Everybody Is Arguing About Seed Oils Here Is the Cooking Oil They Keep Ignoring
Excerpt
Every week new articles claim seed oils are either harmful or beneficial. The debate goes in circles and leaves people confused about what they should cook with. What almost nobody realises is that seed oils are not the same as nut oils, and there is a natural Australian nut oil that gives you the benefits both sides are arguing for without the problems they are worried about. It is surprising how often it is overlooked.
A Debate That Never Seems To End
If you follow nutrition news you already know the pattern.
VeryWell Health recently reported research showing that seed oils may lower inflammation markers.
AP News ran a piece explaining how influencers and political figures are warning people off these same oils.
ABC Radio covered the confusion around why seed oil fear has exploded in Australia.
One side argues seed oils are toxic because they are refined and high in omega six.
Another side says they are beneficial because they are plant based and high in unsaturated fats.
Both sides make valid points. Both sides ignore something important.
There is a third option.
And somehow it is almost never mentioned in these discussions.
The Overlooked Option That Sits Outside the Fight
Before choosing a cooking oil it helps to understand one simple fact.
Seed oils and nut oils are not the same.
Seed oils come from canola, soy, sunflower and other seeds. They require large scale extraction, heating and deodorising to become a usable cooking product. The result is a stable industrial oil designed for long shelf life and neutral taste.
Nut oils come from the kernel of a nut such as macadamia or almond. They contain far more natural oil, so extraction is cleaner, simpler and closer to traditional food practices. Nut oils are naturally richer in monounsaturated fat and generally much lower in omega six.
Once you separate these categories the debate starts to look very different.
Olive Oil Is Not Immune to Criticism Either
Many people turn to olive oil to escape the seed oil debate.
It is a respected oil and deservedly so. But modern olive oil is not always as traditional as the imagery implies.
Multiple studies and investigative articles have shown that a significant portion of supermarket olive oil is blended, deodorised or filtered to maintain consistency. Some imported oils are far from the rustic extra virgin products consumers imagine.
So the two categories dominating the debate are:
1. Industrial refined seed oils
2. Imported olive oils of inconsistent quality
And this is where the blind spot becomes obvious.
Macadamia Oil Sits Exactly Where Consumers Want To Be
Now consider macadamia oil.
Not generic macadamia oil on the shelf.
Unrefined cold pressed macadamia oil.
Unlike seed oils, it does not require industrial processing.
Unlike some olive oils, it does not arrive from fragmented supply chains across several countries.
It is pressed from a native Australian nut with a naturally superior fat profile.
Cold pressed macadamia oil contains around eighty percent monounsaturated fat, very low omega six, a clean light flavour and natural heat stability for everyday cooking.
This is the type of oil people think they are choosing when they try to avoid seed oils.
This is the type of oil people wish olive oil could be for high heat cooking.
Yet it almost never appears in these debates or in the media coverage surrounding them.
Why Macadamia Oil Has Been Left Out of the Discussion
There is no conspiracy behind this. It is simply a matter of habit.
Journalists default to the oils that dominate supermarket volume because those are the oils most readers recognise.
Seed oils
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Avocado oil
Butter and ghee
Macadamia oil is often treated as a boutique product rather than a serious everyday option.
But the reality is the opposite.
It is one of the simplest and most natural oils available for daily cooking when left unrefined.
And it is grown here in Australia which immediately places it outside the global processing chain that complicates many other oils.
Where Unrefined Cold Pressed Macadamia Oil Stands Apart
Pressing the nut without heat or solvents preserves:
Natural antioxidants
Natural minor compounds
Natural flavour
The integrity of monounsaturated fats
It also avoids bleaching, deodorising, stabilising or distillation.
The oil stays as close to its natural state as possible.
For anyone looking to avoid the seed oil argument entirely this is the logical option.
For anyone who wants a plant based oil with a strong fat profile this is the simple answer.
For anyone wanting genuine provenance and transparency this is the straightforward choice.
No noise. No drama. Just a better everyday oil.
The Oil Everyone Should Consider But Almost Nobody Mentions
While seed oil arguments fill headlines and olive oil discussions go back and forth, unrefined macadamia oil remains the quiet option that satisfies the demands of both sides.
People who want something natural and minimally processed
People who want something rich in monounsaturated fat
People who want a stable everyday oil
People who want local traceability
People who want something simple and clean
For those people the answer has been in front of them the entire time.
Fancy Farmer cold pressed macadamia oil represents exactly what the debate is trying to find.
A natural plant based oil with clarity, purity and performance.
The oil that resolves the argument rather than adding to it.