Seed Oils, Healthy Fats, and Why Nutrition Feels So Confusing | Dr. Cate Shanahan (Episode 325)
If you’ve been trying to eat well but feel stuck sorting through conflicting nutrition advice, this episode is for you. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Cate Shanahan for a practical conversation about why modern nutrition feels so confusing and how traditional diets offer a simpler framework for long-term health. We talk through how seed oils quietly replaced more nourishing fats in the modern food supply, why they play such a big role in how processed foods impact our health, and how simple fat swaps can make a real difference without changing everything you eat. If you’re looking for clarity, common sense, and realistic steps you can apply in your everyday life, I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation!
In this episode, we cover:
- Why so many people feel overwhelmed and confused by modern nutrition advice and how looking to traditional diets helps cut through the noise
- Dr. Cate’s background in genetics and family medicine and how one generation’s food choices can shape the next
- The four pillars found across traditional cultures that support long-term health (fresh foods, ferments and sprouting, bone broth, and organ meats)
- How modern convenience foods quietly replaced nutrient-dense fats with industrial seed oils
- Why seed oils are the true driver behind why junk food makes people feel and look unwell
- A breakdown of the “Hateful Eight” seed oils to watch for when reading ingredient labels
- The difference between toxic seed oils and neutral refined oils and why not all refined fats are equal
- How to identify truly healthy fats by taste, labeling, and how they’re processed
- Why simply swapping fats (without changing the rest of the meal) can have a major impact on health
- The hidden places seed oils show up (even in organic and “healthy” grocery items)
- A realistic, low-stress approach to reducing seed oils without trying to overhaul everything overnight
- Why consumer demand is finally shifting the food industry toward better fat choices and what that means for home cooks
About Dr. Cate
Dr. Cate Shanahan is a board-certified family physician, New York Times bestselling author, and leading voice in ancestral nutrition and metabolic health. Trained at Cornell University and UCLA, she has spent decades studying how modern food choices impact human health. A former elite athlete and lifelong advocate of real, traditionally prepared foods, Dr. Shanahan is the author of Deep Nutrition and Fatburn Fix, where she explores the critical role of healthy fats, nutrient-dense diets, and food culture in supporting long-term wellness. Through her work as a physician, researcher, and mother, she helps families understand how food communicates with our genes—and how returning to time-tested food traditions can restore health from the inside out.
Resources Mentioned
Pick up your copies of Dr. Cate’s books:
- Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food
- Dark Calories: How Vegetable Oils Destroy Our Health and How We Can Get It Back
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