linked to mood regulation, neural-cognitive development, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and reduced bodywide inflammation [*]. Experts recommend that intake of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids be between 1:1 and 4:1. Current average intakes are estimated to be closer to 20:1 [*]. 
But research also suggests that merely increasing omega-3 intake without also limiting linoleic acid isn't effective at decreasing inflammation [*]. Excessive omega-6 linoleic acid intake actually depletes tissue levels of omega-3 fats, further increasing inflammation [*].
Canola oil is unique in that it contains both omega-6 linoleic acid as well a type of omega-3 fatty acid found in plants called alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA. ALA is different from the active forms of omega-3 fats – DHA and EPA – found in most omega-3 supplements and fatty fish like Salmon.  ALA must be converted by the body to either DHA or EPA before it is able to act as an anti-inflammatory agent, however, most studies suggest that less than 5% of ALA is converted to the active form in humans [*]. 
What’s more, the efficiency of converting ALA to DHA or EPA appears to depend on the overall concentration of omega-6 in the diet — with higher concentrations reducing this conversion by 40-50% [*]. Unfortunately, the average person today is consuming more omega-6 than ever before [*]. When ALA is not converted to EPA or DHA, it’s simply used in the body for energy without any other specific beneficial effects. 
The unique high-PUFA fatty acid composition of canola oil makes it susceptible to oxidation at high temperatures [*]. Some animal studies have indicated that ingestion of oxidized omega-3 fatty acids may be harmful, increasing the risk for organ damage, inflammation, cancer, and heart disease [*]. 
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Canola Oil Smoke Point
If you’re planning on cooking with any oil, you should get familiar with its smoke point. When cooking temperatures get hot enough, cooking oils will begin to produce a visible smoke as impurities in the oil burn.
The burning or breakdown of impurities in the oil, like free fatty acids, free glycerol, and other volatile materials, can create harmful byproducts like acrolein, undesirable flavors, and a smoky kitchen [*]. 
Because the impurities in most commercial canola oil have been filtered out during the refining process, canola oil may not smoke as easily as an extra virgin olive oil. Most sources identify a smoke point of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit for canola oil [*].
However, due to its relatively high levels of polyunsaturated fats, canola oil starts to break down into toxic compounds long before its smoke point – at lower temperatures than refined avocado oil, and of course, Cultured Oil. 
Canola Oil for Frying
With its moderate smoke point and low price point, canola oil is often used as a frying oil in commercial operations like restaurants and home kitchens alike. 
Reusing frying oil for days at a time is a common practice in restaurant kitchens, and a 2018 study found that more than 80% of randomly selected restaurants were serving food made using cooking oil that had been oxidized beyond the recommended limit for human consumption [*]. 
Why does this happen? Every time an oil is heated, the unstable unsaturated fatty acids oxidize and break down, decreasing its smoke point and increasing its concentration of impurities [*]. 
Repeatedly heating oils, particularly those high in polyunsaturated fats, has also been shown to lead to the formation of aldehydes and trans fats — a similar phenomenon to what may happen to unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids during processing, but to a much greater degree [*,*].
While canola oil you buy off the shelf may not contain enough trans fats to warrant a warning on the label, its prolonged use as a frying oil, especially in a high-volume restaurant setting, may pose a greater degree of threat to our health [*,*]. 
Is Canola Oil Bad For You?
Despite its origins as a healthful solution to the rhetoric around saturated fat and heart disease in the mid-1980s, canola oil’s fatty acid composition may have you questioning whether it’s actually all that healthy.
While it’s extremely difficult to link singular foods to complex health outcomes, the oil you choose to cook with is likely to play a significant role in your diet and it is worthwhile to find one you can feel good about. 
Existing research is mixed when it comes to linking canola oil intake with health benefits and risks.
For instance, one 2018 cross-sectional study found an association between canola oil intake and metabolic syndrome in young adults, [*] while a 2013 review (sponsored by the canola oil industry) concluded that canola oil consumption improves markers of cardiovascular health [*]. 
With a food like canola oil, considering how it’s consumed is likely more important than simply studying whether or not people use it. Importantly, multiple experimental studies have linked heated canola oil with markers of inflammation in animals [*,*,*].
Heating canola oil, especially heating it to high temperatures or for a long period of time, is likely to contribute to worse health outcomes than using it as an oil in a salad dressing. You are wise to be wary of restaurant foods fried in vegetable oil, where prolonged use is a common practice.
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Canola Oil Substitutes 
Most people gravitate towards canola oil for its neutral taste and reputation as a healthier alternative to other vegetable oils that do not contain omega-3 ALA. 
But as discussed earlier, in order for ALA to confer any benefit to human health, your body must convert it to the active forms of omega-3, DHA or EPA, which studies suggest happens at an extremely low rate [*]. 
Further complicating the healthful reputation of ALA, this type of fatty acid is particularly unstable and susceptible to oxidation — so once you expose canola oil to high heat, and especially if you do so more than once, most of the ALA is likely to degrade into unwanted byproducts or contribute to inflammatory free radical formation. You’re better off using a different oil altogether and getting your omega-3s from whole food sources like salmon.
For a neutral-tasting oil that can stand up to the heat without breaking down easily or morphing into a slurry of harmful oxidized byproducts, definitely opt for a low-linoleic acid cooking oil like Cultured Oil. With 90-94% monounsaturated fat, Cultured Oil offers even more stability than olive or avocado oil and has up to 10 times less linoleic acid than canola oil. 
The Takeaway
Among vegetable and seed oils, canola oil appears to stand out as one of the least offensive in terms of linoleic acid content, with 21-25% compared to other vegetable oils that top out at upwards of 70% linoleic acid. 
However, canola oil’s moderate linoleic acid content may pose serious problems in the context of modern diets which already contain unprecedented levels of linoleic acid.
Although canola oil does contain some level of omega-3s, those omega-3s are not well absorbed by the body and actually make the oil more susceptible to oxidation compared to other oils. To make matters worse, most canola oil is used for cooking and frying (especially in restaurant settings), where harmful byproducts are more likely to build up.
Given the prevalence of cooking oils, we should also consider their environmental impact. Like other vegetable oil crops, canola oil is reliant on mono-crop agriculture, which has a significant impact on land and water use and poses a threat to biodiversity.
When it comes to cooking, look for oils with high monounsaturated fat content that are stable at high temperatures. Avoid foods fried in vegetable oils at restaurants, and don’t use vegetable oils for frying more than once.


The smoke point of oil is the temperature at which it starts smoking. Choosing cooking oils with the right smoke points is crucial for cooking and for your health.

Cooking Oil Smoke Points: A Practical Guide for Cooks and Chefs

Article at a Glance
If your cooking oil smokes, it’s an indicator that your oil is getting too hot. 
Overheating cooking oils creates undesirable flavors and harmful byproducts.
If you're cooking at 350-400°F or higher, choose an oil with a high smoke point.
Along with smoke points, also consider thermal stability and fatty acid content when choosing oils.
Cooking oils high in polyunsaturated fats have the worst thermal stability as well as other downsides.

Introduction
You may have noticed that throwing some butter in a pan at high heat generates a different reaction than avocado oil. After a short time, it’s likely that the butter will start to smoke and turn brown, while avocado oil stays clear and won’t smoke until it sizzles for a few minutes.
The amount of heat it takes for a fat to smoke is called its smoke point, and every cooking oil and fat has a different range. Knowing the smoke point of an oil can make the difference between a perfectly cooked meal, and one that tastes burned and contains some harmful chemical byproducts. 
This article covers the smoke points of common cooking oils, why there’s so much incorrect data surrounding smoke points, and other science-backed information to help you choose the best cooking oil every time.
What Is Smoke Point?
An oil's smoke point is the temperature at which it begins to smoke visibly when heated. Chefs and home cooks often use smoke point information to determine whether a given cooking oil is appropriate for sauteing, pan-frying, or deep-frying foods.
In most cases, a smoke point represents the absolute upper limit of the usable temperature range of an oil. In other words, the smoke point of an oil is the maximum temperature, and you should avoid heating it past that point whenever possible.
If your cooking oil starts smoking, that's a sure sign that you're using too much heat. This can ruin the flavor of your favorite dishes and trigger the smoke alarm in your kitchen. But even worse — overheating certain oils can create harmful compounds in your food that can negatively affect your health [*].
Overheating certain oils can actually create byproducts such as acrylamides, toxic aldehydes, hydroxylinoleate, free radicals, and trans fats [*,*]. Another adverse effect of using too much heat is generating cooking oil fumes that can increase the risk of lung cancer [*].
But smoke points have several limitations when it comes to choosing the right oil for cooking. One significant issue is that some oils, especially those high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, are highly unstable and begin to break down well before they start smoking visibly. That means that some cooking oils can have relatively high smoke points but still aren't suitable for high-heat cooking.
Also, kitchens are uncontrolled environments, unlike laboratories. The smoke point of an oil is very much dependent on how you store your oil, and if the oil is subjected to heat, light, moisture, and many other environmental variables [*]. Therefore, compared to accurate smoke points measured by scientists, the results you experience in your kitchen can vary.
Factors That Affect Smoke Point
The smoke points of common dietary fats range from as low as 300°F all the way up to nearly 500°F. Factors that contribute to these differences include sedimentation (solids left over from processing) and free fatty acid (FFA) content [*]. An oil's thermal stability also affects flavor and other properties when the oil is heated [*].
Sediment refers to non-fat solids contained in cooking oil. Unrefined oils contain more sediment compared to refined oils. These solids begin to smoke at lower temperatures than pure fats or oils, and as a result, lower the smoke point of oils when present.
In other words, most unrefined or "virgin" oils aren't great choices for high-heat cooking. They smoke at lower temperatures than their refined counterparts.
Free fatty acid (FFA) content is another factor behind smoke points. Most fatty acids in cooking oils are in triglyceride form, but slowly break down into FFAs. FFAs in cooking oils are less stable than fatty acids in the triglyceride form, and also smoke at lower temperatures [*]. 
The FFA content of different oils increase when they are heated [*​​]. This is why reusing cooking oil is a bad idea. Each time you reheat it, the smoke point decreases and the oil becomes less heat-stable.
Storage is another factor that can affect FFA levels. Buying quality oil and storing it properly (out of direct light, at room temperature) keeps FFAs in check.
Why Most Smoke Point Data Is Wrong
This may be surprising if you regularly browse recipe websites that confidently throw smoke point figures around: most smoke points listed online are incorrect. And some of them are totally fabricated.
Many websites reference the Wikipedia "Smoke point" article, which has a large table listing several dozen oils with their smoke points:
The only problem? Most of the references used in the Wikipedia article aren't scientific sources, and many of their citations go to an article hosted on a website that isn't credible and doesn't cite any studies, either.
Other popular websites don't cite sources, either, and often even make up their own smoke points. As a result, most smoke point data on cooking and recipe websites is unreliable.
This article uses the best available information on smoke points from credible sources like Bailey's Industrial Oil and Fat Products, 6th ed. (2005) and other reference materials. These sources are generally expensive to access and don't tend to show up in search results.
Next, we'll cover why oil smoke point isn't the only factor to consider for high-heat cooking.
Smoke Point vs. Thermal Stability
Smoke point isn't the same thing as heat stability. While it may seem intuitively true that oils with higher smoke points should be better for high-heat cooking, this often isn't the case.
Thermal stability or heat stability is how slowly or quickly a cooking oil breaks down when heated [*]. And it doesn't relate directly to an oil's smoke point, but rather to the fatty acid composition of an oil.
Of the common types of fatty acids, saturated fats are the most heat-stable, followed by monounsaturated fats, while polyunsaturated fats are the least heat-stable [*].
For a simple illustration of how this works in the kitchen, we'll compare these popular cooking oils:
Extra virgin olive oil, predominantly monounsaturated fat (up to 83%), with a typical smoke point range of 350-406°F [*]
Soybean oil, predominantly polyunsaturated fat (55%), with a typical smoke point range of 400-450°F [*]

If you only looked at the smoke points, you might think that olive oil is a poor choice for high-heat cooking and soybean oil is a perfect high-heat choice, but that's actually not the case at all.
Olive oil is a perfect example of how you need more data besides smoke points to understand the thermal properties of cooking oils.
In reality, at typical high-heat cooking ranges of 350-400°F, olive oil is much more resilient than soybean oil. It's high in stable monounsaturated fats and polyphenol antioxidants (while soybean oil contains lots of unstable polyunsaturated fats that will break down easily) [*,*].
When you're choosing oils, be sure to keep in mind heat stability, not just smoke point. And remember to avoid seed oils high in unstable polyunsaturated fats.
How to Choose the Right Cooking Oils
When you're shopping for healthy cooking oils, keep these considerations in mind:
The temperature ranges you're using for cooking
The fatty acid content and health effects of each oil
The flavors and other culinary characteristics of oils

First, when you're cooking at relatively low temperatures — such as most baking and sauteing — you don't need to worry about heat stability. But if you're grilling, broiling, or deep-frying, you need an oil that can withstand temperatures of 400°F or higher.
Remember that smoke point is one factor to consider, but thermal stability is also important.
That brings us to fatty acid content: saturated fats are the most stable, monounsaturated fats are also stable for high-heat cooking, and polyunsaturated fats are the least stable.
Polyunsaturated fats are also inflammatory and may be associated with the rise in chronic illness. Minimizing your omega-6 linoleic acid intake is a wise health decision, and avoiding seed oils is one of the best ways to do this.
Finally, the type of oil you use can affect the taste of your dishes. Some fats like butter, lard, bacon fat, or olive oil have distinct flavors. While some dishes call for the flavor of bacon fat or the grassy taste of olive oil, other meals require something more flavor-neutral and you’ll want to choose accordingly.
Smoke Points of Popular Cooking Oils
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The Smoke Point of Cooking Oils




Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Cooking Oil and Smoke Points
What Are High Smoke Point Cooking Oils?
The cooking oils with the highest smoke points are Cultured Oil (485°F) and avocado oil (up to 482°F), while olive oil (up to 406°F) is considered moderate. Other vegetable oils have moderate smoke points around 400 ºF or higher. These include olive, peanut, cottonseed, rice bran, corn, soybean, safflower, and grapeseed oil. Ghee or clarified butter, while not considered a cooking oil, clocks in with a smoke point of around 482°F.
Along with smoke points, the thermal stability of oils is also important for health and cooking safety. Avoiding seed oils high in polyunsaturated fats is an easy way to ensure your cooking oils have good thermal stability.
What Does a High Smoke Point Mean? 
A high smoke point means your cooking oil won't smoke at normal cooking temperatures. Any oil with a smoke point of 480°F or higher has a high smoke point. Oils with high smoke points and good thermal stability are excellent choices for high-heat cooking.
What Are Low Smoke Point Cooking Oils?
Cooking oils that smoke below 400 degrees Fahrenheit are low smoke point oils. Some oils with significant amounts of solid sediment (like butter or unrefined plant oils), or high free fatty acid content, have a low smoke point of around 300-400°F.
As long as you're not using high heat, there's nothing wrong with cooking with butter or unrefined oils. But if you are using high temperatures, use an oil with a smoke point of 400-450°F or higher (like Cultured Oil or refined avocado oil), and be sure you store it out of direct light and at room temperature to keep it from breaking down.
What Happens at the Smoke Point? 
The smoke point of cooking oil is the temperature at which oil begins to smoke visibly. In other words, when you hit the smoke point, your oil is burning! This is bad news for flavor — and also releases harmful byproducts into your food and the air during cooking.
Does Smoke Point Matter?
Yes, smoke point matters. But the smoke point doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to taste and health. You've also got to consider thermal stability (how stable a particular oil is when it's heated).
For example, olive oil has very good thermal stability, even though its maximum smoke point is around 406°F. That’s because it's high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants [*,*]. On the other hand, soybean oil has a smoke point of up to 450°F but has poor thermal stability, making it an inferior choice for high-heat cooking [*].
What Is the Healthiest Oil to Cook With? 
For general-purpose cooking, you need an oil with a high smoke point and good thermal stability that's also low in polyunsaturated fats. Cultured Oil boasts a sky-high smoke point of 485°F and contains less than 3% linoleic acid. It also has a neutral taste so you can use it in pretty much everything. Other options include avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil. 
Does Olive Oil Have a High Smoke Point? 
Olive oil's smoke point ranges from 350-406°F depending on the batch, so it's not necessarily a high smoke point cooking oil. However, research shows that it's got good thermal stability. It's lower in linoleic acid, and high in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, which makes it a much better choice than most vegetable oils [*,*].
According to the UC Davis Olive Oil Center, certain olive oils can have a smoke point as high as 464ºF, although most most sources cite lower ranges [*].
What Is the Best Oil for Deep Frying?
The best oils for deep frying include avocado oil, olive oil, and Cultured Oil. Solid fats like coconut oil, ghee, lard, and tallow may also work for deep frying. These cooking oils and fats have appropriately high smoke points, good or excellent thermal stability, and are low in inflammatory unhealthy omega-6 polyunsaturated fats.
What Oil Do Restaurants Use for Frying? 
Nearly all restaurants use seed oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, or corn oil for frying. They're the most popular choice because they're readily available, inexpensive, and neutral-tasting. Unfortunately, seed oils are also high in polyunsaturated linoleic acid, which is linked with health issues like obesity, heart disease, cancer, and more.
Is It Healthy to Reuse Frying Oil?
Reusing frying oil is a terrible idea, especially if you're cooking with unstable polyunsaturated fats. After just 30 minutes, toxic byproducts in omega-6 oils increase ten-fold as fatty acids break down [*]. Even worse, research shows that most restaurants reuse oil dozens or hundreds of times [*].
It might seem economical to reuse frying oil, but it's not worth the adverse health effects. If you enjoy fried foods, make them at home with appropriate frying oils instead of buying them at restaurants. 
The Takeaway
Smoke points are a helpful starting point, but they're far from the only factor to consider when you're selecting cooking oil. An oil's smoke point doesn't tell the full story.
In general, the best cooking oils contain relatively low amounts of sediment (leftover solids that smoke when heated) and low levels of unstable polyunsaturated fats.
To find the right oil for your recipe, consider the temperature range you'll be using so you can choose an oil with an appropriate smoke point and thermal stability. 
Seed oils high in polyunsaturated fats are unstable when heated. Even though several seed oils have smoke points of around 450°F, they're not suitable for use as cooking oils — the polyunsaturated fats break down and release harmful byproducts into foods and the air.
For high-heat cooking, always choose an oil with a smoke point of 480°F or higher and excellent thermal stability, like Cultured Oil.


The molecules in natural dietary fats are called fatty acids. When you eat dietary fats, you're consuming several types of fatty acids with different properties.

Understanding The 4 Types of Fatty Acids: What You Should Know

Article at a Glance: 
All natural dietary fats contain a mixture of different fatty acids.
Fatty acids all consist of carbon and hydrogen atoms, but their lengths and atomic bonds vary.
The chain length and the number of double bonds gives different fatty acids a range of different health properties.
Too many polyunsaturated omega-6 fats in the diet appear to be a driving factor in chronic illness.
Monounsaturated fats are uncontroversially good for your cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Artificial trans fats are bad for your health (and are now banned), but naturally-occurring trans fats may be good for you.

Introduction
The last decade or so has seen a shift in the health space. While dietary fat was once vilified, many doctors, nutritionists, and other practitioners are embracing fat as good. 
But not all fat is good for you, and knowing the difference between fatty acids (and where you can find these different types of fat) can mean the difference between supporting or hurting your health. 
Fatty acids are the building blocks of dietary fats. Most dietary fats contain a combination of two or more of the following:
Saturated fatty acids
Monounsaturated fatty acids
Polyunsaturated fatty acids

In this article, we’ll cover details about each type of fatty acid, with important information you can use to make informed decisions about fats you eat.
What Are Fatty Acids?
Fatty acids are the individual molecules found in natural dietary fats. When you eat dietary fats (such as butter, olive oil, or coconut oil), you're consuming a mixture of several different types of fatty acids, each with different properties..
Fatty acids exist in two main forms: triglycerides and free fatty acids. 
Triglycerides contain a glycerol "backbone," which is a molecule containing three carbons attached to three fatty acid chains. Most stored fats in your body, and most fats in foods, are in the triglyceride form.
In contrast to triglycerides, free fatty acids (or FFAs) are the "free" or unattached form of fat molecules — in other words, they're not attached to a glycerol backbone. FFAs are usually released from triglycerides by an enzyme called lipase, produced in your pancreas.
Free fatty acids are important for your metabolism because they're the primary type of fat your cells can use for energy. When you exercise and burn fat for fuel, your body is mostly relying on free fatty acids.
Free fatty acids usually have a straight, "chain-like" configuration with an even number of carbon atoms side-by-side. There are also hydrogen atoms attached to most, or all, of the carbon atoms. At the end of the fatty acid chain is a carboxyl (-COOH) group instead of glycerol.
Most natural fatty acids contain between four and 28 carbons in their chain, and the majority of dietary fatty acids contain 12 to 18 carbons. 
Along with variations in their carbon chain length, fatty acids can also be saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated — all terms you might have heard before.
Saturated fats have hydrogen atoms bonded to every carbon atom, but unsaturated fats don't. (We'll get into the implications of saturated versus unsaturated fats in the following sections.)
Monounsaturated fats contain two side-by-side carbon atoms without hydrogen atoms, resulting in an unstable double bond between those two carbons.
Finally, polyunsaturated fats have three or more carbon atoms lacking hydrogen atoms, creating two or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain. 
Even though fatty acids may have very different properties, including different health effects, all of these differences come down to the chain length and arrangement of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Saturated Fatty Acids
Saturated fatty acids or saturated fats are fatty acid molecules that contain exclusively single bonds, a type of covalent bond involving a pair of electrons shared between atoms (carbon and hydrogen atoms, in the case of fatty acids). 
Single bonds are very stable. Because of this unique feature, saturated fats are the most stable fat that oxidizes (breaks down at the molecular level) more slowly than other fatty acids [*].
The main sources of saturated fats are animal products (such as meat, dairy, and eggs), oils from tropical plants (mainly coconut oil and palm oil), and some nuts and seeds. Seafood is low in saturated fats.
In your body, saturated fats are an important component of myelin, a sheath that protects your nerves, where their structural stability provides strength and rigidity [*].
Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCTs)
A less common type of saturated fat mainly found in coconut oil and palm oil, but also in low amounts in some animal products including butter, is known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) [*,*,*,*]. 
These fatty acids have fewer carbon atoms than most saturated fats (between 6 and 12) in their fatty acid chains, hence their name [*].
MCTs have different properties from other saturated fats because of their unique molecular structure. They're also very easy for your body to use quickly as fuel, making them popular among athletes [*].
Most researchers in the field agree that saturated MCTs are not associated with cardiovascular risk or other related issues, and may even have benefits for cardiovascular and metabolic health [*].
Short-chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs)
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are saturated fats with 1 to 6 carbon atoms in their chains, most commonly 2 to 4 carbons [*]. 
Your gut microbiome produces SCFAs through fermentation when you eat soluble fiber — usually from fruits or vegetables [*].
SCFAs also occur naturally in trace amounts in some foods including butter and fermented foods like sauerkraut [*,*]. 
And like MCTs, they could potentially have cardiovascular and other health benefits, according to preliminary research [*,*,*].
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
Monounsaturated fatty acids or monounsaturated fats contain one double bond, also called an unsaturated bond, in their fatty acid chains. 
Double bonds are less molecularly stable than single bonds, but monounsaturated fats still oxidize (break down) very slowly because they've only got a single bond of this type [*].
The most common sources of monounsaturated fats include olive oil, avocado oil, and certain nuts. They also occur in lower amounts in many other foods, including chicken, beef, pork, and seafood [*,*,*,*].
Because of their stability, monounsaturated fats are shelf-stable and don't go rancid quickly [*,*]. They're also very stable when heated, which makes them excellent cooking oils [*].
Compared to the long-chain saturated fatty acids covered in the previous section, monounsaturated fats are more likely to be burned for energy and less likely to be stored as body fat [*]. 
Eating monounsaturated fat increases fat-burning and energy expenditure, which are beneficial for metabolic health [*]. 
Monounsaturated fats also have a well-deserved reputation as heart-healthy fats. Olive oil and nuts high in monounsaturated fats are staples in the Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, other chronic diseases, and mortality (death) [*,*].
Because of their oxidative stability, monounsaturated fats decrease the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidation, which is associated with a lower risk of arterial disease [*]. 
Other evidence suggests diets high in monounsaturated fatty acids may improve cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and reduce blood sugar levels [*].
Cultured Oil is an all-purpose cooking oil high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. It contains even more monounsaturated fats than olive oil and avocado oil, with a fraction of the environmental footprint.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
Polyunsaturated fatty acids or polyunsaturated fats contain two or more double bonds, also called unsaturated bonds, in their fatty acid carbon chains. Because of this feature, polyunsaturated fats are the least stable type of fatty acid [*].
Common whole food sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids include nuts, seeds, cereal grains, meat, seafood, and other animal products [*,*,*,*,*,*,*]. 
Polyunsaturated Omega-6 Fatty Acids 
Omega-6 fatty acids are a type of fatty acid your body can't produce from other nutrients and are therefore considered essential [*]. Omega-6 fatty acids are necessary in extremely small amounts, but contribute to health issues when eaten in excess [*].
Human requirements for omega-6 linoleic acid are around 1-2% of overall calories, but higher intakes are associated with harmful effects including inflammation, obesity, and cardiovascular disease [*,*,*,*,*,*]. 
Because of the increasing consumption of seed-derived vegetable oils high in linoleic acid, the average person today eats 6-10% of their calories from linoleic acid [*,*,*]. These intake levels correspond to around 20% of total calories coming from highly processed seed oils used as cooking oils and as ingredients in processed, pre-packaged foods.
Even though omega-6 linoleic acid is essential, deficiencies are extremely rare and only occur in cases of malnutrition or starvation [*,*]. If you eat a diverse diet high in fresh, nutrient-rich foods, you'll easily obtain sufficient amounts of this omega-6 polyunsaturated fat without seeking it out or supplementing it. 
Polyunsaturated Omega-3 Fatty Acids
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), current estimates of the total omega-3 requirements are 1.1-1.6 grams per day for adults [*]. The best source of omega-3s is seafood, which is why health authorities recommend consuming several servings of fatty fish each week [*].
The dietary ratio of essential fatty acids is also important, and research suggests consuming approximately equal amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fats is necessary for optimal health [*]. However, the average person in the United States now eats 20 times more omega-6 than omega-3 fats, an imbalanced ratio associated with inflammation and other health problems [*].
Along with avoiding seed oils and other highly processed sources of omega-6 linoleic acid, eating seafood high in omega-3 EPA and DHA is an effective way to reduce inflammation and achieve the proper dietary ratio of these polyunsaturated fats [*]. 
But research suggests that merely increasing omega-3 intake without also limiting linoleic acid isn't effective at decreasing inflammation [*]. Excessive omega-6 linoleic acid intake also depletes tissue levels of omega-3 fats, further increasing inflammation [*].
Ultimately, you do need some polyunsaturated fatty acids in your diet (they're essential), but consuming too much omega-6 fat is bad for your health. You can reduce your omega-6 intake by replacing seed oils with fats and oils that contain low and evolutionarily appropriate levels of omega-6.
Trans Fatty Acids
Trans unsaturated fatty acids, also called trans fats, are fatty acids containing one or more double bonds with a hydrogen atom attached in a trans or reversed position compared to the usual (cis) configuration. 
Unlike other unsaturated fats, trans fats are solid at room temperature.
Until they were recently banned in the United States and many other countries, the most common sources of trans fats were partially hydrogenated vegetable oils [*,*]. 
These artificial trans fats were manufactured by hydrogenation, or bubbling hydrogen through heated vegetable oil [*]. 
The History and Harms of Trans Fats
Partially hydrogenated oils became popular during the 20th century, largely due to their low cost,  ease of use, and desirable effects on the taste and texture of foods [*]. 
For decades, major sources of artificial trans fats included margarine, shortening, cakes, cookies, crackers, potato chips, french fries, and popcorn [*].
Research links artificial trans fats with inflammation, heart disease, cancer, and increased rates of all-cause mortality (death) [*,*,*,*]. 
Before the recent ban, researchers estimated that partially hydrogenated vegetable oils caused up to 100,000 premature deaths annually from cardiovascular disease in the United States alone [*].
Trans Fats in Fried Foods
Today, the most common sources of harmful trans fats are deep-fried foods from restaurants, which aren't covered under bans because they're a byproduct of the frying process. 
Frying and reheating vegetable oils from seed crops can increase trans fat levels by ten- to twenty-fold or more, increasing trans fats to 5% of the total fatty acid content in reheated frying oils [*,*].
Because most restaurants use inexpensive vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated omega-6 linoleic acid, which is typically reheated dozens or hundreds of times before being discarded, a single serving of deep-fried restaurant food may contain 1-2 grams of trans fats or more [*,*,*]. 
Polyunsaturated fats used for frying and high-heat cooking not only break down into trans fats, but also other harmful byproducts like aldehydes and acrylamide [*]. 
The creation of trans fats in the frying process may explain why frequent consumption of fried foods is linked with significantly higher rates of obesity, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, and death from cardiovascular disease or other causes [*,*,*]. 
The best way to avoid trans fats and other harmful compounds in fried foods is to make your favorites at home using frying oils low in omega-6 linoleic acid.
Natural Trans Fats
Extremely low levels of certain trans fats occur naturally in the meat and milk products of ruminants (animals with multiple stomachs) like cows and sheep [*]. 
Ruminant fat contains up to 6% natural trans fats, which aren't covered by bans on artificial trans fats [*]. For reference, the artificial trans fat content of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils may reach 60%.
Unlike artificial trans fats, naturally occurring trans fatty acids aren't associated with health problems, and early research suggests they may have anti-inflammatory health benefits [*,*].
The Takeaway 
You're already eating a variety of fatty acids every day, so remembering which ones are problematic is an easy way to keep your diet healthy and balanced.
You don't have to memorize the chain length or chemical formulas of common fatty acids. Start by simply avoiding processed and fried foods made with vegetable oils high in linoleic acid.
Along with this change, there are plenty of vegetable oil substitutes for your favorite recipes. You can also replace calories from omega-6 polyunsaturated fats with heart-healthy and heat stable monounsaturated fats.
Cultured Oil is a new all-purpose cooking oil that works for everything from salad dressings to deep frying. It's high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, environmentally friendly, making it better for you and the planet.


Restaurants reuse cooking oil hundreds of times, creating harmful compounds like acrylamides, toxic aldehydes, hydroxylinoleate, free radicals, and trans fats. 

Why Are Fried Foods Bad for You? (The Real Reason)

Article at a Glance
Eating fried foods significantly increases your risk of health problems, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Industrial seed oils like soybean oil commonly used for frying are thermally unstable and create harmful byproducts when heated, especially repeatedly.
Compared to eating foods fried at restaurants, frying at home is safer because you aren't reusing your cooking oil hundreds of times.
Using cooking oils that are more thermally stable is crucial if you're frying at home and want to avoid the problems associated with fried food.

Introduction 
Fried food has been a culinary staple for hundreds, if not thousands of years, with some evidence of pan frying reaching as far back as ancient Egypt. 
Until the 20th century, most people cooked fried foods in lard or other animal fats, but all of that ended when inexpensive, mass-produced industrial seed oils gained popularity in the last hundred years or so. Today, almost all fried food is made with seed oils like soybean, sunflower, corn, or peanut oil.
Many people understand that fried foods are associated with health risks like cardiovascular disease and obesity. But not many people understand exactly why fried foods are bad for you.
In this article, you'll learn why common fried foods are harmful, the increased risks of health problems associated with consuming them, and what you can do instead to make frying healthier.
Why Are Fried Foods Bad For You?
Fried foods pack a one-two punch: they're made using unhealthy, inflammatory seed oils, and they're cooked at high temperatures that damage those oils and cause additional problems. We'll start by unpacking the oils that are most commonly used in fried foods and the issues they cause.
Seed oils, often called industrial seed oils, are a subset of vegetable oils derived from seeds. These oils are high in omega-6 linoleic acid, which is associated with health problems, including inflammation, obesity, and cardiovascular disease [*,*]. 
These oils are almost always derived from the seeds of crops and include:
Corn
Canola
Cottonseed
Soy
Sunflower
Safflower
Grapeseed
Rice bran

Because of their high linoleic acid content, these oils aren’t great for your health, even when consumed unheated or lightly heated. However, frying with these oils appears to increase the risk of health problems even further compared to consuming them at room temperature or lightly heated. 
The reason is that seed oils high in linoleic acid are unstable, which means they break down into harmful byproducts during manufacturing, storage, transportation, and especially during high-heat frying [*].
For instance, human and animal studies suggest high levels of acrylamides, toxic aldehydes, hydroxylinoleate, free radicals, and trans fats form during heating while frying [*,*]. 
And it's the creation of these compounds that is responsible for the increased harm associated with fried food consumption.
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what makes fried food so bad for you




The Problems With Heating and Reheating Vegetable Oils
Unlike home cooking, many restaurants reuse frying oil hundreds of times for convenience and cost savings. This practice isn't condoned, but it's also not illegal. 
A 2018 study on restaurant oil quality found that over 80% of randomly selected restaurant frying oil was oxidized beyond the recommended limit [*]. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that involves the loss of an electron and creates harmful, toxic compounds in fried foods [*].
Seed-derived "vegetable oils" high in omega-6 linoleic acid, which are the most common frying oils, begin to break down rapidly from the first time they’re heated and get worse with additional reheating [*]. For example, research shows that after only 30 minutes of heating, levels of toxic, carcinogenic aldehydes in corn oil and sunflower oil increase by 1,000% [*].
Research also shows that as much as 15% of the fatty acid content of restaurant-prepared french fries is oxidized [*]. And oxidized omega-6 fatty acid byproducts like hydroxylinoleate (HODE) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) are closely linked with obesity, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease [*,*,*,*,*,*]. 
Finally, frying and reheating vegetable oils can raise levels of harmful trans fats by 1,000-2,000% or more, increasing trans fats to 5% of the total fatty acid content in frying oils [*,*]. While artificial trans fats are now banned as food ingredients in many regions, these rules don’t apply to fried foods because the trans fats are formed during the cooking process.
A large meta-analysis including millions of participants found that high trans fat intake is associated with a 34% higher risk of all-cause mortality (death), 28% higher risk of cardiovascular mortality, and 21% higher risk of cardiovascular disease [*] 
Health Problems Associated with Foods Fried in Seed Oils
It’s no secret that fried foods aren’t exactly healthy, but to what extent are they harmful?
Studies link fried food consumption with obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, gut health issues, reduced exercise performance, problems with fertility and pregnancy, and an increased risk of cancer.
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How Bad Is Eating Fried Food? Here-s What The Science Says




Obesity, Caloric Density, and Omega-6 Fats
Fried food consumption is associated with higher obesity rates, even when adjusting for other factors like caloric intake. In other words, "caloric density" (the higher calorie content of fried foods) isn't the only factor behind weight gain when it comes to fried foods.
Studies suggest that potato chips and french fries result in 3 to 6 times more weight gain than boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes despite having the same caloric content [*]. The primary difference is that chips and fries are generally fried in seed oils high in omega-6 linoleic acid, while boiled, baked, and mashed potatoes typically contain other fats that are low in linoleic acid (such as butter or cream).
And a 2007 study of over 33,000 men and women aged 29-69 found that high consumption of fried foods was associated with a 26% higher risk of general obesity for men, 25% higher risk of general obesity (large waist circumference) for women, 17% higher risk of central obesity in men, and 27% higher risk of central obesity in women [*]. 
Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality
A large 2021 meta-analysis (study of available studies) in BMJ Heart found that a high intake of fried foods increases the risk of major cardiovascular events by 28%, coronary heart disease by 22%, stroke by 37%, and heart failure by 37% [*]. 
And in a five-year study of over 100,000 women aged 50-79, consuming fried foods once or more per week was associated with a 13% higher risk of all-cause mortality (death) and a 12% increased risk of cardiovascular mortality occurring at any time during the study [*].
In a 2018 study of people who had survived a myocardial infarction (heart attack), compared to control participants who hadn't had a heart attack, frequently consuming fried foods from restaurants was associated with a 26-58% higher risk of heart attacks [*]. The study, which had over 4,300 participants, also adjusted for other factors that influence heart health, including hypertension, smoking, obesity, fiber intake, and alcohol use. 
Interestingly, the same trend didn't exist for home-cooked fried foods [*]. Unlike restaurant-fried foods, frying foods at home wasn't associated with any increased risk of myocardial infarction, even with frequent consumption. 
The researchers found that people used the same types of oil at home as were used in restaurants — soybean, sunflower, and palm oil. Therefore, the main difference that might explain the disparity in effects was the higher frying temperatures and reuse of cooking oil that occurs in restaurants, resulting in the formation of harmful heat-generated compounds [*].
Metabolic Health and Diabetes
The changes that occur during frying, including oxidation, polymerization (which includes acrylamide formation), and hydrogenation (trans fat formation), can have negative effects on metabolic health as well [*].
In a 2014 questionnaire-based study of over 111,000 participants, participants who ate fried food 4-6 times per week had a 39% higher rate of type 2 diabetes, and those who consumed fried foods seven or more times per week had a 55% increased risk compared to people eating fried foods less than once per week [*]. 
The study adjusted for other risk factors such as diet quality, caloric intake, age, family history of diabetes, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity. 
Gut Health and Digestion
Compounds created during frying with seed oils may negatively affect your microbiome and cause or worsen inflammatory disorders of the gut (such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)).
In a 2019 paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that consuming fried foods was associated with lower diversity of the microbiome (gut bacteria and other microorganisms) [*]. And low microbiome diversity is associated with reduced immunity, digestive problems, and other health issues [*,*,*,*]. 
In a 2020 study, researchers examined the link between a compound called 13-HPODE intestinal inflammation [*]. 13-HPODE is an inflammatory, oxidized lipid (fat) formed when omega-6 linoleic acid is heated. 
The authors found confirming evidence with both in vitro (cell) and mouse experiments that 13-HPODE and similar compounds created during frying cause inflammation and gut barrier breakdown in the small intestine [*].
In a 2021 study with over 116,000 participants, researchers examined the connection between fried food intake and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [*]. People who ate fried food one or more times per day were three times more likely to experience Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis than those who never ate fried foods, even adjusting for other risk factors.
A separate 2020 study of over 103,000 survey participants also found that consuming french fries was associated with a 60% higher risk of IBD [*]. 
According to the authors of a 2018 peer-reviewed paper, pro-inflammatory foods like fried foods are an important risk factor for developing ulcerative colitis (a type of IBD) [*]. IBD patients have also reported that fried foods generally worsen their symptoms [*].
Athletes and Physical Performance
Considering their adverse health effects, it's unsurprising that common fried foods might be bad for athletic performance. That's likely why a 2021 survey found that these foods are at the top of the list of foods Division I college athletes (among the most elite collegiate athletes) choose to avoid [*].
A separate 2021 study tested the effects of dietary acrylamide (a harmful, carcinogenic compound formed during frying) on physical performance [*]. The researchers used a questionnaire to determine the acrylamide intake of over 4,400 participants, then assessed participants' physical performance and adjusted for other factors like age, body mass index, smoking, and physical activity level.
In each of the three tests (20-meter walking test, 400-meter walking test, and chair stands), subjects who consumed the most acrylamide performed poorly compared to those who ate the lowest amounts.
Pregnancy Risk Factors
Research links fried food consumption before and during pregnancy with a higher risk of gestational diabetes as well as increased weight gain during pregnancy.
In a 2017 prospective study of pregnant women with over 3,400 participants, researchers found that eating more than one serving of fried fish per month before or during early pregnancy was associated with a 68% higher risk of gestational diabetes, and consuming more than one serving of fried chicken each month predicted an 81% increased risk of gestational diabetes compared to eating none [*]. 
In a long-term study including over 21,000 pregnancies occurring in more than 15,000 women, consuming fried foods from restaurants 4-6 times per week before pregnancy was associated with a 31% higher rate of gestational diabetes, while eating them daily more than doubled the risk compared to less than once per week [*]. 
However, this long-term study showed no significant association between at-home fried food consumption and gestational diabetes [*]. As with the 2018 study on heart attacks covered earlier, the byproducts created by frying may explain this difference.
A separate 2014 study also found that eating fried foods during pregnancy is associated with greater weight gain [*]. 
Cancer
In a case-control study matching 2,579 cancer patients with 2,277 control subjects, high fried food intake was associated with a 1.3- to 2.3-fold increased risk of prostate cancer [*].
In a separate 2019 study, 408 women with breast cancer were compared to 408 women without [*]. The researchers found that eating fried foods was the single most powerful risk factor for breast cancer, even including factors like age and family history. Women who ate fried foods more than once per month were 4.5 times more likely to get breast cancer after adjusting for other risk factors.
Frequent consumption of deep-fried foods is also associated with increased risks of cancers of the endometrium, ovaries, and larynx, as well as an increased risk of aggressive cancers [*]. 
Healthier Alternatives to Traditional Frying Methods
With the scientific literature showing that eating restaurant-fried foods even once per month can significantly increase the risk of serious diseases like diabetes and cancer, you might conclude that there's no place for fried foods in a healthy diet.
Fortunately, that same body of literature gives us some valuable clues: first and foremost, frying your own at home is much safer. As demonstrated separately in two different studies, one investigating cardiovascular disease and one on gestational diabetes, frying at home effectively reduces your risk compared to buying from restaurants [*]. 
That’s because when you're cooking at home, you're not heating oil all day long or reusing it hundreds of times, so you're not producing acrylamides, aldehydes, free radicals, trans fats, and other toxic byproducts to the same degree as restaurants [*,*].
Again, avoiding restaurant-fried foods as much as possible is essential for your health because they're linked with severe health problems even at incredibly low consumption levels. Fry at home instead.
The second most important factor is the type of cooking oil you use to fry at home. Seed oils (like soybean, sunflower, peanut, corn, grapeseed, canola, cottonseed, and "vegetable oil blends") are still a problem whether or not you're frying or reusing your oil, because they're still linked to major health issues when compared to healthier alternatives. 
And as a 2012 study published in the prestigious British Medical Journal found, replacing industrial seed oils with healthier alternatives prevents the negative health impact of deep frying foods [*]. The study, which had over 41,000 participants, found that eating fried foods significantly increased the risk of coronary heart disease — but when they analyzed olive oil consumption versus sunflower oil or other vegetable (seed) oils, there was no association between frying in olive oil and having heart disease, likely due to its lower linoleic acid content.
Be sure to choose better frying oils that also suit your culinary needs. The best options are fats low in polyunsaturated fats with good thermal stability, traditional examples of which include olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and most animal fats, excluding butter (which has poor thermal stability due to milk solids) [*,*].
Cultured Oil is a new type of cooking and culinary oil made through fermentation. Zero Acre Farms introduced this product because even the “healthiest” conventional vegetable oils have significant downsides, especially regarding environmental impact, land and water use, and fair labor practices.
The excellent thermal stability, high smoke point of 485°F, and low omega-6 linoleic acid content (less than 3% of total fatty acids) make Cultured Oil perfect for frying. 
It's also neutral-tasting, high in the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fats found in avocado oil and olive oil (over 90% of total fatty acid content), and exceptionally environmentally friendly. 
The Takeaway
The statistics on the negative health impacts of fried food are extremely concerning. Over one-third of American adults consume foods, typically deep fried, from fast food restaurants every day [*,*].
Even if you're only eating fried foods from restaurants once or twice a month, this could dramatically increase your risk of certain health problems. 
And eating them several times per week or more is linked with inflammation, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, metabolic issues, gut disorders, decreased physical performance, and cancer.
Luckily, you can avoid these issues by avoiding restaurant-fried foods and instead making your own at home — because you're not reusing oil repeatedly, you're not exposing yourself to toxic frying byproducts.


Both dairy and non-dairy creamers are a popular coffee addition, but are often filled with hidden vegetable oil that may contribute harmful health effects. 

Why Are There Vegetable Oils in My Coffee Creamer?

Article at a Glance
Coffee is universally loved by people across the globe and has a host of research-backed health benefits.
Non-dairy creamers are a popular coffee addition but are often filled with hidden vegetable oil that may contribute to harmful health effects. 
The most popular vegetable oils in coffee creamers are sunflower, soybean, and canola oil — all high in inflammatory linoleic acid. 
Thankfully, it’s possible to enjoy a creamy cup of coffee without compromising health benefits by choosing a creamer or creamer alternative without added vegetable oils.

Introduction
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages on the planet, with over 60% of adults consuming at least one cup a day [*].   
Coffee boosts energy and alertness, is a major source of antioxidants, and provides a host of health benefits [*]. This is great news for anyone who relies on coffee to start their mornings. But anyone who prefers to add cream and sugar to their coffee might wonder, are those health benefits still valid if you add creamer to your morning cup?
While coffee may be good for you, many popular creamers are probably not. It goes without saying that many of them contain added sugars or artificial sweeteners, due to their sweetness. What many people don’t realize is that most conventional coffee creamers also contain another unfortunate ingredient: vegetable oil.
Coffee is supposed to taste good and make you feel better. But if there's vegetable oil in your morning brew, you might be doing more harm than good. Read on to find out how and what to use instead. 
Why Are Vegetable Oils in Your Coffee Creamer?
Vegetable oils, also known as seed oils, are often added to creamers and non-dairy milks in an effort to make them creamier, more milk-like, and more shelf-stable. 
Unless you’re using half and half or heavy cream, your coffee creamer probably doesn’t contain any real dairy-based cream. Instead, coffee creamer manufacturers try to replicate the look and feel of dairy cream by adding oil to mimic dairy fat and corn syrup or other sweeteners to make up for the naturally sweet taste of milk.  
Some of the most common vegetable oils used to make packaged coffee creamers are soybean, canola, and sunflower oil. 
Vegetable oil-based coffee creamers tout a much longer shelf life than perishable dairy-based counterparts. However, the potential health effects of added vegetable oils may start to make a shorter shelf life feel like a price you’re willing to pay.
Are Vegetable Oils Bad For You?
Vegetable oils are not the same as veggies. While vegetables are fairly uncontroversial and considered good for you, vegetable oils are not. 
The problem with most vegetable oils is their sky-high omega-6 fatty acid content (linoleic acid), which is harmful when consumed in excess. Here are just a few of the health concerns that have been linked to excess linoleic acid consumption: 
Increased risk of chronic disease. Many chronic health conditions, including heart disease, obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are linked to diets high in omega-6 fats [*]. 
Oxidative stress. Linoleic acid promotes oxidative stress in the body and makes cell membranes more vulnerable to damage from free radicals [*,*].
Chronic inflammation. When consumed in high quantities, linoleic acid promotes inflammation in the body, which in turn is linked to autoimmune disease, cognitive decline, and chronic pain disorders [*].

How Much Vegetable Oil is in Coffee Creamer?
If you’re a fan of non-dairy and alternative creamers, vegetable oil might be the primary addition to your morning coffee.
Just one tablespoon of original coffee creamer from a popular brand contains one gram of fat from vegetable oil. Considering that the default amount of cream added to coffee at a chain like Dunkin Donuts is “3 [two tablespoon] pumps,” most creamer users are likely adding far more than one tablespoon to their morning brew.
Someone who drinks more than one coffee a day and adds 3-4 tablespoons of creamer to each cup could easily (and unknowingly) ingest a whole tablespoon or more of seed oil.
Even if you are someone who just adds a few tablespoons of creamer to their coffee, those few tablespoons every day could potentially contribute to inflammation and other health issues you could otherwise avoid, depending on other dietary and lifestyle factors.
What is The Healthiest Coffee Creamer?
Now that we’ve covered just how problematic most conventional coffee creamers are, you might be wondering if there are any alternatives available made without vegetable oils. 
Thankfully, the answer is yes!
When looking for healthier coffee creamer options, start by looking at those that contain real dairy if you can consume them. For example, Chobani recently introduced a line of sweet coffee creamers made with five or fewer ingredients — and seed oils are not one of them.   
Non-dairy creamer options made without vegetable oils include Elmhurst 1925 oat milk creamers, NutPods coconut and almond-based creamers, and a back-to-basics coconut milk creamer by So Delicious. 
Alternatives to Store-Bought Coffee Creamer
Of course, you don’t have to buy a coffee creamer to maximize the flavor and health benefits of your cup of coffee. Here are a few other ways to enjoy your coffee without risking unwanted additives.
Drink your coffee black. This option might not be right for everyone, but it’s worth trying. Consider investing in high-quality coffee beans and explore different coffee-making techniques to extract the most flavor. You might find that your cup doesn’t need anything else when it already tastes so good!
Heavy cream or half & half. The lusciousness of dairy cream is what all the coffee creamer brands are trying to replicate by using oil, so if it fits within your diet and values to include a dash of real dairy in your morning cup, you can sip without worry. 
Coconut milk or coconut cream. This simple plant-based addition will make your coffee naturally creamy and add a hint of tropical flavor from the coconut.
Cinnamon or other spices. Depending on why you like coffee creamer, you may be able to transition away from it by adding a simple spice to your coffee instead. Some people are happy with just a dash of cinnamon for a boost of warmth and subtle sweetness.
Protein powder. Your favorite protein powder might do the trick of flavoring your coffee and adding some creaminess with a dose of protein. Look for brands without processed fillers, vegetable oils, or sugar.
Cultured Oil. The rise of the keto diet popularized adding low linoleic acid fats like coconut oil, MCT oil, or butter to your coffee. This is also known as “Bulletproof” or keto coffee. Anecdotal reports of this keto coffee have found that it improves focus and delays morning cravings for breakfast. If you have Cultured Oil on hand, it works as a delicious fat source to add to your keto-approved coffee. Just add a tablespoon in place of the butter or coconut oil — it keeps the coffee low in linoleic acid, vegan friendly, and high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Cultured Oil Coffee
8 oz. Coffee
1 tbsp milk of choice
1 tbsp Cultured Oil
1 packet chocolate LMNT
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
Make your own creamer. When you make food at home, you are in charge of the ingredients. The recipes and flavor combinations are endless — from a simple vanilla creamer to your own blended pumpkin spice mixture. Try the below recipe for a delicious vanilla “latte” free from toxic vegetable oils:

Vanilla Creamer
2 cups milk or non-dairy milk of choice
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Alternatives to store bought creamer and Cultured Oil Coffee




The Takeaway
You don’t have to give up creamy coffee if that’s the most satisfying way for you to harness the health benefits of the world’s most popular beverage. Most commercial coffee creamers are filled with hidden vegetable oils to increase their shelf life and replicate the creaminess of dairy fat, but veggie-oil creamers aren’t the only option. Some of the easiest alternatives are ones you can make at home with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Have your coffee, and enjoy it, too!


Why Are Vegetable Oils in My Coffee Creamer?

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Avocado oil is one of the trendiest oils to hit the shelves in recent decades whose health halo may be blinding you from considering its environmental impact. 

Is Avocado Oil Good For You? The Science and History Behind the Hype

Article at a Glance
The nutritional value of avocado oil is not as potent as an avocado.
Is avocado oil’s purported smoke point of 520ºF too good to be true?
Upwards of 82% of avocado oils on the market today may be adulterated with cheaper, high-linoleic acid vegetable oils.
Avocado agriculture is responsible for deforestation, destruction of ecosystems, monoculture cropping, and increases in violence in Mexico. 

Introduction
The marketing for avocado oil makes it tempting to believe that it’s a miracle food. High in unsaturated fats, rich in antioxidants, and what seems like an unbeatable smoke point — it’s got to be good for you, right? Rising in popularity right beside avocado toast, it’s hard to believe that edible avocado oil was nothing more than an idea a mere 30 years ago.
Exploding in popularity doesn’t come without its consequences, though, especially when it comes to the environmental impact of keeping up with the appetite of a generation of avocado lovers. It turns out that you may want to think twice about paying a premium for the “green gold” in the name of health and sustainability. Read on to learn why.
What is Avocado Oil?
Avocado oil is produced by extracting the oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit.
Traditional avocado oil production began in the mid-20th century using almost-rotten avocados leftover from harvest and was exclusively used as a cosmetic ingredient unfit for human consumption [*]. Cosmetic avocado oil relies on high temperatures, harsh solvents, chemical bleaching, and refining to produce a stable end product from the degraded fruit, and very little nutritional value remains. 
Starting in the early 2000s, producers in New Zealand turned their attention to a product with more profit potential: “extra-virgin” avocado oil, produced without chemical extraction and with methods inspired by extra virgin olive oil [*]. This cold-pressed version of avocado oil promises to retain many of the characteristics of fresh avocado fruit (flavor, color, and antioxidant properties) that are lost when the oil is refined [*]. 
Because avocados do not fully ripen on the tree, the conditions they endure post-harvest can have a dramatic impact on the overall quality of the oil they produce. And since there aren’t currently standards to differentiate avocado oil of various qualities, it’s tough to tell which oils are better for you. 
Researchers have proposed a grading system to categorize avocado oils similarly to olive oils with extra virgin oils representing those of the highest quality. This system would consider factors like ripeness, degree of damage or rot, extraction techniques, and whether or not chemicals are used in the refining process [*]. But until this system is fully in place, it's impossible to know what quality oil you’re buying at the store.
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avocado oil pros and cons




Avocado Oil Nutrition 
Trader Joe’s points out in their marketing that it takes 10 pounds of avocados to produce one 16.9 oz bottle of oil [*]. Although it may be tempting to think that by using avocado oil, you’re reaping all the nutritional benefits of fresh avocados, that’s not exactly the case.
Avocados have been recognized as a high-fat fruit since ancient times and are sometimes referred to as "vegetable butter" or "butter pears," with the oil of the fruits deemed "green gold" [*]. The flesh of an avocado can contain up to 30% oil depending on its ripeness and season of harvest and also includes a relatively high amount of fiber (about 10 grams per cup of fresh avocado) and a smaller amount of protein (3 grams per cup) [*]. Along with their high fiber content, avocados are also known to provide an array of bioactive antioxidants, which have been studied to have an encouraging effect on human blood sugar stability [*,*,*]. 
Fresh avocados are plentiful in micronutrients as well, supplying ample amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, B-vitamins, magnesium, copper, and potassium in every cup. However, these nutrients are lost in the extraction and processing of oil [*,*].
Avocado oil, on the other hand, is 100% fat. To produce it, all the fiber and protein is separated from the oil, seed, and skin [*]. The majority of the antioxidant and bioactive compounds in avocados are fat-soluble, meaning that with mechanical extraction (without high temperatures and chemical solvents), the tocopherols, chlorophylls, and carotenoids (like lutein) do end up in the final edible oil product as long as it isn't harshly refined. However, the quality and origin of the fruit used to make the oil matter as well [*,*,*]. 
Avocado Oil Fatty Acid Makeup
Avocado oil is pressed from the flesh of the fruit, not the seed or the skin, and is therefore not necessarily considered a “seed oil,” like other vegetable oils (grapeseed, canola, soybean, etc.) [*]. 
The fatty acid composition of avocado oil depends on the fatty acid composition of the flesh of the avocado fruit. As avocados grow and mature, their fatty acid composition changes, favoring an increase in monounsaturated fat — from 30% to about 50%, and a decrease in polyunsaturated linoleic acid — down from 60% to about 12% on average over the course of four months [*]. Part of what makes cold-pressed avocado oil so appealing to health experts is its abundance of monounsaturated fat , which promises health benefits comparable to olive oil [*]. 
Other fatty acids in avocado remain relatively stable across the growth and maturing process. Palmitic acid (a saturated fatty acid) is the second-most abundant fatty acid in avocado and avocado oil, respectively, with concentrations ranging from ~10-28% [*,*].
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Avocado oil fatty acid makeup




Because the linoleic acid content of avocado oil varies so much across its stages of maturity and region of production, it is possible to wind up with a product that has upwards of 20% linoleic acid, which is roughly the same as canola oil [*,*]. 
This becomes problematic when you consider that linoleic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acids in the food supply today, is exponentially increasing in prevalence, and has been implicated in a wide array of health issues across the globe [*,*,*,*,*,*,*,*]. 
While avocado oil is still preferable to use as a cooking oil compared to other vegetable oils like soybean or safflower in terms of its generally lower linoleic acid content, the profusion of vegetable oils in our food supply means that every gram counts — especially when not in whole food form where the relative concentration of linoleic acid is lower, and some of the naturally-occurring fibers may help temper fatty acid absorption [*]. 
Avocado Oil Smoke Point
One of avocado oil’s biggest selling points, and most dramatic point of differentiation between olive oil, is its higher smoke point. 
The smoke point of any oil is the point at which fatty acids start to break down and produce oxidized byproducts and free radicals [*]. Oils smoke when they get too hot, an experience you may be familiar with if you’ve left your pan unattended for too long at the stovetop. 
While you probably cook at temperatures ranging from 300-400 degrees Fahrenheit when cooking using medium heat on a stovetop or deep frying, it’s possible to reach temperatures as high as 600 degrees when searing meat or sautéeing veggies [*,*]. 
Many avocado oils claim an outrageously high smoke point of 520 degrees, making them appealing for chefs and home cooks who don't want to worry about unwanted oxidized byproducts or off flavors in their dishes. This is a far cry from extra virgin olive oil,  which smokes at the low temperatures of 325-375 degrees Fahrenheit.
But according to the scientific literature, the highest cited smoke point for avocado oil is 482 degrees Fahrenheit [*,*,*]. In order to have a smoke point of 520 degrees Fahrenheit, an oil would have to have a free fatty acid concentration of almost zero, which is usually not possible in commercial practice. And it’s especially not true for extra virgin avocado oils, which are unrefined and less shelf stable [*]. Chosen Foods points out that virgin avocado oil will smoke at 350-375 degrees, which is very similar to olive oil [*].
Is Avocado Oil Healthy?
Avocado oil has the potential to contribute positive benefits to overall health through high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, and antioxidants. It's also been studied to improve health outcomes in experimental settings [*,*]. However, life exists outside the lab, and the true health effects of singular foods are almost impossible to isolate.
For one thing, it’s impossible to completely avoid potentially harmful linoleic acid in avocado oil, which has been connected in literature to health issues from diabetes, to osteoarthritis, autoimmune diseases and more [*,*,*,*,*,*,*]. Depending on the overall linoleic acid concentration in the rest of your diet, avocado oil may tip the scales towards an unfavorable ratio of linoleic acid, which could be avoided by replacing avocado oil with a lower-linoleic acid cooking oil like Cultured Oil.
Then there’s the issue of avocado oil adulteration and mislabeling. A recent study from UC Davis — the first to look into avocado oil adulteration — found that upwards of 82% of avocado oil samples purchased online and in store were rancid or mixed with other oils like soybean, safflower, or sunflower oil [*]. Shockingly, the study found that in three cases, bottles labeled “pure” or “extra virgin” avocado oil contained almost 100% soybean oil — a much cheaper oil with a far inferior nutritional profile compared to avocado oil [*].
Professor Selina Wang, one of the lead authors in this study, presented at the 2022 Future of Fat summit and highlighted the adulteration of avocado oil and other high-value oils in depth.

Whether or not avocado oil is healthy for you will likely depend on the rest of your diet and lifestyle overall, and whether the bottle of oil you’re using is even avocado oil at all.
Avocado Oil Taste 
Tastewise, unrefined (virgin and extra virgin) avocado oils retain the flavor of fresh avocados, which experts often describe as “mushroomy,” or “rich and nutty” [*]. The more refined and processed the oil is, the more neutral it will taste — unfortunately, at the expense of its nutritional benefits. 
To highlight the flavor of extra virgin avocado oil, culinary pros recommend reserving its use for drizzling and finishing, similar to how they recommend using olive oil, while they recommend refined avocado oil for cooking applications [*].
It’s important to consider the tradeoffs here. While unrefined, extra virgin olive oil retains the most nutritional benefit, it offers the least versatility in terms of flavor and culinary application. Refined avocado oil, on the other hand, is more neutral in flavor and suitable for high-heat cooking, but is produced using a harsh chemical process that reduces the antioxidant content of the final product [*]. 
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refined vs unrefined avocado oil




Avocado Oil and Sustainability
To understand the impact of avocado oil on the environment, we need to take a critical look at avocado agriculture as it exists today. Avocado oil is generally produced from “reject-grade” avocados that are unsuitable for export as whole fruit. In other words, they might have deformities or imperfections that are unappealing to customers [*,*]. 
This production model increases profitability for farmers who may not have otherwise been able to sell the "rejected" fruits and increases yield efficiency from a grower's perspective. However, these two "silver linings" may not be enough to rescue avocado oil from its overall hefty impact on farm workers and the environment. 
As avocados and avocado oil have skyrocketed in popularity in countries like the U.S., pressure to cultivate and export the profitable avocado has threatened to turn avocado agriculture into something that looks and feels all too similar to the now infamous palm oil industry in Indonesia. 
To keep up with rising avocado demand, existing forests in Central and South America are being cleared at an alarming rate to make way for the water-intensive monocrop, threatening existing biodiversity and straining the ability of our planet to offset greenhouse gas emissions [*]. 
The vast majority of avocados grown are of the Hass variety, which have thick skins and are easy to transport [*]. Unfortunately, relying on a single variety of avocado to supply the world’s cravings increases the risk that a disease outbreak could be catastrophic to the supply chain. 
Not to mention, monoculture like this is notorious for depleting soil fertility, threatening plant growth long term, and leading to the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides [*].
Mexico is currently the leading producer of avocados globally, and working conditions for farmers here are increasingly horrific [*]. Mexican cartels have turned their attention to avocado agriculture for profit, and have been seizing farms and burning protected woodlands to plan their own groves of avocado trees, violently contributing to increasing homicide rates and climate change [*,*]. 
Avocado trees are temperamental plants that are sensitive to climate shifts and require irrigation in order to produce a reliable yield. In Mexico alone, it’s estimated that around 9.5 billion liters of water are used in irrigation daily for growing avocados, equivalent to 3,800 Olympic pools [*,*]. 
Up to 320 liters of water are needed to produce one avocado alone in particularly dry climates like Chile [*]. All of this irrigation places extreme pressure on existing aquifers in Mexico, and has opened up subsoil caverns experts believe are leading to increases in seismic movements (small earthquakes) in avocado-producing regions [*]. 
While cold-pressed avocado oil is more nutrient dense, it also produces a vast amount of hard-to-rescue waste from the unused seeds, skins, and fibers that are leftover after the oil is extracted. Mechanical extraction techniques used to produce extra virgin avocado oils are relatively inefficient compared to traditional solvent extraction methods, with only 30-80% of the oil recovered in mechanical and centrifugation systems compared to 60-90% in solvent systems [*]. 
Let’s say avocados are, on-average, 14% fat. For the 10 pounds of avocados required to produce a single bottle of Trader Joe’s avocado oil [*], 1.4 pounds are fat. Of this total amount of available fat, only 30-80% is extracted, leaving 8.9 to 9.6 pounds of waste behind that is most likely siphoned off for use in factory farm animal feed [*].
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Waste from avocado oil




The Takeaway
Avocado agriculture needs an intervention. The current practices of deforestation and monoculture farming are unsustainable and threatening to the future of both the supply chain and our planet. What’s more, avocado oil production contributes to a waste stream that fuels our reliance on factory farms for animal meat.
While on the surface, avocado oil appears to be a decent nutritional alternative to other vegetable oils high in unfavorable fatty acids, it runs a high risk of being diluted with cheap vegetable oils due to surging demand and lack of regulation. While avocado companies will tempt you with high smoke point promises, unrefined and cold-pressed avocado oil with the most nutritional benefit does not deliver this. 
If you want to harness the health benefits of avocado, you’re better off sticking to the whole fruit which also provides some fiber and an array of vitamins and minerals along with the healthy fats, and leave the oil to us.


Does the perfect cooking oil exist? Zero Acre oil is slow to oxidize and stable at high and low temperatures, making it the healthy, versatile option your kitchen needs.

Top 8 Ways to Use Zero Acre Oil

Article at a Glance
Cultured Oil is made by fermentation, which means it leaves a much smaller environmental footprint than any other cooking oil.
Cultured Oil contains over 90% monounsaturated fats and less than 4% polyunsaturated fats, with the lowest level of inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid (less than 3%) of any liquid cooking oil.
Cultured Oil has a sky-high smoke point of 485ºF, making it an option for high-heat stir-frying and deep frying.
Cultured Oil remains liquid when refrigerated, which makes it ultra versatile.
Cultured Oil can even be used to replace melted butter and vegetable oils in baking.
With a neutral aromatic profile, Cultured Oil is ready to take on any flavor — from sweet, to savory, to spicy — without overwhelming your dish.

Introduction
Cultured Oil has officially entered the culinary scene — an all-purpose cooking oil made using the ancient art of fermentation — as opposed to pressing or chemically extracting oil from seeds and grains. Fermented oil may be new to your kitchen, but the fats it contains are the same ones you’ve been using your whole life (mostly monounsaturated fats — just like olive oil).
Still, you may be wondering how best to use it. With more versatility than any existing cooking fat, Cultured Oil will easily become your go-to for everything from whipping up a salad dressing, to making brownies or frying up some homemade french fries.
Cultured Oil can withstand high heat cooking without oxidizing as easily or introducing any off or rancid flavors. It remains liquid at room and refrigeration temperatures, and has a clean, neutral taste that easily takes on the flavor of whatever you’re cooking with. But before we get into how exactly you use Cultured Oil, what exactly is it?
What is Cultured Oil?
Cultured Oil is an all-purpose cooking oil made by fermentation — one of the oldest forms of culinary technology. Full of heart-healthy and heat-stable monounsaturated fat, Cultured Oil is the perfect replacement for destructive, inflammatory seed oils. 
And because it doesn’t rely on monocrop agricultural production, it promises to save millions of acres of land, fresh water, CO2 emissions and biodiversity if you swap it for comparably unsustainable cooking oils [*,*]. 
Not only is Cultured Oil better for the future of the planet, it’s bursting with even more healthy monounsaturated fats than olive oil and has one of the lowest levels of linoleic acid of all currently available liquid cooking oils [*].
Cultured Oil Benefits 
Cultured Oil is a liquid oil with an ultra-low concentration of inflammatory omega-6 fat, linoleic-acid — under 3%.
Cultured Oil is high in monounsaturated fats, boasting even more than olive oil and avocado oil.
Because it’s high in monounsaturated fats, Cultured Oil is more stable when exposed to heat than other vegetable and seed oils with higher polyunsaturated fat concentrations. 
Cultured Oil has one of the highest smoke points of all cooking oils available at 485ºF — only refined avocado oil has a comparably high smoke point. 
Cultured Oil has a clean, neutral taste, so it’s extremely versatile and can be used for just about anything.

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Cultured Oil Benefits




8 Flavorful Ways to Use Cultured Oil 
Salad Dressings
Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat famously illustrated the essential components of a balanced salad dressing in her seminal cookbook, and later Netflix series, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. 
She writes, “The most important thing about any dressing is to strike a proper balance of salt, fat and acid.” Along with your favorite savory seasonings and citrus or vinegar of choice, Cultured Oil is here to take your homemade salad dressing to a new level.
Not only does oil in dressing contribute to a salad’s satisfying mouthfeel, it enhances your body’s ability to absorb the fat soluble vitamins and minerals (vitamins K, E, D, and A and various minerals like zinc and copper) that are already abundant in your colorful bowl [*]. 
Because of their high freezing points (the temperature where liquid turns to solid), salad dressings made with olive or avocado oil harden when stored in the refrigerator, making them difficult to use if you make a large batch in advance. Cultured Oil’s uniquely low freezing point allows home cooks and restaurant chefs to make, store, and use homemade dressing without any added frustration.
Make it: Samin Nosrat’s “Best Vinaigrette”
Adapted from: Sue Moran ℅ Samin Nosrat [*]
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
1 shallot, peeled and minced finely
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon warm water
1 cup Cultured Oil
1-½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-½ teaspoons grainy mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 clove garlic, grated
Coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Rince the minced shallot under cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Let drain, and then put the shallot into a mason jar or small bowl. Add vinegar and warm water, and let sit for a few minutes to let the flavor mellow. Whisk in the oil, mustards, honey, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Taste the dressing and adjust to your liking. 
Homemade Mayo
Most store-bought mayonnaise is made primarily with high linoleic acid seed oils like canola or soybean oils because of their neutral flavor profiles. While a tablespoon here and there might not seem like a big deal, too much omega-6 linoleic acid over time can add up in your body, contributing to issues like obesity, heart disease, and blood sugar imbalance. 
Luckily, you can easily whip up a fresh batch of mayo or aioli at home with Cultured Oil. And because of its neutral flavor profile, you won’t get the grassy, “green” flavor that comes with mayos made from olive or avocado oils. Check out the easy recipe below to use in sandwiches, salads, and more.
Make it: Homemade Mayo
Adapted from the New York Times [*]
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cold water
¾ cup Cultured Oil

Directions: 
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, salt and 1 teaspoon cold water together until frothy. Starting drop by drop, slowly add the oil while whisking constantly. When the mayonnaise is thick and emulsified, you can add the remaining oil in a steady stream. 
Marinades 
Marinades are as important for flavoring as they are for tenderizing. Marinades are traditionally made with some combination of oil, acid, salt, and aromatics like herbs and spices. The salt and acid help to tenderize the proteins and connective tissue in meat, which is particularly helpful for tough cuts like flank steak or pork shoulder. 
Meanwhile, oils help to transfer fat-soluble flavors from the herbs and spices onto the surface of the protein. When herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme and sage are used, marinades can also help reduce the formation of carcinogenic compounds like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in high heat grilling and broiling [*]. 
How long you let your food marinate depends on how much tenderizing it needs — fish and vegetarian proteins like tofu need just a few minutes of marinating, while a pork tenderloin can marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. 
Cultured Oil is perfect for marinades because it will remain liquid at room temperature and in the fridge, allowing the marinade to do its job whether that takes 15 minutes or the whole day. 
And because Cultured Oil has over 90% monounsaturated fat, and less than 4% polyunsaturated fat, it is resistant to oxidation and won’t produce harmful byproducts when cooked at high temperatures, as marinated foods often are. 
Make it: Herb and Garlic Marinade
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living [*]
Yield: ¾ Cup
Ingredients:
⅓ cup Cultured Oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (mixture of oregano, thyme, parsley, basil, sage, rosemary, etc.)
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Whisk ingredients together in a non-reactive bowl (ceramic, glass or stainless steel). Immerse protein of choice in the marinade and ensure that all surfaces are covered. Place marinated protein along with remaining marinade in a dish or bag with an airtight seal, and refrigerate according to marinating times below prior to cooking.
Marinating times:
Shellfish: 20 minutes
Cheese, tofu, and vegetables: 30 minutes
Thin and flaky fish filets: 30 minutes
Thick and fatty fish filets: 1 hour
Beef, chicken, game, lamb, and pork: 6 to 24 hours

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marinating times of different foods




Baking
While Cultured Oil is not a one-to-one replacement for lard, butter, or tallow, which are animal fats that are solid at room temperature and often used in baking, it still deserves a place in your baking cabinet.
Contrary to what you might believe, oil can be just as much of a workhorse as butter in your baking recipes, and, as featured in the Washington Post, actually leads to baked goods that are more moist, tender, and long-lasting than their butter-based counterparts [*]. 
Using oil instead of butter leads to more tender cakes, quickbreads, and brownies because the dough is less likely to be overmixed, which contributes to gluten formation — the protein in wheat, rye and barley that gives bread its signature chewy texture. Oil is also 100% fat, whereas butter contains about 20% water that interacts with the gluten protein and increases the chewiness factor of the end product.
You can substitute Cultured Oil for any baked good recipe that calls for melted butter by using about ¾ of the recommended amount, since butter is only 80% fat. Cultured Oil is also an easy one-to-one replacement for vegetable oil in recipes that call for it, like brownies. 
Make it: “Katherine Hepburn Brownies”
Adapted from Epicurious [*]
Yield: 12 Brownies
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons Cultured Oil
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Melt chocolate with Cultured Oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once fully melted, take off the heat and set aside. Add sugar to a medium bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract to the bowl with the sugar, and beat with an electric mixer or whisk. Add melted chocolate and oil mixture to the bowl. Next, add the flour, salt, and walnuts (if using) and stir until everything is combined. Add the batter to a prepared 8” baking dish and bake at 325°F for about 40 minutes.
Grilling
Aside from campfire cooking, grilling is the closest we get to the traditional method of cooking over an open flame, where the high heat of the grill sears and caramelizes the outer layer of meat, seafood, and vegetables, imparting its signature “char.” In order to grill healthfully, without increasing the formation of harmful oxidative byproducts, you need a cooking oil built to withstand the high temperatures of the flame. 
Because Cultured Oil has a sky-high smoke point of 485ºF, and contains up to 10 times less polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) than olive oil, avocado oil, and canola oil and 20-40 times less than other seed oils, it’s far less likely to break down or oxidize at high temperatures. That means you’ll actually reap the benefits of the oil when you enjoy your dinner from the grill, instead of consuming unwanted toxic aldehydes and burnt byproducts. 
Finishing
Finishing a dish with a drizzle of oil provides a photo-worthy shine and mouth watering flavor. Part of the reason fat makes food taste good is that it helps bind flavor compounds to your taste buds and distributes that flavor throughout your mouth when you chew. To liven up the flavor of a bowl of soup, a dish of hummus, or a pile of veggies, drizzle a small amount of oil on top. 
If you’re looking to pack even more wow factor, consider flavoring your finishing oil with garlic or toasted spices. Exposing spices to heat and oil unlocks the flavor — this is known as “blooming” — and infuses it into the oil. Experts recommend using an oil with a high smoke point for blooming spices, so Cultured Oil is a perfect fit.
Make it: Garlic-Infused Cultured Oil
Yield: ½ Cup
Ingredients:
½ cup Cultured Oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled

Directions:
In a small saucepan, gently heat oil and garlic together on low. Watch carefully to ensure the garlic cloves do not burn. Simmer gently on low for 30-35 minutes until the garlic is light golden and soft. Remove from the heat and gently smash the garlic cloves with the back of a wooden spoon. Let the smashed garlic and oil infuse together as they cool for another 30 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil using a fine mesh strainer. Drizzle on everything from hummus to popcorn. 
Stir-Frying
Stir-Frying is a traditional Chinese method of cooking that features the use of a Wok, whose unique shape contributes different heat “zones” in the pan that helps to cook food quickly as it is tossed, or stirred, around. Without the Wok, a shallow frying pan will heat to a relatively uniformly high temperature, which is helpful for forming a crust or sear on meat, fish, or vegetables.
Use Cultured Oil instead of canola, peanut, or vegetable oil when stir-frying to amp up the monounsaturated fat content of your dish while retaining a neutral flavor that won’t compete with whatever sauce you choose to add down the line, and without smoking up your kitchen. 
As pointed out earlier, Cultured Oil is unique in its resistance to oxidation when exposed to heat compared to other cooking oils. In a third party test, Cultured Oil was the only cooking oil studied to show zero measurable PUFA-derived aldehyde formation after 10 minutes of cooking — the typical amount of time you’re likely to stir-fry [*]. 
Deep Frying 
Equal parts luxurious and nostalgic, deep fried foods are irresistable and impossible to replace. Deep fried foods get a bad rep in the health space, but it turns out they don’t necessarily have to be bad for you. 
A lot of the fear of deep fried foods lingers from our cultural fear of fat that spurred out of early cardiovascular research, which has since become a lot more nuanced (sparknotes: the type of fat matters a lot more than the amount of fat, and fat is a crucially important part of a balanced diet!). 
While it’s true that research has linked consumption of deep fried foods with increased risk for disease, it’s not simply because deep fried foods are high in fat — it’s because of the type of fat used in the cooking [*]. 
For one thing, deep fried foods aren’t necessarily higher in fat or calories than pan-fried foods, and the amount of fat absorbed in cooking has a lot to do with the moisture content of the food being cooked — high moisture content leads to high fat absorption both in the pan and in the fryer [*]. 
What’s more, a telling cohort study in Spain found no association between fried food intake and all-cause mortality. Researchers of the study concluded this likely had to do with the use of high monounsaturated fat oils like olive oil in cooking, suggesting that the health effects of deep fried foods have more to do with the type of oil used than the deep frying itself [*]. 
Deep frying cooks food at temperatures between 350-375°F. Many industrial and restaurant kitchens reuse oil after heating, repeatedly increasing exposure to oxygen and water which increases the amount of oxidation over time. Vegetable oils that are high in PUFAs are most likely to oxidize, while Cultured Oil, which contains less than 4% PUFAs, is 3-4 fold more stable and will not produce trans-fatty acids at frying temperatures [*]. So, if you want healthier fried foods — definitely choose Cultured Oil.
Make it: Homemade Potato Chips
Adapted from Taste of Home [*]
Ingredients:
7 unpeeled medium potatoes (about 2 pounds)
2 quarts ice water
5 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons celery salt
1½ teaspoons pepper
Cultured Oil for deep frying

Directions:  
Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, cut potatoes into very thin slices. Place slices in a large bowl with ice, water and salt. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pat dry on towels. In a small bowl, combine the spices and set aside. In a heavy skillet, heat 1-½ inches of oil to 375°F. Fry potatoes in batches until golden brown, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain oil on paper towels. Immediately sprinkle with seasoning mixture.
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How to Use Cultured Oil




The Takeaway
Though Cultured Oil is new to the scene, it’s here to become a mainstay in the kitchens of home cooks and restaurants alike. The versatility of a high-heat, neutral oil that resists oxidation and remains liquid at refrigeration temperatures just about does it all. You can clean out your pantry to make room for the one oil you’ll be able to use for any purpose, knowing that you’re also leaving a smaller trace on the planet.


Fats are an important source of energy in your diet. The key is to zero in on wholesome, nutritious fat sources that match your dietary needs and priorities.

Healthy Oils and Fats: What to Use and What to Avoid 

The Ultimate Guide to Healthy Oils and Fats: 40+ Options Compared

Zero Acre oil is the cooking oil the world's been waiting for. It’s low in linoleic acid, high in healthy fats, and can withstand high-heat cooking.

Zero Acre Oil Health Report

Zero Acre oil has a low environmental impact and offers a scalable solution to the massive problems caused by vegetable oils.

Zero Acre Oil Sustainability Report

Zero Acre oil Sustainability Report

To understand how the magic of fermentation is used to produce bread, beer, cheese, and Zero Acre oil, it's helpful to first understand what fermentation is.

How Zero Acre Oil is Made

Highlights
Fermentation has been used for thousands of years to transform one type of food into another — it’s the oldest culinary art after fire.
Today, an estimated one-third of all foods we eat are fermented.
Just as there are microbial cultures that make bread, beer, cheese, yogurt, and kombucha, there are also cultures that make oil.
Fermentation can be used not only to create some of the healthiest and most delicious foods on the planet but also to make them more sustainable. 

Introduction
Humans have used the culinary art of fermentation for thousands of years to transform one type of food into another. In fact, fermentation is the oldest culinary tradition after fire. By marrying food with microorganisms, fermentation is what makes some of our favorite foods and drinks possible, including bread, beer, cheese, yogurt, wine, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, coffee, and even chocolate.
Fermentation is also the process that makes Cultured Oil possible. 
To understand how the magic of fermentation is used to produce bread, beer, cheese, and Cultured Oil, it's helpful to first understand what fermentation is.
What is Fermentation?
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Cultures Create Our Favorite Foods




Fermentation describes the process of microbial communities, or "cultures," converting natural sugars like those found in wheat, barley, milk, and grapes into entirely new foods like bread, beer, yogurt, and wine. The microorganisms that make up a culture include bacteria, microalgae, yeast, and other fungi.
Fermentation is a natural process that humans have harnessed for millennia to create a number of the foods and drinks we love today.
Let’s look at a few examples.
Bread
Sourdough is one of the oldest forms of grain fermentation, wherein live cultures transform the sugars in wheat flour into carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide causes the bread to rise, and chains of gluten (a wheat protein) hold the gas in, creating those tiny holes that form sourdough's airy texture. Other microorganisms in the culture also feed on the wheat sugars to produce lactic acid — putting the "sour" into sourdough.
Sourdough cultures, called “starters” or “starter cultures,” are so prized for their unique microbial cultures that they’re often kept alive to use over and over in different batches of bread and are even passed down between family members.
Beer
From the lightest lager to the funkiest sour, every beer is fermented, and every fermentation starts with a microbial culture. In the case of beer, microorganisms feed on the sugars in malted barley — a grain that looks a lot like wheat — and convert (ferment) those sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. 
The alcohol, of course, is the main attraction of beer, and the carbon dioxide gas gives beer its subtle carbonation.
Before fermentation, hops (flowers of the hop plant and a member of the hemp family) are added to the malted barley. Hops contain acids and oils that give beer its bitterness, aroma, and distinctive flavor.
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How beer is made




Cheese
Like many fermented foods, cheese was created out of a necessity to preserve milk for long periods of time before the advent of refrigeration. 
Unlike bread and beer, which are products of fermented plant sugars, cheese is a product of fermented animal sugars — those naturally present in the milk of cows, goats, and sheep.
In the cheesemaking process, live cultures ferment milk sugars (lactose) to produce lactic acid. The longer the fermentation, the less sugar remains. For instance, soft cheeses like mozzarella and brie result from relatively short fermentation periods of only a few days and still contain unfermented lactose. 
Many hard cheeses, on the other hand, ferment for months. During that time, microorganisms in the cheese continue to ferment the milk sugars, and by the time a hard cheese like cheddar or Parmesan is ready to eat, there’s hardly any lactose remaining at all.
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How cheese is made




Yogurt
Yogurt is another popular dairy product made possible by fermentation, and the basic process of making yogurt hasn’t changed much in 10,000 years. 
To make yogurt, a starter culture is added to milk, and after a few hours or days, microorganisms in the culture ferment the milk sugar to form lactic acid, which gives yogurt its signature tang. Once the fermenting milk becomes sufficiently acidic, casein proteins begin to clump together, thickening the now tangy milk into a substance we call yogurt.
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How Yogurt is Made




Kombucha, Wine, Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pickles, Tempeh, Ketchup, Coffee, Chocolate, and Cows…
Bread, beer, cheese, and yogurt are just the tip of the fermentation iceberg. Hundreds of other foods have fermentation to thank for their unique properties.
Fermentation has been used since antiquity to create desirable flavors, naturally preserve foods, and transform sugary plants into prized health foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, and dark chocolate.
Kombucha, for example, is the result of mixing sugar, black tea, and a starter culture, also known as a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). After a couple of weeks, the culture ferments nearly all of the sugar into acetic acid (vinegar), a tiny amount of alcohol, and carbon dioxide to create a slightly acidic, sweet, and bubbly beverage.
Fermentation is also the secret ingredient behind one of the world’s most beloved foods: chocolate. In one of the first steps in chocolate making, microorganisms ferment and transform bitter, otherwise tasteless cacao seeds into the rich flavors we associate with chocolate [*].
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How Chocolate is Made

Mammals even have fermentation to thank for the ability to transform certain sugars, carbohydrates, and fibers into digestible nutrients.
When ruminant animals such as cows, goats, and sheep consume plants (typically grasses), the microbial cultures in their guts (aka, the gut microbiome) break down the plant sugars and fibers via fermentation. 
So, fermentation is not only responsible for the culturing of milk into yogurt, cheese, and other fermented dairy products; it's also the first step in transforming grass into what eventually becomes milk.
Even closer to home, fermentation in our bodies is the reason that fiber is typically considered an important part of a healthy diet. Microorganisms in the human digestive tract ferment dietary fiber into a variety of outputs, including short-chain fatty acids that nourish our guts and have been associated with a number of health benefits, from immune function to mental health.
Cultured Oil
Just as there are microbial cultures that make bread, beer, cheese, yogurt, and kombucha, there are also cultures that make oil.
Instead of producing the carbon dioxide that leavens bread and carbonates beer, or the lactic acid that gives sourdough and yogurt their distinctive tang, an oil culture ferments natural sugars into healthy fats.
Ten thousand years ago, there wasn’t a name for the thick, tangy culture of milk we now call yogurt or the alcoholic byproduct of fermented barley and hops we now call beer. Similarly, until now, there wasn’t a name to describe the product of a fermented oil culture, so we came up with the most straightforward name we could think of: Cultured Oil.
Just like our other favorite fermented foods, Cultured Oil is made by feeding natural sugars to a culture and letting the magic happen. Here’s how it works:
It all starts with an oil culture (a community of microorganisms cultivated specifically for making healthy fats).
Next, the culture is fed sugar from non-GMO, perennial sugarcane.
Over the course of a few days, microorganisms in the culture convert (or ferment) this sugar into oils or fats. Some oil cultures produce more liquid oils, while others produce more solid fats.
To harvest, the culture is pressed and the oil is released.
Finally, the pressed oil is separated and filtered, resulting in Cultured Oil.

While the first food fermentations thousands of years ago were probably accidental — one of our ancient ancestors leaving wet honey out until it produced alcoholic mead, or leaving grapes and water in a bucket until it created wine — as time has progressed, fermentation has become more and more intentional. 
Today, we can harness the magic of fermentation to not only create some of the healthiest and most delicious foods on the planet, but also to make them more sustainable. 
For instance, Cultured Oil boasts even more heart-healthy monounsaturated fats than olive oil, and is low in inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid. And by replacing just 5% of destructive vegetable oil with Cultured Oil in the U.S. alone, we would:
Save 3.1 million acres of land every year
Save 56.9 billion gallons of fresh water every year
Avoid 3.6 million tons of CO2 emissions every year
Preserve 5.1 billion square feet of biodiverse rainforest every year

Fermentation dates back well over 10,000 years. Today, an estimated one-third of all foods we eat are fermented [*], and populations around the globe rely on the microbial cultures that make fermentation possible. It’s no coincidence that the word “culture,” used to describe “the manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively,” is the same word used to describe communities of microorganisms that give us some of our favorite foods.
Like a company culture, organizational culture, or societal culture, the cultures that enable fermentation bring us together through breaking bread, cheers-ing beers, fondue-ing cheese, sharing chocolates, and now, through drizzling, sizzling, dressing, and searing our favorite foods with Cultured Oil.
Watch our video to learn more about how Cultured Oil is made.



Sourdough Bread



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Olive oil needs no introduction, but perhaps, it’s time to rethink the role of olive oil in your diet and how its production impacts the environment.

Olive Oil: Good for You or Too Good to be True?

Article at a Glance 
After years of hearing about the health benefits of olive oil, is it time to rethink its role in your diet and how olive oil production affects the environment?
Although olive oil is known for containing healthy monounsaturated fats, its inflammatory omega-6 fat content can reach levels as high as 27%.
If any heat or chemical treatment is used to extract or refine olive oil, it is no longer considered “virgin” and cannot legally be labeled as such.
Many olive oils are old, oxidized, and are even adulterated with damaging seed oils like soy and canola oil. 

Introduction
Olive oil probably feels like one of those foods that needs no introduction. If you’re in the U.S., Canada, or Europe, you’re likely familiar with olive oil thanks to the buzz around the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which features olive oil as its shining star. Indeed, olive oil has been a cornerstone of Mediterranean culture for thousands of years, though not always at the center of its diet. 
Once an exclusive symbol of wealth reserved for only the most noble, today, olive oil is as commonplace in the global supermarket as butter. But after years of hearing about the health benefits of olive oil, is it time to rethink its role in your diet and how olive oil production affects the environment? Read on for the full story.  
What is Olive Oil?
Olive oil is harvested from olive fruits, grown from olive trees concentrated mainly in Greece and Italy, though not exclusively.
Unlike many other culinary seed oils like canola or soybean, olive oil does not require chemical solvents to harvest. Instead, traditional virgin olive oil production relies on high-pressure pressing and centrifugation to draw out the oil from the fleshy fruit — the benefit of which is that many of the nutrients and active compounds within the olive remain undamaged and make it to the final oil product. 
These traditional methods are what most manufacturers use to make "virgin" and "extra virgin" olive oils. However, if any heat or chemical treatment is used to extract or refine the oil, it is no longer considered virgin and cannot legally be labeled as such. 
Olive Oil Nutrition
You likely think of olive oil as one of the healthier fats available. But is olive oil really the nutrition powerhouse magazines and cookbooks make it out to be? 
Like all other household oils, olive oil is 100% fat — providing 9 Calories per gram, and about 120 Calories per tablespoon — or 240 Calories per two tablespoon “glug” most commonly used in cooking. Compare that to fresh whole olives, which contribute 6 kilocalories per olive, and also contain some fiber. For context, you’d have to eat 22 olives to get the total amount of fat in just one tablespoon of olive oil.
Olive oil rose to fame in recent decades as our collective attention turned to fighting heart disease by distancing ourselves from saturated fats, and we replaced butter and lard with oils that remained liquid at room temperature (a feature of most unsaturated fats). 
But the conversation doesn’t end there. 
All fat molecules — both saturated and unsaturated — are made up of various combinations of three different fatty acids. It turns out that the type and combination of these different fatty acids can make a huge difference in how the body uses and processes each fat. 
For one thing, emerging evidence reveals that linoleic acid, the most prominent unsaturated fatty acid in seed oils like soybean and safflower, plays a role in increasing the risk for heart disease by oxidizing LDL cholesterol particles. Meanwhile other unsaturated fats — namely monounsaturated fats — are widely thought to have the opposite effect on our overall heart health [*,*,*].
We’ll talk more about the specific fatty acid makeup of olive oil in a bit, but suffice it to say that answering the question of whether or not olive oil is a healthy fat is a bit more complicated than saturated vs. unsaturated fat politics. 
Another primary reason extra virgin olive oil has been touted as a superfood is the presence of polyphenols, plant-derived antioxidant molecules that occur naturally in olives (and many other plant foods). Polyphenols have been shown to provide a range of positive health effects when consumed — from reduced cancer risk, to better brain health and lower inflammation [*]. 
It’s worth emphasizing that these polyphenol benefits are unique to olive oil that has not been refined chemically or damaged by processing. Storage and shelf life are also relevant when it comes to polyphenol activity and antioxidant capacity, and olive oil is not immune to oxidation and rancidity. 
Light, heat, and time can take a bottle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil from brimming with antioxidants to devoid of any polyphenol benefit, so it's crucial to not only find the highest quality extra virgin olive oil but also to use what you have quickly and store it in a cool, dark, dry place [*].
Olive Oil Fatty Acid Makeup
When it comes to the specifics of olive oil’s fat profile, monounsaturated fat is the most abundant, ranging from 55-85% of the total fat content [*]. Monounsaturated fat is responsible for many of the well-touted health benefits marketed on bottles of olive oil and by proponents of the Mediterranean diet — from reducing inflammation to preventing cancer [*,*]. 
But monounsaturated fat isn’t the only type of fat in olive oil. Linoleic acid, the omega-6 fatty acid linked to some of the most common health issues associated with inflammation, can range in prevalence from 3-27%, depending on the variety [*,*].
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linoleic acid content of liquid oils




The fatty acid makeup of olive oil depends on factors related to where it is cultivated, like latitude, climate, and variety of olive used. Olive oils with the highest percentage of monounsaturated fat tend to be from the Mediterranean regions, while Tunisian olive oils are higher in linoleic and palmitic acids, for example [*]. 
As a consumer, it’s difficult to know what the exact fatty acid ratios are in the bottle you pick up from your local grocer. This is especially problematic for the more affordable olive oil “blends” that may tout the health benefits exclusive to monounsaturated fat, yet may be serving up more linoleic acid, and its associated health risks.
Linoleic acid is exponentially increasing in prevalence in the standard western diet, thanks to its abundance in cheap oils like soybean and safflower, which are now used in everything from salad dressings, to crackers, to granola bars, and more [*]. 
An increasing array of studies have suggested that excessive consumption of linoleic acid may be partly to blame for a whole host of health issues — from diabetes, osteoarthritis, dementia, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and rising obesity rates across the globe [*,*,*,*,*,*,*].
One randomized controlled study in Asian Indian males with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease found that replacing high-linoleic acid soybean/safflower oil with lower-linoleic acid olive oil in the diet led to a significant decrease in weight and BMI after 6 months, as well as a significant decrease in fasting insulin [*].
In another randomized controlled trial, 41 women with excess body fat were given a daily high-fat meal that contained either high-linoleic soybean oil or lower-linoleic olive oil. After 9 weeks, body fat loss was 80% greater in the group that consumed less linoleic acid [*].  
While this is certainly encouraging news for olive oil, we’re left to wonder whether even more beneficial outcomes are to be had by increasing the consumption of oils with even less linoleic acid than olive oil.

Olive Oil Adulteration
As previously mentioned, the quality, and associated health benefits, of olive oil has a lot to do with where it’s grown and how it’s produced. Mediterranean olive oils, particularly Italian and Greek, are some that have been shown to have lower amounts of linoleic acid, and assumedly more significant health benefits.
Unfortunately, due to increasing demand and reduced outputs in these regions, the risk of olive oil adulteration is real. Investigative journalist Tom Mueller pointed out in a recently published deep-dive that “faking” olive oil is surprisingly easy, and up to 75-80% of Extra Virgin Olive Oils in the U.S. may be fraudulent [*]. 
Fraudulent or adulterated oils are considered non-virgin olive oils that are packaged and sold as Extra Virgin, or where the country of origin labeling is counterfeited. As recently as 2020, the American Botanical Council of the U.S. found that adulteration of olive oil is still rampant thanks to low availability of high-quality olive oil in the midst of raging demand [*].
While not necessarily "fraudulent," olive oil blends are also increasingly common — particularly in the food industry, where there is increased pressure to keep costs as low as possible [*]. 
Because there is not a standard definition of what makes an olive oil “blend” you could be served anything from a blend that’s 50% olive oil, to a blend that’s only 10% olive oil mixed with high-linoleic soybean, canola, safflower or grapeseed oil — all while being led to believe you’re getting the real deal [*]. 
Olive Oil Smoke Point 
What about olive oil’s culinary versatility?
If you’re unfamiliar with oil smoke points, your kitchen smoke alarm may quickly familiarize you. You’ve likely encountered the concept of a smoke point at one time or another while learning to cook, and realized that there is such a thing as letting your pan get too hot. Most people will cook at temperatures ranging from 300-400 degrees Fahrenheit when cooking using medium heat on a stovetop [*].
Oils will start to break down and smoke at different temperatures, depending on the stability and heat tolerance of the oil — two factors largely determined by fatty acid content. Once an oil starts to smoke, both flavor and nutritional quality are past the point of degradation [*].
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The Smoke Point of Cooking Oils




The bad news? Olive oil has one of the lowest smoke points of most readily-available cooking oils [*], which is why most culinary advice suggests that olive oil be reserved for cold or room-temperature applications like dressings and finishing, which will help preserve all of the potential nutritional benefits and decrease the accumulation of oxidized byproducts in your dish.
Speaking of oxidation, there’s evidence that oxidative stability is perhaps even more important than smoke point when it comes to the healthfulness of cooking with different oils.
Oxidation refers to the biochemical process where molecules like fatty acids lose an electron and become more unstable and unpredictable in their environment as “free radicals.” In your body, this leads to cellular damage, increased risk for DNA alterations, and other inflammatory illnesses [*].
Compared to monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats like the Omega-6 linoleic acid are much more likely to oxidize and create free radicals, especially when used in applications like deep frying (where you are most likely to encounter them in a restaurant setting) [*].
While the high monounsaturated fat content and polyphenol antioxidants in olive oil help protect it from oxidation, olive oil's moderate linoleic acid content means it is still somewhat oxidatively unstable compared to low linoleic fats, and is likely to form free radicals if used haphazardly in cooking at high temperatures.
Olive Oil Taste
Tastewise, olive oil is widely known for its unique and grassy flavor attributed to the array of volatile components that correlate with its polyphenol content [*]. 
While this may be an appealing characteristic if you’re looking to highlight olive oil’s delicate aroma, it also makes for a less versatile oil when a more neutral flavor may be desired, like home-made mayo or in baked goods.
What’s more, olive oil’s aromatic compounds are unstable and likely to degrade via oxidation, leading to an increased risk for off-flavors if stored improperly [*]. Here is the gap that many seed oils, unfortunately, seek to fill — serving as neutral cooking oils with higher smoke points yet contributing excessive levels of linoleic acid in your diet.
Olive Oil Sustainability
Where olive oil edges out other oils in terms of nutritional prowess, it definitely falls to the back of the pack in terms of environmental impact. 
Like coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil, olive oil is grown by planting trees that have to fully mature before they can produce useful fruit [*]. A massive amount of total inputs are required to cultivate these trees, which places a huge burden on the surrounding environment. Compared to palm oil, olive oil’s production volume is relatively small but requires at least 7.25 fold more land resources per ton of oil [*].
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Land use per tonne of vegetable oil

One of these land resources is water. The water footprint of olive oil is immense in comparison to other vegetable oils, second only to sesame oil [*]. Per ton of final product, olive oil requires 112% more water than shelled almonds which are notorious for water greed in the agriculture world [*]. 
Because olives are at most 20% fat, and production is done using inefficient pressure and centrifugation methods, extracting oil from them contributes to a large amount of waste that experts are still trying to determine the best way to use [*]. Every ton of olive oil produces four tons of waste that is most often used as animal feed, contributing to the continuation of unsustainable forms of factory farm animal agriculture [*].
Beyond inputs, olive oil threatens surrounding plant and animal species. In fact, olive oil threatens more species per ton of oil produced than any other vegetable oil, aside from coconut oil [*]. 

For example, the traditional nocturnal harvesting of olives in Spanish Andalucia is responsible for killing 2.6 million nesting birds annually — a far cry from the pretty picture oil manufacturers paint for us on their colorful and nostalgic packaging [*].
All told, olive oil production leaves a larger carbon footprint than other oils — emitting more than 4.5x the greenhouse gasses per kilogram compared to peanut oil [*]. 
Upwards of 24 lbs of olives (roughly 5,000 whole olives) are required to produce one singular liter of high-quality extra virgin olive oil [*]. With this yield, a mature olive tree can only produce a maximum of three or four liters of oil per year [*].
This is not sustainable.
Is Olive Oil a Seed Oil?
No — olive oil is considered a fruit oil or vegetable oil because it’s harvested from the fleshy fruit of the olive. Typically, the pits or “seeds” of olives are removed before the oil is harvested in order to keep the oil pure and of high quality. 
While all seed oils are considered vegetable oils, not all vegetable oils are derived from seeds and, therefore, not categorized as seed oils. Still, some olive oil varieties can contain over 20% linoleic acid — about the level of linoleic acid found in canola oil [*]. This is particularly concerning in the context of modern diets which already contain unprecedented levels of linoleic acid due to the widespread use of seed oils in restaurants and packaged foods.
But Haven’t We Been Eating Olive Oil for Thousands of Years?
While olive oil has indeed been produced for thousands of years as a staple product of ancient civilizations where olive trees originate, historians agree that this olive oil was likely primarily used for lamps, as well as for hair, skin, and medicinal use — and explicitly not used for common consumption [*].
A quote attributed to Socrates illustrates this point (bolding added) [*]: 
“I may instance olive oil, which is mischievous to all plants, and generally most injurious to the hair of every animal with the exception of man, but beneficial to human hair and to the human body generally; and even in this application (so various and changeable is the nature of the benefit), that which is the greatest good to the outward parts of a man, is a very great evil to his inward parts: and for this reason physicians always forbid their patients the use of [olive] oil in their food, except in very small quantities, just enough to extinguish the disagreeable sensation of smell in meats and sauces.”
Even though olive oil was not used for common culinary purposes until much more recently, with a resurgence during the renaissance of the 13th and 14th centuries AD, it was certainly highly valued in ancient Mediterranean society.
In fact, olive oil was used as the original fuel for the torch of the Greek Olympic games, and it’s believed that athletes massaged themselves in olive oil before competition to make it harder for opponents to grab them [*]. 
The Takeaway
Compared to cheaper and more widely available seed oils, high-quality, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is overall one of the healthiest available options you can find on store shelves today — if you can trust that it’s not counterfeit, isn’t a seed/olive oil blend, has not been left to oxidize in the light or heat, and isn’t improperly used to cook at high temperatures. 
Health and nutrition aside, olive oil is far from the best option from a sustainability standpoint. With so many inputs required to produce a single bottle, we’re putting our planet at risk by prioritizing it as our go-to cooking oil.
It’s time for a real solution. By harnessing the power of fermentation, we’re introducing an oil that provides all the health benefits of the highest-quality olive oil without concern that you’re unwittingly consuming a risky ratio of fatty acids or that your bottle is filled with adulterated, cheaper oils. Each bottle of Cultured Oil is linked to a single origin of production, and we invite you to scan the QR code on the bottle to look up its unique fatty acid composition. 
Finally, you’ll be able to prioritize your personal health without sacrificing the health of the planet. 


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