Episode #12: From Anti- to Pro-Seed Oils: Telling Devoted Followers You Were Wrong with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

In this episode, Hannah and Victoria have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne about her stance switch from anti- to pro-seed oils.

Hi everyone, Vic here.

Hannah and I asked Dr. Sarah to come on the podcast to speak with her about some of the science backing why she switched her viewpoint, but mainly about the dynamics of telling her millions of followers she was wrong.

This episode is my favorite we’ve recorded so far.

Why?

If you’ve spent any time in the wellness world, you may have noticed that big names don’t shift their stance very often, and they especially don’t do it loudly.

But in this case, Dr. Sarah not only changed her mind, she did it very publically. And very loudly.

We’ve seen some nasty social media comments pointed in her direction…everything from she’s hit her head to she’s being bought by “big oil.”

While I was transparent in our interview that I wasn’t so sure I was committed to incorporating vegetable oils into my diet, I fully believe she’s come to this conclusion on her own (extremely intelligent) accord and is in no way being influenced by anything other than saying what she thinks is right.

And I also believe that the characteristics and skills she displays—curiosity, willingness to change her mind and say she was wrong, research literacy and commitment to staying up to date on current research, clear communication—are the EXACT qualities that will keep us moving toward the best wellness solutions EVEN IF it happens that you don’t like what she’s saying right now.

These qualities starkly contrast with what we usually see from wellness influencers…the ones who are so blindly committed to a concept or idea (and the money they make from it) that they’ll lead themselves and you into illness in order to stay the course.

The opposite is happening here. And I love it.

We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we liked speaking with Dr. Sarah.

For more on the science behind her views on vegetable oils, please click here to listen to Dr. Sarah and Stacy Toth’s discussion on The Whole View, and click here for Dr. Sarah’s interview on The Unbiased Science podcast.

Dr. Sarah Ballantyne’s bio

Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD, is the founder of Nutrivore.com and the New York Times best-selling author of Nutrivore: The Radical New Science for Getting the Nutrients You Need from the Food You Eat. She creates educational resources to help people improve their day-to-day diet and lifestyle choices, empowered and informed by the most current evidence-based scientific research. With Nutrivore, Dr. Sarah has created a positive and inclusive approach to dietary guidance, based in science and devoid of dogma, using nutrient density and sufficiency as its basic principles: Nourishment, not judgment.

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