How Contradictory Seed Oil Data Gets Ignored—Year After Year
For decades, nutrition experts have insisted that seed oils are healthy—an upgrade from traditional animal fats like butter and lard. But behind this confident message lies a quiet sleight of hand: the selective use of flawed, self-reported dietary data that makes seed oils appear harmless.
While government agencies publish multiple types of food consumption data, most academic studies—and nearly all media coverage—rely on the least reliable version: survey-based reports where people try to remember what they ate. These data consistently underestimate calories and almost entirely miss the industrial oils hiding in processed foods.
Meanwhile, more objective data from the USDA—based on food supply and adjusted for waste—shows something very different: seed oil intake has exploded, and total calories haven’t gone down nearly as much as we’re told.
It helped. I feel great.
“It’s helped. I feel great.”
Kobe Bryant
NBA baskeball player
This has been life changing
“Let me tell you this has been life-changing. I have all of her books, in audible and ebooks! I have gotten rid of all the hateful 8 oils. I have trained my body to eat its own previously toxic body fat. Download that pod it’s a game changer!”
Megyn Kelly
Life changing
Deep Nutrition changed my life.
Jesse Watters
Fox News Primetime host
Saved my life
I would like to thank you for literally saving my life. Back in February, I had to be hospitalized while on vacation in Phoenix with an A1C of 11% and had to start taking 2 types of insulin and 2 other meds. I read the Fatburn Fix in April, and followed the program to a tee, and I’m down by 15 pounds, 6.8 A1C, and only one once weekly diabetes medicine. Prior to reading the book, it was almost impossible for me to lose weight as a diabetic.
Leontyne Tompkins
I feel free
For the last month, I have really been reading all labels on everything. I have completely remove those 8 oils you talk about. I must tell you, I feel great! I have more energy and I am now 197 lbs (have always been around 205 to 210lbs). I eat potatoes with real butter, grass fed steak, pasta with the right toppings. I eat everything! I seem to crave less sugar. I love it!
Robert Kirkendall
I feel so much better
I had terrible aches and pains everywhere in my body, my hands, shoulders and knees. I feel so much better and the way I feel is motivating me every day! Thank you
Mike Deb Wootan Burcin
Better than ever
I am an anesthesiologist in Orlando and a huge fan of both of your books! I have been incorporating your principles for the last 10 months and feel that my health is better than ever.
Marnie Robinson, MD
My allergies disappeared
The biggest difference for me (and a surprising one) is that my allergies have almost completely disappeared! This is a big deal for me, because I’ve had allergies most of my life and they have often affected what I do which is a teaching music in [a public school district]. In general, I feel much better and have more consistent energy throughout the day.
Erica Turrell
Heart Palpitations have Stopped
I’ve lost 20+ pounds (also fasting 16-24 hours daily) and haven’t had palpitations except for one occasion — I had a mini bag of Fritos for the first time in July. And, I feel better now on a daily basis than I ever did all through college.
Mike Wright
Deep Nutrition and Fatburn Fix reader
I’ve lost over 50 pounds
I’ve lost over 50 pounds. I’m 56 years old. Cutting processed food and unhealthy fats from my diet was one of the first things I did on my health recovery journey…I went cold turkey off the bad oils. Emptied my pantry into the trash and just started eating real food
Mitzi Wilkinson Champion
Knowledge I didn’t know I needed
Your Fatburn Fix book is amazing, my friend. Thank you! I’m an Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and I know my stuff. This is the extra layer of knowledge I didn’t know I needed. Well done!
Jennifer Dillman
Fatburn Fix reader
Lost a solid 20 lbs and my bloodwork is great
I have lost a solid 20 lbs and my bloodwork (after 3 months of eating your way) was even better! I was metabolically healthy (per your book) before I read your book, but barely. Lowering my weight, sealed the deal! I have been talking about you and your book to anyone who will listen…Thank you for all you’ve done and what you continue to do! You are changing lives for the better!
Missy Cramer
FatBurn Fix reader
Lost 20 lbs I could never shed
I love your Fatburn Fix! Has helped me so so much! I have had the dreaded weight all my life – 20 or so pounds I could never shed. I have lost that now. I only eat 2 meals a day lunch and dinner with a glass of milk or cappuccino around 4 to hold me over. No snacking and not bad oils. It has been the key to unlocking my fatburn. I work out in the am and believe I am burning fat for energy not from food!
Lauren Smith
I feel great
My waist is four inches smaller. I feel great and many of the minor aches and pains that I had (knees and lower back) are gone. Also, my muscle tone is amazing, even though I have not increased my workout routine.
Richard Janelle
Completed Dr Cate’s online course
The go-to for strength and conditioning coaches
Whenever I advise my clients about eating to perform I go straight to what I have learned from Dr. Cate. Her book Deep Nutrition has become the go-to for strength and conditioning coaches across the country.
Kent Matthes
Major League Baseball Agent with WME Sports
Dismantles the lie
Dr. Cate dismantles the lie that seed oils are healthy, which may the biggest lie about nutrition and health because it’s so insidious.
Ken D Berry, MD
Author of Lies My Doctor Told Me
She knows the chemistry
Dr. Cate alerts us to the harms of seed oils and she’s convincing because she knows the chemistry better than anyone.
Dr. Drew Pinskey, MD
Globally recognized internal medicine and addiction medicine specialist, media personality, LoveLine Host, and New York Times bestselling author
No one is better at communicating nutritional truth
Dr. Cate has had the single greatest impact on how we talk to people about fueling for both performance or durability. While we all are a little unique, the foundational principles of human nutrition are immutable. If you are looking to create a more durable, resilient body, no one is better at communicating nutritional truth than Dr. Cate.
Dr. Kelly Starrett
Physiotherapist coach and New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author
Highly recommend The Fatburn Fix
Dr. Shanahan has had a significant impact on my practice of medicine. I am known as a Low Carb Doctor, but I never really appreciated the negative effects of processed seed oils on the health of my patients. I highly recommend The Fatburn Fix to my patients and have a loaner copy in my waiting room. It is amazing how quickly blood sugars and overall health improves with cutting seed oils. It is not just about the carbs!
Dr. Brian Lenkzes, MD
CEO of LowCarbMD San Diego, co-host of Low Carb MD Podcast and host of Life’s Best Medicine Podcast
Respected in the sports world
Dr. Cate reordered my diet when I was with the L.A. Lakers, and the benefits, for me personally, were felt immediately and have served me to this day. I’ve come to take real food so seriously I started a small family farm. I know of no M.D./nutritionist more respected in the sports world than Dr. Cate Shanahan.
Chris Kaman
NBA Player
Brought seed oil issue front and center
Cate brought the seed oil issue front and center. Healthy fats matter. So much so that I created an entire product line to swap out bad fats with good.
Mark Sisson
Founding Father of the Primal/Paleo Movement
Optimal health starts with food
If you want to understand how optimal health starts with food, start with Dr. Cate. Her book Deep Nutrition leaves you with an appreciation of the profound relationship between our genes and the planet, inspiring us to be good shepherds of both.
Dallas Hartwig
Attribution author of The Whole 30
Helped me with endurance
Deep Nutrition really helped me with endurance. I started to feel better as a player. I was able to run more, I was able to be more active …and I just decided to keep going with it to this day.
Dwight Howard
NBA Player
Silver bullet for me
Dr Cate’s teachings helped me lose 60 pounds like it was nothing. It was like a silver bullet for me.
Paul Grewal, MD
Dr Grewal Internal Medicine, MD, author of Genius Foods
Radically improve your health…
Dr. Shanahan has provided a solid reference that deserves a place in the library of anyone who is seriously interested in nutrition. Her perspective on the vital role that healthy fat has in our diet is novel and, if implemented, can radically improve your health.
Dr. Joseph Mercola
Author of Fat for Fuel and Founder of Mercola.com
Pull up a chair…
I have based my work on the idea that getting the right kinds of healthy fats into your body and avoiding the worst fats is essential to optimal health. I’ve interviewed dozens of the world’s top experts about this, and I know of no one who speaks more eloquently on this topic than Dr Cate. If she’s talking fats, pull up a chair. Take notes.
Dave Asprey
Author of the Bulletproof Diet
The key to unlocking my fatburn
I love your Fatburn Fix! Has helped me so so much! I have had the dreaded weight all my life – 20 or so pounds I could never shed. I have lost that now. I only eat 2 meals a day lunch and dinner with a glass of milk or cappuccino around 4 to hold me over. No snacking and not bad oils. It has been the key to unlocking my fatburn.
Lauren Smith
Saved my life
I would like to thank you for literally saving my life. Back in February, I had to be hospitalized while on vacation in Phoenix with an A1C of 11% and had to start taking 2 types of insulin and 2 other meds. I read the Fatburn Fix in April, and followed the program to a tee, and I’m down by 15 pounds, 6.8 A1C, and only one once weekly diabetes medicine.
Leontyne Tompkins
> Tears of joy
I’m crying tears of joy and appreciation for all you’ve done for me and my health! Without Deep Nutrition and Fatburn Fix, I would literally still be in the vicious cycle I’d been fighting all my life! In a nutshell – I am no longer a compulsive overeating addict suffering under the crushing ‘thumb’ of all food and alcohol.
Penni Wicks
So why don’t researchers use that better data? Because it doesn’t support the narrative. And that’s exactly how the seed oil story has stayed protected for decades.
How Contradictory Seed Oil Data Gets Ignored—Year After Year
When it comes to reporting on seed oils, the media and academic researchers tend to focus on just one type of dataset: self-reported dietary intake. But self-reported data is notoriously unreliable. People forget what they ate. They underestimate portion sizes. And there is no easy way to gauge how much oil they eat unless they only cook for themselves, and never eat out or buy processed food. Even the CDC and USDA acknowledge that these surveys underestimate calorie intake by hundreds of calories per day.
In contrast, the USDA also publishes loss-adjusted food availability data, which tracks the national food supply—what’s produced or imported, minus waste. It gives a more accurate picture of what Americans are actually eating, especially when it comes to processed ingredients.
And here’s the kicker: this more accurate dataset shows that seed oil intake is far higher than self-reported surveys suggest—but it’s almost never cited by academic studies or news reports.
The Ministry of Nutrition: Where Vagueness Hides Truth
Even when the dramatic rise in seed oil consumption is published in official data, vague terms like “discretionary oils” make it harder to notice. In the USDA’s 2023 report Dietary Quality by Food Source and Demographics in the United States, 1977–2018, discretionary oil intake rose from 8 grams per day in 1977 to 29 grams per day in 2017–18.
But nowhere does the report define what counts as “discretionary oil.” Of course, it has to refer to plant oils, since animal fats are not oils.
My point is, this kind of strategic vagueness allows the truth to be published without revealing the truth. It gives the impression of transparency while protecting the narrative that seed oils are healthy and harmless.
Key Contradictions in the Two Types of Reporting
Let’s look at the numbers side by side:
| Data Source | TOTAL Calories per Day | Calories from Oils per Day |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Reported (2017–18) | 2,093 kcal | 261 kcal |
| Loss-Adjusted (2010) | 2,481 kcal | 518 kcal |
Source links:
That’s a 400-calorie discrepancy in total intake—and a 2x difference in oil consumption. Yet it’s the lower, less accurate self-reported figures that get all the attention.
Why? Because they support the idea that Americans are simply eating too much. The advice stays the same. And the narrative never gets challenged.
The Narrative: We’re Eating More Calories, NOT More Seed Oils
According to the USDA summary findings, we eat more calories now than we did before, and that’s why we’re getting fatter. But let’s look at the timeframes in question. That report compared calorie intakes between 1977 and 2018, which saw a 15% rise. In that timeframe, obesity rates also increased significantly–from 15% to 40%.
But according to research I published in Frontiers in Nutrition, our seed oil consumption went up roughly 280% between 1977 and 2018. That data gets ignored.
Manufacturing Consensus by Controlling the Frame
This isn’t just about cherry-picked numbers. It’s about manufacturing consensus—creating the illusion that there’s no debate, no dissent, and no problem.
-
Contradictory data? Ignored.
-
Vague terms? Left undefined.
-
Better data? Excluded from the discussion.
As long as academics continue to rely on flawed self-reports—and the media keeps repeating those claims—the real story stays hidden:
Seed oil consumption is dangerously high.
The healthiest fats have been wrongly demonized.
And most of the public still has no idea.
Articles Covering More Seed Oil Data Deceptions:
How Scientists and Dishonest Media Bury The Truth About Seed Oil Harms
Did Leading Nutrition Experts Knowingly Use Fatally Skewed Data?
4 Videos Explaining How Vegetable Seed Oils Rob Our Energy and Cause Inflammation
