During a mindbodygreen podcast episode, Shanahan says, “I think vegetable oils are the No. 1 cause of health problems in this country.” Now, before anyone starts throwing away their cooking oils, Shanahan is only referring to eight specific types of vegetable oils. Though polyunsaturated fats are actually healthier than saturated and trans fats, (and have been shown to reduce “bad” or LDL1 cholesterol), Shanahan says they’re highly unstable. Meaning, when they’re exposed to chemicals in the refining process, they’re stripped of their antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Over time, PUFA becomes stored in the body fat, which may lead to inflammation2. “For all foods, we have to consider the nature of the fats,” Shanahan says. Traditional added fats, like butter, are closer to whole foods than refined oils are. “You don’t need high heat, you don’t need complicated equipment, you don’t need refining machinery,” Shanahan says about butter. “You just let the cream rise to the top, skim it off, and then you start churning it around, and that’s butter.” The same can be said of olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil when they’re cold-pressed and unrefined. Traditionally, these oils are squeezed straight from the fruit, or the seed of the fruit, and are not stripped of their antioxidants and minerals.
