Seed Oils: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Spoiler: Mostly Good)

Seed oils might be the most argued-about ingredient on the internet. Depending on who you listen to, they’re either harmless cooking staples… or tiny bottles of doom ready to inflame your cells, ruin your life, and steal your snacks.

Let’s bring some calm, clarity, and common sense to the conversation — the Scrummy way.

🌻 The Good

1. They’re full of healthy fats

Sunflower, rapeseed, canola and soybean oils are rich in unsaturated fats, which support heart health when they replace saturated fats. Your body doesn’t see them as villains — just another source of energy.

2. They’re affordable and practical

Seed oils are widely available, neutral in flavour, and perfect for everyday cooking.

Roasting, frying, baking? Sorted.

3. They’re stable at high heat

Refined seed oils (the kind most people use) have high smoke points, meaning they stay stable when hot. If anything, they’re better for frying than some unrefined oils.

4. Cold-pressed versions taste great

If you want more flavour, cold-pressed rapeseed oil is delicious.

Health difference? Tiny.

Taste difference? Noticeable.

😐 The Bad (well… mildly inconvenient)

1. They show up in ultra-processed foods

Crisps, cheap pastries, beige buffet items — seed oils often appear in foods you’re better off not living on.

But this is a context problem, not an oil problem.

2. Easy to over-glug

Like all oils, they’re calorie-dense. A “tiny splash” can turn into 200 extra calories faster than you can say “why is my bottle empty?”.

3. Refining removes some flavour and micronutrients

Not harmful — just less characterful than olive oil.

Your tastebuds might shrug.

👀 The Ugly (aka: the internet myths)

1. “Refining makes them toxic.”

Nope.

Refining removes impurities and stabilises the oil.

Solvents used in extraction (like hexane) are fully removed before bottling — verified by safety authorities worldwide.

2. “Heating seed oils creates toxins.”

All cooking creates tiny byproducts, but refined oils are specifically made to be stable when hot.

They’re actually less likely to oxidise than some unrefined oils.

3. “Seed oils cause inflammation.”

Human studies show no link between normal seed-oil consumption and chronic inflammation.

Omega-6s are not setting your body on fire — they’re essential fats your cells actually need.

4. “Cold-pressed is the only healthy option.”

Cold-pressed tastes more interesting, but from a health perspective?

The difference is minimal.

Most people just like the earthy flavour. Fair enough.

Scrummy Bottom Line

Seed oils are not toxic, not inflammatory, and not something to fear.

They’re just… oils.

Use olive oil when you want flavour.

Use seed oils when you want practicality.

Avoid living off fried beige.

Eat real meals most of the time.

Job done.

Nutrition doesn’t need villains.

It just needs a bit of sense — and ideally a vegetable somewhere in the mix.