One thing is that the game is rigged. Cheapest food is the most processed. Labels that lie. Mixed messaging on nutrition. Dirty tricks from marketing (diet coke is good for you!)
I eat well enough and stay fit (also inherited my father’s fast metabolism), but when I try to go properly healthy, increase protein etc, the cost makes my eyes water.
Its so hard to avoid the seed oils. Sure, at home we've used Avocado Oil and Olive Oil for decades - but that doesn't mean seed oils are eradicated from our diets (as noted, its everywhere!). And, its impossible to control if you go out to eat (even at fine restaurants).
There's cool new restaurants like True Foods Kitchen that are seed oil free. But yes, you will have to minimize eating out here. With inflation this one is easy to do, honestly, it's just so expensive now.
I have been "lower carb" for about 10 years. That has allowed me to maintain a steady 20 lbs overweight instead of wildly fluctuating weight. 6 months ago I focused on reducing my pufa intake. I lost 25 pounds in about 5 weeks without trying. My family members can't beleive it. I had to tell them that I am not dying from a terminal disease... more than once. Maybe in a few years they will beleive me.
There's 0 downside to your health, but a significant downside to your time, convenience, and wallet. It removes your ability to eat at restaurants, order food while traveling, or "pick something up" for a large gathering of friends/kids.
I know pizza and hot dogs are unhealthy, but I'm not aware of any equally convenient/cheap/accessible way to feed a party of 25 kids+adults for a birthday party. Even catering from Whole Foods will fail the nutrition test.
You make a convincing case the health benefits are worth it, but it's not pure upside choice.
Good post! Additionally I think it’s worth mentioning that our whole, unprocessed foods, while vastly better than the processed or ultra processed alternatives, have less overall nutritional value than they did, say, a hundred years ago, down to how we’ve been treating our soil and our planet in general. Sometimes the reductions are huge (there’s good science on this to look up, and even a great documentary, and I apologize for not having links on hand). For this reason, in addition to what you have done yourself, I do supplement with quite a few vitamins, minerals and select other things like Norwegian cod liver oil. However, just quitting seed oils, aka basically friggin’ machine lubricants, makes a huge difference in your health! Death to Big Food, Big Pharma and what they in combination do to destroy human health.
Love this piece Adam, especially the heuristic here: "And the thing is, seed oils are in mostly unhealthy products. I found removing them was fully aligned with simply eating better." Just like removing alcohol (almost 9 years sober) leads to outsized health benefits, adding avoiding seed oils seems like the next best step. Its just cleans up your diet so quickly.
I think a lot of people just really like their snack foods / junk foods. I did too. But after a few years without them, I feel so good I don't even miss them.
I guess maybe I'm a good study since I eat nearly entirely olive oil and some coconut oil and very little processed foods with other oils. I'm a bit overweight though regardless.
One thing is that the game is rigged. Cheapest food is the most processed. Labels that lie. Mixed messaging on nutrition. Dirty tricks from marketing (diet coke is good for you!)
I eat well enough and stay fit (also inherited my father’s fast metabolism), but when I try to go properly healthy, increase protein etc, the cost makes my eyes water.
A simple way to live is just don't eat or purchase things with an ingredients label. Sounds too easy. Absolutely works.
Its so hard to avoid the seed oils. Sure, at home we've used Avocado Oil and Olive Oil for decades - but that doesn't mean seed oils are eradicated from our diets (as noted, its everywhere!). And, its impossible to control if you go out to eat (even at fine restaurants).
There's cool new restaurants like True Foods Kitchen that are seed oil free. But yes, you will have to minimize eating out here. With inflation this one is easy to do, honestly, it's just so expensive now.
I have been "lower carb" for about 10 years. That has allowed me to maintain a steady 20 lbs overweight instead of wildly fluctuating weight. 6 months ago I focused on reducing my pufa intake. I lost 25 pounds in about 5 weeks without trying. My family members can't beleive it. I had to tell them that I am not dying from a terminal disease... more than once. Maybe in a few years they will beleive me.
re "zero downside decision"
There's 0 downside to your health, but a significant downside to your time, convenience, and wallet. It removes your ability to eat at restaurants, order food while traveling, or "pick something up" for a large gathering of friends/kids.
I know pizza and hot dogs are unhealthy, but I'm not aware of any equally convenient/cheap/accessible way to feed a party of 25 kids+adults for a birthday party. Even catering from Whole Foods will fail the nutrition test.
You make a convincing case the health benefits are worth it, but it's not pure upside choice.
You're right it's perhaps unavoidable entirely for many. Minimization might be all you can do, and that's okay too
Good post! Additionally I think it’s worth mentioning that our whole, unprocessed foods, while vastly better than the processed or ultra processed alternatives, have less overall nutritional value than they did, say, a hundred years ago, down to how we’ve been treating our soil and our planet in general. Sometimes the reductions are huge (there’s good science on this to look up, and even a great documentary, and I apologize for not having links on hand). For this reason, in addition to what you have done yourself, I do supplement with quite a few vitamins, minerals and select other things like Norwegian cod liver oil. However, just quitting seed oils, aka basically friggin’ machine lubricants, makes a huge difference in your health! Death to Big Food, Big Pharma and what they in combination do to destroy human health.
Good insight 😌
Love this piece Adam, especially the heuristic here: "And the thing is, seed oils are in mostly unhealthy products. I found removing them was fully aligned with simply eating better." Just like removing alcohol (almost 9 years sober) leads to outsized health benefits, adding avoiding seed oils seems like the next best step. Its just cleans up your diet so quickly.
I think a lot of people just really like their snack foods / junk foods. I did too. But after a few years without them, I feel so good I don't even miss them.
I have a really dumb question, are olive and avocado oils seed oils? I’m assuming no but I really have no idea.
No, olive and avocado oil are from the flesh of the fruit.
I guess maybe I'm a good study since I eat nearly entirely olive oil and some coconut oil and very little processed foods with other oils. I'm a bit overweight though regardless.