Why are people avoiding seed oils? Here's what to know

Most claims about the dangers of seed oils tend to focus at least in part on inflammation — more specifically, that seed oils contain large amounts of omega-6s relative to omega-3s.

A year or two ago, chances are you’d never given much thought to the concept of “seed oils.” But in 2025, they’re becoming harder to ignore. 

On social media and popular podcasts, wellness influencers warn of the dangers of consuming the “Hateful Eight”: canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, safflower, soybean and sunflower oil. Late last year, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health and human services secretary — repeated those claims on X, arguing that Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by seed oils. (Kennedy did not respond to a request for comment.)

It’s even become the stuff of online parody: In a recent post on TikTok, a young person pretends to sauté a pan that appears to be filled with mini bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, while intoning, “The most important thing about this meal is avoiding seed oils.”

Now, at least some in the food industry are making changes. The CEO of Sweetgreen this month announced the introduction of the restaurant’s “first-ever seed oil-free menu.” A spokesperson for Sweetgreen told NBC News in a statement, “We’re proud to connect people to real food and give options to our guests that we can be proud of.”

The salad chain Sweetgreen introduced a seed oil-free menu this month.NBC NewsBut nutrition experts say the worries swirling around seed oils are, in essence, a reheated, repackaged wellness fad. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/seed-oil-what-know-tiktok-explained-rcna186659

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