Fitness coach reveals most dangerous food for the body that we still include in all our meals: Not sugar or soda

Hindustan Times

10 hours ago

When it comes to our health and changing our diet for the better, doctors, health experts, and nutritionists usually kick out sugary food and soda drinks from our meals. They are often considered the biggest villains against achieving a healthy eating habit, but did you know that a bigger supervillain is still hiding in the shadows? Seed oils.
A fitness coach started fresh conversation about the perils of cooking your food with seed oils with his new video. Lars Meidell, a Norwegian founder of Reinvented AS, has 1.3 million followers on Instagram. He shared in his recent video how the worst thing to put in your body isn't cola, sugar or fried chicken but something 'that hides in everything you eat'.
He shared in his video how seed oils cause oxidative stress. As per the National Library of Medicine, oxidative stress occurs when there's an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the body's ability to detoxify them. While ROS are natural by-products of oxygen metabolism and play important roles like cell signaling, their levels can spike due to environmental stressors such as UV rays, pollutants, and certain drugs, leading to cell and tissue damage.
'This leads to hormonal imbalance, heart disease, and even cancer,' Lars' video mentions. 'Most people eat this food every day. It is vegetable seed oils like sunflower oil, canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil. They are cheap, processed and loaded with unstable Omega-6 fats,' he said.
A post shared by Lars Meidell | #1 Fitness Coach For Busy Men (@larsmeidell)
Earlier, in an interview with Huberman Labs, Dr. Mark Hyman, founder of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine, spoke about seed oils in detail.
"We should be prioritising whole food sources of fat, things like avocados, coconuts, nuts, seeds, and Omega-3s from fish. Olive oil, especially extra virgin, is one of the least processed oils available. While we do eat nuts and seeds that naturally contain Omega-6 fatty acids, the concern arises when we consume them in highly processed forms."
He explained that the core issue with seed oils lies in their high Omega-6 content, which can become problematic if not properly balanced with Omega-3s. This imbalance, he noted, is believed to contribute to inflammation. He also raised concerns about the way these oils are grown and processed.
He pointed out that many seed oils come from genetically modified crops like canola, which are often treated with heavy chemicals. The oils then undergo industrial processes such as oxidation, bleaching, deodorising, and treatment with solvents like hexane—methods he felt made them unfit for consumption.
While he acknowledged that the evidence about the dangers of seed oils is still mixed, he concluded that he personally wouldn't choose to consume something so heavily processed.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.