Possibly controversial opinion: I eat seed oils. Gasp!
There is so much misinformation circulating online about the perceived dangers of seed oils in the diet, despite a growing body of evidence from controlled trials pointing to polyunsaturated oils being one of the better choices for long-term health.
Why is this? Is it a wilful misinterpretation of scientific data? Or just an inability to resist the latest trend (and maybe sell a few books along the way)? I'm constantly amazed when I read people's comments online how prevalent this bias is when I thought the debate had been put to bed years ago..
Those of you who have been following Oh Goodness for a while will know that my soaps contain tallow - this is a mainly a sourcing decision. Being high in saturated fats it creates a fantastic base ingredient I can source close to home cutting down the carbon footprint (plus = it isn't palm oil). It's also a by-product of NZ beef industry and is thus a solid (pun intended) upcycle ingredient. Great for soap - not so great for arteries.
So yes, I buy and process a lot of tallow, but this is only for soap - and I'm definitely not eating the soap. I'm also not a vegetarian, but my diet does sway in favour of pescetarian / mediterranean and we have consciously cut down on the amount of meat we eat overall, mostly for health and environmental reasons.
Here's an amusing and informative video featuring a top oil scientist - a top expert in edible oils. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehjU26ZheFI
Note her own assertion that oils are better when they are fresher and closer they are produced and processed closer to home the better. Closer to home is almost always a better environmental choice. The studies she cites are also listed at the bottom of the video in the description.
For an excellent source of heart healthy oils grown and processed here in Aotearoa - check out
The Good Oil - Canterbury grown and processed and widely available in supermarkets.
