Why It Matters That Seed Oils Are Being Recognized as Ultra-Processed The US Dietary Guidelines…
Is Cold-Pressed Sunflower Oil Actually Heathy?
Table of Contents
“Cold-Pressed” Doesn’t Mean Healthy—When We’re Talking About Seed Oils
Most people assume that “cold-pressed” means the same thing as “virgin” or “extra-virgin”—and therefore assume the oil must be healthy. That assumption feels reasonable, because with oils like olive oil, cold-pressing does usually mean the oil was not industrially processed.
Sunflower oil, like all seed oils, is different from olive oil.
In this article, I’ll explain why cold pressing sunflower oil (or any seed oil) oils does not make the seed oil healthy, what you want to look for instead, and why you’ll never find the healthy version of sunflower in processed foods.
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Why seed oils like sunflower oil are different from olive oil.
Sunflower oil—and all seed oils—are chemically and biologically unlike fruit oils such as olive or avocado oil. The fats stored inside seeds are unusually fragile. They contain large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids that do not tolerate heat, oxygen, pressure, or prolonged handling. Yet modern food production routinely exposes them to all of those stresses.
That’s why refining exists in the first place.
Refining isn’t done to “improve” seed oils. It’s done because the crude seed oil extracted by cold pressing (or by chemical extraction) is not edible after extraction. Refining doesn’t make an oil healthy. It makes something unpleasant smelling and toxic edible. But it does this at the cost of stripping nutrients and creating new toxins in the process.
What You Want to Look for in Sunflower Oil
If you’re trying to choose a healthier oil, the rule is actually very simple—and it applies to any oil, not just sunflower oil. You want to see terms like virgin, unrefined, or artisanal. These labels signal that the original oil first extracted (the virgin oil) was edible as-is, without needing chemical or high-heat cleanup (refining). And thus, it will contain it’s original antioxidant and nutrients.
Antioxidants are the oil’s natural defense system. When they’re intact, they protect those fragile PUFA fatty acids, slowing oxidation and preventing the fats from breaking down into toxins.
But here’s the thing. Even when sunflower oil meets all of these criteria—even when it is truly virgin and unrefined—it still has an important limitation. You can’t cook with it.
Even the best sunflower oil is only good for raw salad dressings or as a drizzle over soup to add a little extra flavor. Heat overwhelms its defenses quickly, leading to rapid oxidation and toxin formation. In other words, finding a gently produced sunflower oil matters, but knowing how to use it matters just as much.
Why You’ll Never Find “Healthy” Sunflower Oil in Processed Foods
Truly virgin, unrefined sunflower oil is expensive, fragile, and produced in very small quantities. It costs on the order of what high-quality extra-virgin olive oil costs and, like quality olive oil, has a strong flavor. Processed food manufacturers need oils that are cheap, neutral-tasting, and interchangeable at scale. Virgin sunflower oil fails on all counts.
But cost isn’t even the main issue.
Let’s say some benevolent manufacturer did start with virgin sunflower oil. Those fragile fatty acids would not likely survive the rest of the food production process intact. Most processed foods are baked, fried, extruded, or heated during manufacturing, and then stored for long periods before consumption. These steps are fundamentally destructive to polyunsaturated fats.
Making packaged foods will still damage and oxidize the fragile fatty acids in sunflower oil, even if it began life in a pristine, unrefined state. Heat and oxygen combine forces to quickly consume the antioxidants, and then the PUFA starts to oxidize. Oxidation means reacting with oxygen, breaking down chemically, and being converted into toxic chemicals that nature didn’t put in the seed, and that you don’t want in your body.
The only place virgin sunflower oil belongs is in the home kitchen, used as a salad or finishing oil. So if you see sunflower oil listed as an ingredient—cold-pressed or otherwise—you can safely assume it’s better left alone.
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Hello,
Thanks for the information. The Food Revolution Network seems to disagree with you. They base themselves on science and take what they call a nuanced view on seed oils. What do you make of their claims?
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/what-are-seed-oils/
Kind regards,
Ben
Thanks for sharing that. They have overlooked what I consider the most important science, regarding the formation of toxic lipid oxidation products, both in the body and during cooking. Those processes are at the root of inflammation, insulin resistance, and the chronic diseases that follow.
Much of their analysis is based on outdated or incomplete studies that focus narrowly on cholesterol or isolated fatty acids rather than the real-world chemistry of refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) oils. When you take that broader view including what happens to these oils during processing and frying — the so-called “nuanced view” quickly falls apart.
This was incredibly informative! Dr. Cates breakdown of sunflower oil types is eye-opening, and the hateful eight concept is a game-changer for my cooking habits.
hi Dr. Cate, thanks for another very interesting and insightful article, especially at the end where you talk about animals that have high linoleic pufas in their fat because they are fed corn and soy grains and also hateful eight oils in their feed, which then is incorporated into their meat, milk or eggs. Are you saying that what they eat is not important because the animals detoxify the pro-oxidative toxins somehow so that they do not pass thru into the animal products that humans eat?
for example: https://nourishfoodclub.com/pages/what-are-pufas
My bottle of Chosen Foods Avocado oil says “expeller pressed and naturally refined”. In light of this article I am wondering if this is also damaged oil. I have mostly decided to stick with California Olive Ranch 100% California Extra Virgin Olive Oil as its provenance is probably reliable.
“Natural” refining means no toxic chemicals are added but the process will remove nutrient, so yeah you’re better off with no refining.
Mahalo DrCate; this article was just what I needed to know, now, for an educational family project. Your writing style is so pleasant to read! Much appreciated, much respect!
Modern seed selection is pushing towards high oleic stearic sunflower or soybean oils which are replacing high PUFAs oils used in restaurants and homes evry day more cause its higher oxidation stability. Also palm oil could be replaced by moden soy seeds extra high in stearic acid. They are even GMO variants which produce EPA and DHA. You can make seed with any fatty acid profile you want.
And I don’t see you addressing one very important issue here. Refined oils are much more oxidative resistant vs unrefined ones when exposed to temperature stress during cooking. So cold pressed makes sense for food preparation on low temperature and vice versa.
Gea High oleic sunflower oil sold in stores- Produced in Slovenia EU
Stearic acid: 8%
Oleic acid 87%
PUFAs 5%
I do address that actually, as it’s a common assumption. I show in the table that it’s incorrect. Please have a look!
And this article can be misleading. Unrefined sunflower oil has smoke point so low it is unusable for even for short therm frying egs. Here I’ve made the short list of oils according rancimat test.
1. Coconut oil refined. Aroma.
2. Coconut oil unrefined – Very strong aroma.
3. Lard. Small aroma.
4. High oleic sunflower oil refined and similar seed oils. Neutral aroma.
5. Extra virgin olive oil. Strong aroma and very expensive. Very strong aroma.
6. Unrefined cold pressed sunflower oil high oleic. Strong aroma.
7. Refined olive oil. Aaroma.
8. Refined sunflower oil. Neutral aroma.
9. Pig lard. Extreme aroma.
9. Unrefined sunflower oil cold pressed. Strong aroma, completely unsuitable for frying and baking.
So what makes oils suitable for high temperature cooking? There are 3 factors. Smoke point, aroma, rancimat test.
Ect ect.
PS
Refining vegetable oils usually increases rancimat test time but not for olive oil where it reverses but it always increases smoke point.
Another clearly articulated writeup which is much appreciated. If only we could get the MAHA crowd onto this. Thinks for taking the time to write it.
My background is quantum computing and optimizations and I think nutrition and nutrition science are very far from anything resembling real science.
I have known that my colon was messed up since I was big enough to sit on a pot. I have stayed away from the hateful eight totally at home and have noticed a difference in my body when I eat out too much versus prep food at home. I don’t do processed foods, I cook with avacado oil and butter, and I buy organic as much as possible. I have tried improving my intake of fermented foods, and other things you have taught. However, losing weight, belly fat, and increased energy has alluded me. Recently, I found out about Dr. William Davis and his book Super Gut. At the beginning I was able to to make some “yogurt” with the specific strains of L. Reuteri Gasserus and the L. Gasseri fermenting for 36 hours to allow doubling of the CFUs. The batches were part edible and part curds and whey. From that little bit of edible yogurt I was eating at first, I noticed things changing. Then I made changes to my process to try to correct for the separation, but I only made things worse. I figured out that I was introducing contaminants. I am waiting for the last piece of equipment to arrive today and tomorrow morning I will try again. The point is, I want you to know that straightening out the gut microbiome is what was missing from all that you have taught me. Recent research is pinpointing the exact bacteria strains that work to enable the body’s system to fix many issues throughout the body. The trio of specific strains of L. Reuteri Gasserus, L. Gasseri, and B. Subtillus are designed to clean out and reprogram my digestive system from my lips to my anus. Once this is done, then I can introduce other strains to deal with specific body issues. I hope you will look into this.
Thank you for all your work,
Robert
Keep me posted how it works for you!
I don’t know about the strains you are using. I sterilize a 1 quart mason jar by half filling it with water and bringing it to a boil in the microwave. Let it cool enough to fill with grass fed milk. I heat it to 180 degrees in the microwave. Let it cool to 110 degrees. Add a big tablespoon from a previous batch. Then put it in the oven with an incandescent bulb for 12 or more hours. Try to keep the temp to about 110. Has been working fine.
Thanks for more clarification. Often see a seed oil followed by “lecithin” and unsure if it is acceptable to eat? Is it possibly a small enough amount to not worry about?
Excellent article! Dr. Cate, thoughts on Chipotle’s use of “High OLEIC Sunflower Oil” – according to their website –
“We use high oleic sunflower oil for its delicate flavor whenever a mild oil is called for – namely for our Carnitas, chips, crispy corn tortillas, and fajita veggies. Our high oleic sunflower oil is non-GMO.”
I’ve noticed they use it to cook all their proteins – chicken, steak, carnitas, beef etc.
You should try frying the chips in lard. It taste a lot better.