The Seed Oil Panic Is Wrong: What Science Actually Says | Jessica Knurick

Nov 10, 2025

In this conversation, Jessica Knurick, a nutrition researcher and communicator, dives into the myths surrounding seed oils. She debunks the popular panic about these oils, asserting that science shows they're not harmful. Instead, she emphasizes that feelings of improved health usually stem from cutting out ultra-processed foods rather than the oils themselves. Jessica also shares her personal journey into nutrition, sparked by her grandfather's health struggles, highlighting how time poverty and education gaps impact food choices.

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INSIGHT

Seed Oils Aren't Proven Harmful

Current evidence does not show seed/vegetable oils are harmful when used in cooking.
Jessica Knurick says science even shows they are not harmful right now.

INSIGHT

Benefits Come From Cutting Processed Foods

Feeling better after ditching seed oils often comes from eating fewer ultra-processed foods.
Removing packaged chips and crackers raises overall diet quality, not necessarily eliminating the oil itself.

ADVICE

Focus On Whole Foods Over Single Ingredients

Avoid blaming seed oils alone; focus on reducing ultra-processed, low-nutrient foods that use those oils.
Prioritize whole foods instead of swapping ingredients in processed products.

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"We thought we were doing the right thing by just kind of swapping out the goodies that he loved... we would just buy like sugar free donuts." - Jessica Knurick

Jessica Knurick watched her grandfather face serious health problems in his early sixties. He worked retail, then came home to refurbish cars for extra money. No time to cook proper meals. When the health issues hit, her family scrambled to help. They bought sugar-free donuts, thinking they'd cracked the code. They hadn't. What the system failed to provide wasn't willpower advice. It was real education, combined with understanding the brutal math of time poverty. Working two jobs to survive doesn't leave room for meal prep and nutrition research. That experience sent Jessica into nutrition science, where she discovered something that could have helped him: most of what we're told about healthy eating is backwards.

Here's what actually matters. The seed oil panic dominating your social media feed? Not supported by science. Jessica doesn't just say there's no evidence they're harmful. She says there's evidence they're NOT harmful. The reason people feel better after "eliminating seed oils" has nothing to do with the oils themselves. When you stop eating seed oils, you stop eating the chips, crackers, and processed junk they come in. You accidentally start eating more whole foods. The oil was never the villain. The bigger picture: seventy percent of our food environment is ultra-processed garbage. Her grandfather needed systemic change, not sugar-free substitutes. This conversation will reshape how you think about nutrition advice, especially the viral kind that sounds urgent but misses the point entirely.

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