Research-backed guides on seed oils, traditional cooking fats, and how to eat clean wherever you are.
Seed oils — canola, soybean, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, safflower, grapeseed, and rice bran — are extracted from seeds using industrial chemical processes. They are the dominant cooking fat in modern restaurants and processed foods, and a growing body of research links them to inflammation, metabolic disease, and cardiovascular risk.
Avoiding seed oils at home is manageable — you control your kitchen. But travelling is a different challenge. Most restaurants worldwide default to canola or soybean oil, and menus rarely disclose cooking fats. This guide gives you the practical tools to eat clean in any city.
The best alternatives to seed oils are the fats humans cooked with for thousands of years before the industrial seed oil era: beef tallow, butter, ghee, lard, extra virgin olive oil, and coconut oil. Each has distinct properties, flavour profiles, and ideal uses. This guide covers everything you need to know.