Benefits of Seed Oils: A Guide to Cooking with Seed Oil: With so many options on the shelves for cooking oils, it can be pretty confusing to know which type of oil is best suited for which kind of cooking and which ones to avoid altogether. Today we will focus on seed oils and highlight some terminologies, what they mean, and what to look for when purchasing high-quality seed oils.

Benefits of Seed Oils

Seeds contain an abundance of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Different seeds hold different nutrient profiles and health-boosting properties. Some of the common seed oils and their benefits include:

• Black Cumin Seed Oil: Anti-bacterial, Anti-fungal, Anti-viral, Anti-parasitic, Boosts Immunity, Liver Health, Anti-Inflammatory, Diabetes, Auto-immune, Asthma, Bronchitis, Joints, Candida, Weight-Loss, Organ Support, Lyme, Radiation¹
• Flax Seed Oil: Rich in Omega-3, Inflammation, Cardiovascular Health, Brain Health, Constipation, Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, Lupus, Allergies, Blood Sugar Balance, Hair & Skin, Menopause, Sleep Quality²
• Coriander Seed Oil: Heavy Metal Detox, Anti-fungal, Candida, Anti-bacterial, Gut-Health, Detoxification, Lyme³
• Pumpkin Seed Oil: Nutrient-dense, Antioxidants, Male Hair Loss, Prostate Health, Bladder & Kidney Health, Sleep Issues, High in Zinc⁴
• Sunflower Seed Oil: Antioxidants, Energy Boosting, Vitamin E, Skin Care, Omega 6⁵
• Black Sesame Seed Oil: Hormone Balance, Anti-aging, Anti-Parasitic, Menopause, Antioxidant, Bone Health & Density, Calcium Deficiency, Nourish Hair, High in Zinc, Liver & Kidneys, Blood Circulation⁶
• Hemp Seed Oil: Reduces Inflammation, Bone health, is rich in GLA, Vitamin D, Heart Health, Skin & Hair, and has an excellent 3:1 ratio of omega6 to omega3⁷

The benefits of seed oils, however, rely on the quality of the oils. Quality depends on which seeds were used, how they were processed into an oil, and what type of packaging it is stored in.⁸ Seed oils are only healthy if it is of high quality and can be quite toxic if processed or stored the wrong way! We will explore tips for buying the best oil a little later on.

Benefits of Seed Oils: Cooking with Seed Oils

Incorporating high-quality seed oils into your diet is necessary with their wide range of nutritional and health benefits. Reaping these benefits, however, requires using mindfully selected oils (more on how to buy the best oils below) and cooking with them appropriately to protect their integrity.

When it comes to fats in general, it’s ideal to keep them as unheated as possible. Although fats have varying smoke points, the more ‘raw’ you can keep them, the more you preserve their integrity and prevent them from turning rancid. Once the oil has gone ‘bad’ (either due to oxidation with age or too much heat), it becomes toxic for human consumption.⁸

With that in mind, there are so many ways to reap the benefits of seed oil without necessarily over-heating them (or heating them at all):

• Drizzle your favorite seed oil over oven-roasted or steamed veggies right before servings
• Drizzle on top of cooked meat
• As a dip for bread
• As a base for salad dressing
• Add a tablespoon of seed oil to a smoothie.
• Stick to low-temperature cooking on the stove top or in the oven

Another one of the amazing benefits of seed oils is that many nutrients become more bioavailable when consumed with fat.⁹ Turmeric is an example of a highly medicinal ingredient that has a relatively low absorption rate. The bioactive compound in turmeric, called curcumin, is rendered more bioavailable when consumed with fats! So making a turmeric salad dressing, for example, will help your body get the most out of the medicinal benefits of curcumin.

Buying Seed Oils: What to Look For

These days there is more labeling lingo than ever, and it can be confusing to tell the difference between useful information and sneaky marketing/ greenwashing tactics. When buying high-quality seed oils for cooking, look out for the following three key things:

Organic

Optimal seed oils are made from only pure, organic ingredients. The label should only read the seed(s), and nothing else—non-GMO, no preservatives, and no additives whatsoever. If it’s flaxseed oil, the ingredients should only be flax. If it’s a seed blend, only the seeds themselves should be the ingredients.

The chemicals used in conventional farming (such as fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides) leave nasty residues that increase the toxic load of food. Dietary fats increase the absorption rate of toxins, so it’s essential to prevent any added chemicals in oils themselves.¹⁰

Cold-Pressed (Raw)

The processing a seed undergoes to become an oil is important and can be the difference between nutrient-dense and rancid fat. When the fat of a seed is h high degree of heat, it denatures the bonds and turns the fat toxic.⁸ A cold-pressing method keeps the fat raw and prevents turning it rancid before it gets bottled.

Cold-pressing oils also preserve the flavor, aroma, and nutritional value of the seed(s).

The Packaging

Oils can absorb the toxins from their packaging, so buying those stored in glass is essential. Plastics contain over 1,000 different chemicals that can leach into your oil and turn even a high-quality organic oil toxic.¹¹

Ideally, oils are also stored in dark-hued bottles to prevent added exposure to light and heart. The most optimal glass of them all is called Miron-glass, a violet glass that only allows the penetration of UV and infrared rays. By blocking out other spectrums of visible light, miron glass (and, to a lesser degree, other dark-colored glass, like blue or green) help preserve the integrity of oils inside the bottle. No matter the color of the glass, it is best to store oils in the fridge or in a cool dark cupboard.

Benefits of Seed Oils: Our Top 3 Favorite Seed Oils

5 Seed Oil Blend

A powerful blend of pumpkin, black sesame, flax, sunflower, and coriander seed oil. Andreas Seed Oils is the first and only raw, undamaged seed oil that has fully unlocked the powerful life energy from organic seeds. Using five “key” organic seeds, their signature blend delivers the broadest spectrum of foundational nutrients for optimal functioning organs.

Flaxseed Oil

Flaxseed oil is highly recommended for general well-being and whole-body nutrition. Nature’s most abundant vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids required for the health of almost all bodily processes, including heart health, brain function, inflammation, proper cellular growth, digestive health, skin elasticity, joint mobility, and blood sugar balance.

Coriander Seed Oil

Coriander seeds are rich in vitamins and minerals, including iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and magnesium. It’s a natural antioxidant with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Get all 3 in a Bundle Package!

Andreas Seed Oils cold-press and package their high-quality organic seed oils in Miron glass. These oils are unparalleled in quality, and you can get all three of these oils in their signature collection.

Benefits of Seed Oils: Recipe for Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• ½ cup of Andrea’s Five Seed Oil Blend
• ¼ cup of Apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of raw honey
• 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon of mustard seed powder
• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt
• 2 cloves of raw garlic (optional)

Instructions

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, or you can whisk all the ingredients together if you omit the garlic. Keep the dressing in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a month.

Benefits of Seed Oils: Summary

Seed oils can be a great addition to a healthy diet. High-quality seed oils provide abundant monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Quality relies on organic seeds processed using cold-pressing methods and stored in dark glass bottles. Ideally, you want to keep seed oils away from heat, so try adding them to smoothies, drizzling them raw onto cooked food, or in salad dressings!

My favorite Seed Oil?

High-quality, organic seeds like flax, black sesame, and pumpkin contain essential fatty acids and micronutrients you can’t get in many other foods.

But you must eat a handful to get all the benefits quickly…

So, what’s better than sprinkling seeds on every meal?

Cold-pressed, organic seed oils pressed using a propriety German cold-press technology.

Andreas Seed oils are pressed at ultra-low temperatures, eliminating oxidation and preserving critical nutrients.

They don’t just taste incredible. These superfood oils have various health benefits, from aiding in detoxification to lowering inflammation to anti-aging.

>>Restore your health naturally with the power of seed oils.

References

1. Luetjohann, Sylvia. The Healing Power of Black Cumin: a Handbook on Oriental Black Cumin Oils, Their Healing Components, and Special Recipes. Lotus Light, 1998.
2. Goyal, Ankit, et al. “Flax and Flaxseed Oil: an Ancient Medicine & Modern Functional Food.” Journal of Food Science and Technology, vol. 51, no. 9, Oct. 2014, pp. 1633–1653., doi:10.1007/s13197-013-1247-9.
3. Önder, Alev. “Coriander and Its Phytoconstituents for the Beneficial Effects.” Potential of Essential Oils, 2018, doi:10.5772/intechopen.78656.
4. “Pumpkin Seeds: Benefits, Nutrition, and Dietary Tips.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/303864#benefits.
5. Aboki, M & Mohammed, Musa & Musa, S & Zuru, B & Aliyu, H & ALIBE, IBRAHIM. (2012). Physicochemical and anti-microbial properties of sunflower (HELIANTHUS ANNUUS L.) seed oil. International Journal of Science and Technology. 2. 4.
6. Bhat, K.v., et al. “Value Addition in Sesame: A Perspective on Bioactive Components for Enhancing Utility and Profitability.” Pharmacognosy Reviews, vol. 8, no. 16, 2014, p. 147., doi:10.4103/0973-7847.134249.
7. Callaway, J. C. “Hempseed as a Nutritional Resource: An Overview.” Euphytica, vol. 140, no. 1-2, 2004, pp. 65–72., doi:10.1007/s10681-004-4811-6.
8. Uriarte, P.s., and M.d. Guillén. “Formation of Toxic Alkylbenzenes in Edible Oils Submitted to Frying Temperature.” Food Research International, vol. 43, no. 8, 2010, pp. 2161–2170., doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2010.07.022.
9. Hof, Karin H. Van Het, et al. “Dietary Factors That Affect the Bioavailability of Carotenoids.” The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 130, no. 3, Jan. 2000, pp. 503–506., doi:10.1093/jn/130.3.503.
10. Aspenström, Bitte. “Dietary Fatty Acids Increase the Absorption of Toxic Substances and Drugs by Modifying Different Absorption Pathways in the Intestinal Epithelium.” Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health and National Food Agency, 2012, https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/9226/1/aspenstrom_fagerlund_b_121109.pdf.
11. Loria, Kevin. “Most Plastic Products Contain Potentially Toxic Chemicals, Study Reveals.” Consumer Reports, www.consumerreports.org/toxic-chemicals-substances/most-plastic-products-contain-potentially-toxic-chemicals/.