There’s been a lot of talk about oils from politicians and podcasters. Some of it is not exactly accurate. So we thought we would give you our take on the subject:

• A healthy, balanced diet requires some fat for proper brain and organ function.
  
  
• We only make vegan products so we will never use animal derived fats like butter, lard or beef tallow, no matter what.
  
  
• There are lots of different vegetable oils. Science and medicine tell us that not all of them are the same. That’s particularly true when it comes to so-called “seed oils.” There are many varieties of seed oil, from different plants, processed in different ways.
  
  
• We only use oils that promote good health and help to give our products the great flavors and textures you’ve come to expect from them.
  
  
• To promote cardiovascular health, we strongly favor oils that are low in saturated fat and high in oleic acid, which has proven anti-inflammatory properties. Oleic acid (omega 9) should not be confused with linoleic acid (omega 6), which does not provide the same health benefits.
  
  
• We do not use oils that are chemically processed.
  
  
• We never heat the oils that go into our products.

With that in mind, here is some information on the oils we do not use and those that we either use, or would use in our products.


Oils We Avoid:

• Beef Tallow, Lard and Butter - As a vegan company, we would obviously never use these. It is worth noting that tallow and butter are actually high in oleic acid (which is considered anti-inflammatory). But they are also very high in saturated fat. The vast majority of nutrition and cardiovascular health experts recommend keeping saturated fat intake to a minimum.
  
• Chemically Extracted Oils - We consider the use of solvents and other chemicals to extract oil to be unnecessary and bad for the environment. 
  
  
• High Linoleic Oil including High Linoleic Sunflower Oil - This oil may have cardiovascular health benefits compared with animal fats, but high linoleic acid may be linked to inflammatory responses and these oils are usually very low in anti-inflammatory omega 9 fatty acids. So we don’t use them.
  
  
• Coconut Oil - This oil is very high in saturated fat, which most cardiovascular health professionals recommend avoiding. We have ethical concerns around the production of coconut oil (particularly the use of captive monkeys in harvesting). Coconut oil has small amounts of oleic (omega 9) fatty acid. We don’t use coconut oil. 
  
  
• Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil - Due to their negative impact on natural habitats, and high saturated fat content we do not use these oils.
  
  
• Flaxseed Oil has great health attributes. It is high in omega 3 and omega 9 fatty acids. Unfortunately it has a very bitter taste, so we cannot use it.
  
  
• Peanut, Soy and Sesame Oils are major food allergens, so we do not use them.

 
Oils We Like: 

• Olive Oil - This oil is low in saturated fat and is high in anti-inflammatory oleic acid (omega 9). However, it tends to have a relatively strong flavor so it doesn’t work well in our current products.
  
  
• High Oleic Sunflower Oil – This oil has significant health benefits in the form of low saturated fat and high anti-inflammatory oleic acid (omega 9) content. We use the expeller pressed form, not the  chemically extracted forms. High oleic sunflower oil is very different from high linoleic sunflower oil, even if their names sound similar. 
  
  
• Avocado Oil -  Low saturated fat, and high in anti-inflammatory oleic acid content make this a healthy oil.

 
For the latest science-based information on the health aspects of oils, please see the following article https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/seeding-doubt-the-truth-about-cooking-oils