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Processed To Death – Get These Cooking Oils Out of Your Pantry STAT!

Whenever I see the chefs on Food Network using canola oil I want to scream at the TV… and I have to admit, I sometimes do.

That’s because for years I was misled into thinking that canola oil was healthy and would buy quarts of it. I recently received an email newsletter from “CanolaInfo.org” with their “Top 10 Pantry Essentials” for a healthy 2015, and of course canola oil was at the top of their list. The canola industry is doing an amazing job marketing canola oil as “heart healthy” and “natural”, but it’s a total sham. I feel the same way about corn oil and recent commercials proclaiming that it’s healthier than olive oil. We’re being persuaded to believe these oils are healthy, thanks in part to the work of the Canola Council, the Corn Refiners Association, and their own (industry funded) research. In reality, these popular oils have been mass marketed as “healthy” largely based on biased research, and after you hear the truth you will avoid them like the plague. Here’s why:

They Are Processed to Death…

Most cooking oils go through an insane amount of processing with chemical solvents, steamers, neutralizers, de-waxers, bleach and deodorizers before they end up in the bottle. If you watch this video on the modern canola oil making process, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

What they don’t tell you in this video is that the “solvent” that is most often used to extract the oil is the neurotoxin hexane – and as you can see it’s literally bathed in it. Hexane is a cheap byproduct from gasoline production, that’s a serious occupational hazard and toxic air pollutant. It’s been shown that some hexane residue can remain in the oil, and the FDA doesn’t require food manufacturers to test for residues. Residue tests done by the Cornucopia Institute in 2009 found hexane residues in soybean oil. So, we very well could be eating this chemical everytime we cook with hexane-extracted oils. Almost all toxicology research focuses on the industrial use and inhalation of hexane, so no one knows exactly how dangerous eating it is – but it surely isn’t healthy.

Cooking oils-2

What about “Expeller Pressed” oil?

This means that the oil was mechanically extracted with a screw press. This traditional way of making oil is much healthier than using hexane – but the big oil manufacturers don’t like this method because it’s less effective (less oil is made) and it’s more expensive. So, it’s used less often. The expeller pressing process can cause a lot of heat that can make the oil go rancid, so some companies take it step farther and cold press their oils at temps of no more than 80°F to 120°F, which is labor intensive but produces the best oils. Beware that although the term “cold pressed” is regulated in Europe, it’s not very well regulated in the U.S. and cold pressed oils could technically be made at high temperatures – so I don’t take this term on a label at face value.  

Cooking Oils To Avoid:

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  • Canola OilTo better understand this oil, it helps to know where it comes from. Canola oil is extracted from rapeseed plants, that have been bred to have lower levels of toxic erucic acid. Before it was bred this way, it was called Rapeseed Oil and used for industrial purposes because the erucic acid in it caused heart damage in animal studies. It got the fancy new name “canola”, but it still contains trace amounts of erucic acid (up to 2%, which they consider “safe”). In 1995 they also began genetically engineering (GMO) rapeseed to be resistant to herbicides, and now almost all canola crops in North America are GMO. Canola oil consumption has been linked to vitamin E deficiency and a shortened life span in animal studies. Research has also found some trans fats in canola oil, which were created during the heavy processing that it goes through. These trans fats are not labeled. This is ironic because trans fats are the opposite of heart healthy! According to the Weston A. Price Foundation:

“Like all modern vegetable oils, canola oil goes through the process of caustic refining, bleaching and degumming–all of which involve high temperatures or chemicals of questionable safety. And because canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which easily become rancid and foul-smelling when subjected to oxygen and high temperatures, it must be deodorized. The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids by turning them into trans fatty acids…research at the University of Florida at Gainesville, found trans levels as high as 4.6 percent in commercial liquid oil… they are not listed on the label”.

Mazola and Crisco brands both admit to using GMOs and hexane extraction in their processing. Wesson oil never responded to our inquiries about hexane, however they confirmed that GMO canola is used. Note: Spectrum Organics brand does not use hexane to process their canola oil, and as with any organic oil, it’s non-GMO. However, I don’t consider canola a healthy oil and would choose another type of oil instead.

  • Cottonseed Oil I consider this the worst oil of all. It’s a byproduct of the cotton crop that’s inundated with pesticides and chemicals because it’s regulated as a textile crop – not food! Cotton farming also may be killing India’s farmers, as harsh pesticides sicken them and thousands more have committed suicide – many after the costly GMO seeds they used failed (sources 1, 2, 3). Being of my Indian descent, I am saddened and infuriated by this unspeakable tragedy on a scale that is hard to express. There is nothing more insidious and despicable than an industry that preys upon the health, safety, and lives of innocent victims. Cottonseed oil does not belong in our food supply and should be strictly avoided. Thankfully, most cooking oils in the grocery store no longer contain cottonseed oil, and this ingredient is mostly relegated to the processed food aisle. Cottonseed is widely being replaced in cooking oils with another oil that I avoid: soybean oil. 
  • Soybean Oil Most products that just say “Vegetable Oil” are made from soybeans. It’s so common in processed foods that up to 20% of calories in the typical American diet is thought to come from soybean oil. Soybean oil is high in omega-6 fatty acids, and our bodies need this type of fatty acid, but today people are getting too much of it through processed foods – up to 20 times more than required, according to some estimates. The overabundance of omega-6 fatty acids increases the risk of inflammation, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Soybean oil is also typically made from GMOs, as 94% of U.S. soybean crops are genetically modified. A recent survey showed that most Americans use “Wesson Vegetable Oil”, which is now made from soybeans (previously cottonseed). When we contacted Wesson, they confirmed they use GMOs in their oils (soybean, corn, canola). Wesson brand is owned by Conagra Foods, which has donated over $2.6 million dollars to fight GMO labeling laws in the U.S., so everytime you buy their products you help fund these anti-labeling campaigns. Smart Balance cooking oil is a soybean oil blended with canola and olive oils. Smart Balance told us, “we plan to transition our full product line to non-GMO including our Smart Balance Oil. At this time our oil is not expeller pressed and does contain GMOs.” and “We do not know if hexane specifically is used, but do know it is a chemical process”. When we pushed Smart Balance to confirm whether they use hexane, their only response was that it “is processed using conventional methods”. Other cooking oils that are often extracted with hexane and are high in omega-6 fatty acids include sunflower and safflower
  • Corn Oil Have you seen Mazola’s latest marketing campaign touting that corn oil lowers cholesterol better than olive oil? Would it affect your opinion if I told you that Mazola’s parent company (ACH Food Companies) partially funded a study that they base this claim on? It definitely affects my opinion. The truth that they don’t mention in their commercials is that corn oil is highly refined, hexane-extracted from GMO corn, and loaded with omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are unstable when exposed to heat. This instability causes oxidation, a process that generates free radicals. Free radicals are renegade molecules in the body that damage cells, triggering a host of diseases from liver damage to cancer. We contacted Mazola and they confirmed that their cooking oils are made from GMOs (corn, soybean, canola) and that they use hexane extraction for all oils, except for their olive oils.

Cooking Oils To Avoid

The Only Cooking Oils In My Kitchen:

I cook with a variety of oils, depending on what I’m cooking. Only some oils are stable when exposed to heat, so I choose those oils for sautéing and stir frying, and the others work great for cold items like salad dressing. I generally look for unrefined, expeller pressed organic oils, and verify cold-pressed claims by contacting the company directly, only buying from those I trust. GMOs and hexane extraction are prohibited in organic oil production, so you can avoid those simply by choosing organic oils. 

Coconut Oil Coconut oil is almost completely saturated fat, but don’t let that scare you. That’s because the tropical saturated fat in coconut oil is made up of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which have been shown to actually reduce cholesterol and obesity (sources: 1, 2, 3, 4). Nutiva’s virgin oil is organic, expeller cold-pressed, unrefined and never deodorized or bleached. It tolerates temperatures up to about 350 degrees, so it’s great for most baking and medium-high heat sauteing. Nutiva also has a steam refined version (no chemicals) that you can use for cooking up to 400 degrees, so this is my go-to oil for high heat stir fry’s. Other oils that are good for high heat cooking include avocado oil and almond oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Beware that there’s olive oil fraud going on, and some brands are mixed with unlabeled GMO oils (like soybean oil), so it’s important to find a brand you trust. Check out Papa Vince’s oil which is simply cold pressed from fresh green olives, and has amazing health benefits. I like to use olive oil to make my own salad dressings.

Extra-Virgin Sesame Oil – It naturally contains vitamin E (an antioxidant), vitamin B-6, zinc, magnesium, calcium, copper and iron. Unrefined sesame oil is best used for low-heat sauteing and works great when used sparingly as a condiment because it has a strong flavor. A naturally refined version is better for high-heat stir frys. 

Nutiva Hemp OilThis is one of my favorite oils, but it’s only good for cold applications like salad dressings, dips and smoothies. Hemp oil contains more essential fatty acids than any other nut or seed oil, with the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the optimal ratio. Hemp is also the world’s most sustainable crop, so I love these products. This oil is delicate and should be kept in the fridge and used within 3 months. Other good oils for salad dressings include walnut oil and flaxseed oil.

Nutiva Red Palm Oil –  This oil has a light buttery flavor, and I love it on popcorn. It’s higher in vitamins A and E than other cooking oils. It’s also been shown to reduce cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. It has about at 300 degree smoke point, so it tolerates medium-heat cooking. Also, Nutiva’s vegan shortening is made with their palm and coconut oils, and works great for baking. Note: This is not to be confused with palm kernel oil (conflict palm oil), as Nutiva’s red palm oil is sustainably grown in Ecuador and doesn’t contribute to deforestation or habitat destruction.

I also sometimes use grass-fed butter and organic ghee for cooking, which is clarified butter. If you are wondering more about what butter I use, make sure you check out this post.

If you know someone who is still using canola oil, corn or soy oils in their cooking, please share this post with them! Let’s spread the word to everyone about the healthier choices out there. 

Xo,

Vani 

P.S. If you want more life changing information about your food and what to buy, you’ve got to check out my books. In my #1 best selling book The Food Babe Way – I teach you even more ways you can break free from the hidden toxins in your food, lose weight, look years younger and get healthy in just 21 days. In my 2nd book, Feeding You Lies, I blow the lid off of the lies we’ve been fed about the food we eat – lies about its nutrient value, effects on our health, label information, and even the very science we base our food choices on. And, my first cookbook, Food Babe Kitchen, contains over 100 mouthwatering recipes to show you how delicious and simple it is to eat healthy, easy, real food. Available anywhere books are sold.

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491 responses to “Processed To Death – Get These Cooking Oils Out of Your Pantry STAT!

  1. Thank you for the youttube video link I have forwarded to my husband…it stresses me out that he continues to buy canola EVEN though I refuse to eat anything he makes with it and he continues to brush off my warnings of it’s dangers. I hope this helps me finally convince him not to bring it into our nest anymore.

  2. I purchased sevdn bottles of organic canola oil. Is this organic canola oil still unhealthy? Can you buy organic corn oil that is healthier than store bought? Thanks

    1. No. They won’t help. This is the result of the propaganda by the food and agricultural industries.

      1. Yes, Daniel. Rapeseed was dubbed ‘canola’ oil long before gmo’s. Apparently, it has bad qualities all on its own.

  3. I use only Organic Melt for everything it’s great for baking I love it in popcorn and best of all it’s Organic and Non GMO.

    Vera,

    1. “I use only Organic Melt for everything it’s great for baking I love it in popcorn and best of all it’s Organic and Non GMO.

      Vera,”

      Vera, have you read the ingredients? Melt contains Canola oil.

      1. Food Babe, I know Melt contains Canola oil and I also know it’s labeled Organic and Non GMO Project labeled so I would say according to Non GMO project labeling this product should be perfectly ok to use do you agree?

  4. Popcorn (organic of course) is fantastic popped in coconut oil. The coconut flavor gives the popcorn a slightly sweet flavor – add a little real salt and ,,,,,,, oh yum.

    My favorite oil is lard. I raise my pigs & render my own lard so it’s crazy healthy. Everything’s better with a little lard.

    1. I could have written your post. I’ve been using coconut oil to make my popcorn for years. It is just delicious, and the oil never burns or smokes even if I forget and leave it heating too long. I’ve been thinking about getting some lard, too. It has a great flavor. It’s one reason refried beans are so good at Mexican restaurants. Lard has been used for centuries and wasn’t the cause heart disease. All things in moderation, of course. At least it’s a natural product, well, we can hope it is anyway considering how so many cows are fed these days. ::sigh::

      1. Check to make sure it’s real lard! I was going to buy recently and checked the ingredients….IT WAS PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OIL!

  5. Thank you for such indepth research on this topic. We all thought we were doing the right thing by using canola oil. So glad to have this info to share with others.

  6. Someone asked about alternative mayonnaise and thankfully learned through a cooking show that vegan mayonnaise is a good substitute, and after buying it (365-Brand at Whole Foods) have really enjoyed it – you wouldn’t know eggs are missing!

    1. Unfortunately, every mayonnaise on the market – whether vegan or not – contains soybean or canola oil. If someone has found a brand that doesn’t, please let me know.

      1. Try soy-free Vegenaise from “Mayo Karma” is egg free, gluten free, and soy free. GMO verified . The flavor is amazing, I buy it AT Wholefoods or Sprouts.

      2. I make mayo out of avocados, mashed up with some lemon juice, pepper, a bit of oil oil……blend until all together and thick, makes wonderful mayo replacement and tastes wonderful.

      1. Denny and everyone….is peanut oil safe. Any idea about that. I am looking for a oil that can be used for deep frying.

    1. I’m allergic to soy and have a hard time with most oils. I was wondering about avocado oil too as that is what I use primarily as well.

    2. Avocado oil cold pressed, has a temp of 260 degrees Celsius, and is great for baking, and stir fry as there is no taste to it. It is one of the most healthy oil to cook with, coconut oil coming in second, I use both for al my cooking. I use nothing else. I have hazelnut and Walnut oils, and hemp oils for making healthy salad dressings. Costco carries the Avocado in glass bottle, and not bad for pricing as well. Worth my $$.

    1. Most peanuts are GMO, s I would not trust the oil, myself. Avocado is the best high temp oil.

  7. Hi Vani, can you tell me which is the best oil for deep frying? We Indians, do like some foods fried.

  8. I’m a victim of the oils Vani mentioned among other foods laced with chemicals. The only oils that I can now tolerate are coconut and extra virgin olive oil. I have not tried the hemp, sesame or red palm Vani mentioned but will try them.

  9. What do you suggest for a high smoke point oil …. I am using Grapeseed Oil but see no ref to it in your blog.

  10. A friend sent me this info. My cooking choices though less well informed have more or less ended up in line with some of your key suggestions. I’m saddened to find that both safflower and sunflower oils are of questionable value. Hopefully your efforts will help to shape up some of the activities of these food processors.
    How delightful it is to find someone who is both beautiful and knowlegable on this topic. I also liked the comment from the lady about her home rendered hog fat from home grown hogs. She’s right, but few of us have access to that kind of
    healthy (in moderation) food flavoring from what amount to industrial hog raising sources,

  11. Great article, very helpful, but I was surprised I didn’t see avocado oil on your list of good oils to use, I only use coconut, olive, and avocado oils in my kitchen, so was wondering what your thoughts on avocado oil?

  12. Thank you so much for all the information. What about grapeseed oil? I have heard it is good for high temps and is healthy too…but as always I am suspicious! 🙂

    1. Grapes are heavily sprayed with pesticides. I do not know if this oil is processed with hexane, but I’d consider all the pesticides that are sprayed on those grapes. I can’t find organic grape seed oil, anywhere.

      1. “Grapeseed” is actually rapeseed – they shifted the name for marketing purposes. Rapeseed oil is quite common.

      2. To: Karen
        Grape seed oil is extracted from grape seeds, a by-product of wine making. This process usually involves various chemicals, including the toxic solvent hexane. Rapeseed is something entirely different. It’s what Canola oil is made from.

  13. I would like to know what oil to use for deep frying. I fry things once in a while. Since most of the cooking oil are not healthy, and am concerned about the smoking point of oil, which one do you recommend for frying.
    thanks.
    Regards.

    1. According to “Let’s Cook It Right,” author, Adelle Davis, deep fat frying is to be avoided because it robs the vegetables of their nutrients. But she says, if you have to, add vitamins and minerals to them when your done filling them with saturated fats.

      1. I also have Adele Davis book, “Let’s Cook It Right.” I consider it a valuable resource. I “inherited” (read “stole”) my copy from my mother, and I am 59 years old. The copyright date is 1947, the year my mom was 15, and it was state of the art for its time.. Many things have changed since then, including methods of extracting oil. The book is a treasure and a good read. I exercise judgement and a little bit of salt when using my 70-year-old classic. Never the less, it doesn’t sit on the shelf long between uses.

  14. How do you feel about virgin sunflower oil? I had been using olive oil to make my hot chili oil but read that heating it causes it to go rancid so was looking for a neutral replacement oil that was less expensive than sesame oil. Recently tried sunflower oil and it seemed to work well. Safflower oil is another I’ve considered. Are there any processing issues with these oils?

  15. I recently did a lot of research to determine what oils would work best for me … I wanted one for salads and low temp cooking and one for higher temp cooking. I was already using an olive oil but research indicated that many of our olive oils (about 69% found on store shelves) are fraudulently labeled and are also not well-regulated within the USA, at a national level. . As a result, I researched and determined that one good source of Olive oil would be from California due to their establishment of the COOC (California Olive Oil Council), From that information, I detemined that the California olive oils to buy would be the ones which display on their bottles, not only a harvest date (which helps you determine freshness) but also California’s COOC stamp on the bottle. This means the bottle has to contain 100% olive oil, and pass the COOC requirements for a COOC label (which also include taste, acidity level, method of processing, etc). So this now is what I used for salads and light cooking. Next, I investigated an oil I felt would work for frying, sauteeing, etc. and, as a result, I am buying an Avocado Oil which has been (like my olive oil) produced via non-chemical methods and can be safely used to about 420 degrees before the dangerous ‘smoke point’ is encountered.

    1. If you will actually READ IT, you might notice that “Suzanne in Kansas” has JUST MENTIONED AVOCADO OIL FOR FRYING!! (People keep asking the same questions over and over! If they were to read, they’d see that they’ve already been asked – and A N S W E R E D !!)

  16. Oldmoal, I’m not sure I got your meaning. It may sound like it, but I’m not really saying “you get what you pay for”. Not always. And not necessarily in healthful foods. To get both a good price and good nutrition you have do some research, or rely on good people like FoodBabe, to do it for you. Although, I’m not criticizing people who shop at Costco, I use to be a member there as well, but I don’t think they are necessarily a reliable source for good nutrition. You say you paid $10 a quart for an oil you believe is good and have a high smoke point. Well I purchased gold label organic coconut oil at Tropical Traditions online 12/25/14, which is arguably one of the best sources in the nation for pure organic coconut oil, (and as you may know coconut oil has many health benefits including a high smoke point and can be used in stir frying) and I paid only $7.79 per quart for their top of the line Gold Label organic version. Granted I believe this was on sale at the time and the promotion included free shipping. In order to keep your cost down, you sorta have to keep your eye out for sales (maybe subscribe to email notification of sales on your preferred items and/or suppliers, etc).

    My point is, you can easily pay more than I paid for a less quality oil. Food manufactures get away with high prices because most consumers don’t know how to determine what’s healthy and what’s not so healthy. Most people buy based on the marketing hype they put on their labels or commercials, most of which is twisted and not quite true. Since our health is so valuable to us I feel its worth not only the investment of our money but also a little of our time to make sure we’re not being taken advantage of in the name of good health.

    I think there’s at least ,if not more fake health food products as there is genuine healthy ones. And the fake health food can be even more expensive that the genuine article. This has been my experience.

  17. Regarding coconut oil it should be mentioned that the overwhelming majority of MCTs found in coconut oil is lauric acid whereas it is caprylic and capric acids that research has shown to be beneficial. The latter appear in very small quantities in coconut oil — not enough to confer health benefits. MCTs have a very specific use/benefit in medical nutrition therapy. Coconut oil and MCTs are not synonymous. In other words, coconut oil will not “cure” anything. Use it for flavor if you wish, but don’t expect to get the MCT ROI from coconut oil.

    http://bit.ly/COFacts

    1. You sound like someone who knows what he/she’s talking about. Would have liked your comment to be a little more complete. For example, I don’t know what an MCT is. Maybe it’s an acronym for something duly mentioned in the article above? It’s morning, and I’m still sleepy.

      Anyway, just generally so very tired of all the sham and fraud in the healthy food industry. People say to read the labels (and I have done so for decades), but if we are to believe that the labels are primarily full of marketing lies, and misrepresentations, then where are we to go for actual information? Take organic coconut products, again, for example, I’ve lived in the tropics and have never been made aware that coconut trees have any insect pests, nor do they require much in the way of added fertilizer. As for weeds, well everywhere in the tropics there is nothing if not virtual armies of low wage workers who know full well how to control weeds . . . by pulling them out. Of course, I have never been near a huge monocultural coconut plantation, so what do I know? Would there be a difference between coconut oil sourced from Asia vs Africa or the Americas?

      1. I can answer the question, what is/are MCT’s? It stands for “medium chain triglycerides.” Fats and oils are made of triglycerides, their “building block,” so to speak, That are attached to each other in long “chains.” The characteristics of a particular chain of triglycerides depends on the length of the chain. They are grouped into “short chain” triglycerides, “medium chain” triglycerides, and “long chain” triglycerides. How long the chain is (or how big the molecule is) determines, among other things, whether the stuff is a fat or an oil. An oil is a liquid at room temperature; a fat is a solid at room temperature. This is a very simple explanation, and if you were interested in knowing more, there is lots more to know, but I think this will answer your question sufficiently. Now, here is the “gem” of information: MCT’s (medium chain triglycerides) have special properties which can be used to solve/treat some medical/gastrointestinal issues. This is because MCT’s do not have to be digested by liver and pancreatic enzymes to be absorbed into the bloodstream, they can pass into the bloodstream directly. That is why they have particular interest to nutritionists. For people who can’t digest fats, or can’t absorb fats, MCT oil can be substituted in the diet to reduce/eliminate some of the symptoms, especially diarrhea.

      2. Wow, thanks Kimmie!. And coconut oil has these MCTs? Reminds me of a story I could tell about how I once was given an antibiotic that caused severe diarrhea; it lasted for two months even. Then I took a trip to the tropics (Indonesia) and my diarrhea cleared right up.

  18. great article, would love a quick diagram of the good oils separated by their best use, like baking or frying, just a lot easier to remember (and pin)
    Thanks you as always for your great work Vani!

  19. Why no mention of Avocado oil? It can withstand high heat and I use it for EVERYTHING. No strong taste to it like coconut oil…

  20. What about Pompeian Olive Oil? Is there a place where you have listed the Olive Oils you recommend?

    Thank you!

  21. We have extra virgin olive oil and coconut in our panty. use too have veggie and canola for didn’t know better

  22. Can Extra-virgin olive oil be used at high heat? I use it to grill my chicken and cook popcorn. The article didn’t say if it could be used at high heat. I’ve heard mixed messages.

  23. I have horrible reactions to canola oil – migraines, muscle tremors, stomach pain for days on end, digestive issues, etc. It was getting to the point of debilitating until i figured out the cause by an elimination diet. In my opinion, the stuff is toxic, some of us just have visible reactions to it. It causes massive amounts of inflammation in the body.

  24. Why is grapeseed not on your list? As long as it is expeller pressed it is a good oil to use to cook with. I use three oils: coconut for baking mostly (some oven and stovetop cooking), grapeseed for higher heat coming in the stovetop or grilling, and olive oil for cold applications such as salad dressings. The flash point for olive and coconut are too low for higher heat cooking. They chemically break down.

  25. Your notes under cottonseed oil are very inadequate. Cottonseed oil and meal contain the naturally occurring toxin gossypol. Ten percent of the population is allergic to gossypol. Of that ten percent, ten percent, or one percent of the total population, are anaphylactically allergic-a medical emergency! I am one of that one percent. Years ago, a now former wife made my favorite dessert for my birthday, lemon cheesecake pie. This was baked in a store-bought pie shell that I later found out had cottonseed meal as one of the ingredients. I spent that night in the ER getting epinephrine and steroids, and then in the ICU wired up to monitors. After the episode was under control, I slept for 14 hours from the shock. I am now an inveterate reader of labels for any foodstuffs I buy. Almost all of the crackers and other baked goods in the aisles had the ingredient, ” may contain partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil”. I know that cottonseed is the culprit because I underwent allergy testing in my late teens. These were scratch tests on my back with a drop of the substance put into a small scratch made on my back. Cottonseed extract caused a reaction that wiped out over half the tests on my back, and required an epinephrine injection to stop the reaction. In my early 30s, I took a course on environmental science as part of classwork towards an MSPH degree. We had a special lecture on environmental toxins by one of the world’s experts. In addition to introducing us to gossypol, he noted that it was being considered as an ingredient in a male contraceptive pill. He wryly stated that removing one percent of the males would be a start on population control!
    I was a Health, Safety, and Environmental Consultant as a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. One day I was at the Port of Longview, WA, as their consultant in a very large warehouse structure. The floor looked like it had been polished and waxed. I felt a slight sense of unease, and then the Port Contact pointed to a large hill of black material about 50 feet away in the warehouse. That’s many tons of cottonseed, and that’s the source of the oil polishing the floor. I excused myself, and ran for my van which had my rescue inhaler and Epi-Pen. Luckily, I caught the reaction right at the onset, and my rescue inhaler was able to handle the reaction before it became serious. Years ago in restaurant food suppliers, I noticed that cottonseed blends were available in 5-gallon cans. Today there is almost no cottonseed oil in the stores I frequent. That means there is less to worry about when eating out, although in many fast food places, I ask if they use cottonseed oil for frying. Happily for me, the number has greatly decreased.

  26. You should have added something about lard. Or animal fats for cooking with. We use olive oil, lard, and real organic butter from grass fed beef to cook with. We dont use any of the conventional oils.

  27. What can you tell me about Black Seed Oil?, I have a new Doctor and she has copies about using this oil all over her office, but I have never heard of it, thanks for your help, Cindy

  28. Mayo is so easy to make, it takes like 2 minutes. Get some extra light olive oil, an egg, some vinegar and or lemon juice, add a little salt and mix the oil in slowly. It’s a piece of cake and it will be the best mayo you’ve ever had. Don’t buy it at the store, there is no such thing as a good brand.

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