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What Are Seed Oils? (And Why the Internet Is Weird About Them)

A row of cooking fats on a light kitchen counter: extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, a small dish of butter, and avocado oil in bottles, with a bright kitchen background.

If you’ve spent more than three minutes on TikTok, Instagram or a podcast hosted by a man who sells supplements, you’ve probably been warned about seed oils.


They’re “toxic”.

They’re “inflammatory”.

They’re “basically engine lubricant”.

They’re apparently responsible for everything from weight gain to your Wi-Fi being slow.


So… what are seed oils actually?

And do you need to dramatically purge your kitchen cupboards?


Short answer: no.

Long answer: let’s talk properly.


What are seed oils?

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


Common ones include:

  • Sunflower oil

  • Rapeseed oil (canola)

  • Soybean oil

  • Corn oil

  • Grapeseed oil

  • Cottonseed oil


They’re used because they’re:

  • Cheap to produce

  • Neutral tasting

  • Shelf stable

  • Versatile for cooking and processed foods


They’re not new. They’ve been around for over a century. What’s new is the panic about them.


Why do people say seed oils are “bad”?

Most seed-oil fear is based on three claims:


1. “They cause inflammation”

The argument goes like this: Seed oils contain omega-6 fats → omega-6 is “pro-inflammatory” → therefore seed oils are bad.


The reality:

  • Omega-6 fats are essential nutrients (your body literally needs them).

  • Large human studies consistently show that higher intake of polyunsaturated fats (including from seed oils) is associated with better heart health, not worse.

  • Inflammation is driven far more by overall lifestyle (sleep, stress, movement, calorie intake, smoking, etc.) than by whether you used sunflower or olive oil.


If seed oils were truly catastrophic, most of the population would have collapsed by now.

We haven’t.


2. “They’re ultra-processed”

Some seed oils are industrially processed. That’s true.

But “processed” does not automatically mean “harmful”.


Bread is processed. Yoghurt is processed. Coffee is processed.The health impact depends on:

  • What the food actually contains

  • How much you eat

  • What your overall diet looks like


Blaming one ingredient is emotionally satisfying. It’s also nutritionally lazy.


3. “Our ancestors didn’t eat them”

True.

They also didn’t have antibiotics, glasses, or indoor plumbing.


“Ancient humans didn’t eat X” is not a useful health argument. What matters is evidence from real humans, not vibes from cavemen.


Are seed oils perfect health foods?

No. But neither is olive oil. Or butter. Or coconut oil. Or literally any fat if used in excess.


All oils are:

  • Calorie dense

  • Easy to overconsume

  • Neutral to mildly beneficial depending on context


The real issue for most people isn’t which oil they use.It’s that they’re eating far more calories than they realise from oils, snacks, and ultra-easy foods.

Seed oils are often found in ultra-processed foods, which is where the confusion starts.

The problem isn’t the oil — it’s the diet pattern.


The Scrummy view (aka: the sane one)

You do not need to:

  • Throw away your rapeseed oil

  • Fear sunflower oil in restaurant food

  • Spend £12 on “ancestral avocado oil”

  • Panic every time someone mentions omega-6


Instead:

  • Cook mostly with oils you like the taste of

  • Don’t drown everything in oil “because it’s healthy”

  • Focus on overall eating patterns (veg, protein, fibre, consistency)

  • Reduce ultra-processed food if your diet is heavy in it — not because of seed oils, but because of calories, satiety and habits


No drama required.


Why the seed oil panic keeps spreading

Because fear sells.

“Eat balanced meals and stop overthinking it” doesn’t go viral.“THIS INGREDIENT IS SILENTLY KILLING YOU” does.


Add a podcast mic, a shredded torso and an affiliate link to beef tallow, and suddenly we’re all meant to be terrified of margarine.


Scrummy is here to be the boring voice in the corner saying:

Relax. Eat sensibly. Live your life.


The bottom line

Seed oils are not poison.

They’re not magic.

They’re not your main problem.


If your diet is built around real meals, decent portions, fibre, protein, and foods you actually enjoy — seed oils will not be the thing holding you back.


Your stress, perfectionism, and constant dieting probably will.

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