The questions over healthy cooking oils are heating up. While so-called ‘seed oils’ – canola, corn, and vegetable oils have long been touted as healthy oils, some health experts are sounding the alarm about their toxicity.

Cate Shanahan, MD has been leading the charge about the dangers of these oils for over 20 years, and her writings started influencing the nutrition conversation in 2006. According to Shanahan, seed oils were never meant for human consumption. Oil made from soy was first produced for machines during World War II. By the end of the war, the farmers had excess soy, but no market for the product. So, chemists thought that by cleaning up the oil a bit, they could sell it for human consumption.

At that time, the scientific and nutritional community did not know that toxins could form during oil production. “ The creation and formation of toxins during the processing is what makes these oils unique,” Shanahan told Drew Mariani.

As it turns out, the toxins found in seed oils can have massive disruptions on the body. Shanahan noted that seed oils can cause cellular damage, insulin resistance, and even genetic deformities in children. “The most terrifying aspect about vegetable oil is that it’s also destroying the organ most susceptible to oxidative stress, our brains,” Shanahan said.

Shanahan recommends cooking with olive oil, unrefined peanut oil, coconut oil, or beef tallow. These oils are produced in simple steps and have been used for hundreds if not thousands of years. An oil made from olives is edible right from the first squeeze of the olive and “ all the nutrients that nature put in there to stabilize the oil and protect it from deterioration over time” Shanahan said.

However, grocery stores are stocked with products made with seed oils, so finding some without those toxic fats is difficult. Stores are filled with snack foods, ‘health foods’, frozen foods, and baked foods — all containing seed oils. Frequently, the foods that don’t have seed oils are the more expensive options. But if it’s choosing between spending a little more and healthy living, paying the higher price just might be worth it.