After writing about some of the worst foods for climate change, which are beef and dairy products, farmed shrimp, lamb, and pork, I wondered if vegetable oils too have a high carbon footprint. It turns out, they do, according to this article about a 2022 study: ““Whilst vegetable oils might not seem like one of the biggest food groups, they can in fact be found everywhere. Production of the crops that produce vegetable oil also takes up around 20 percent of arable land worldwide, so vegetable oil production is definitely a big contributor to global GHG emissions, as well as other sustainability issues such as biodiversity loss,” says Alcock.” Vegetable oils, though commonly used, are actually not necessary for health nutrition or consumption. There is an idea that they are better for human health than using butter and lard, for example. However, no one must consume lard or butter and therefore, there is nothing mandatory about consuming vegetable oils either. Some cuisines may have used butter and lard for many years before nutrition and health science discovered how unhealthy they can be and how they have contributed to heart disease in humans. So, it seems logical to replace them with healthier alternatives, but in fact, there is an alternative which is simply to stop consuming butter, lard, margarine, and vegetable oils. None of them have ever been essential for human consumption and in fact can be detrimental to human health. Even with olive oil, which has been part of the Mediterranean diet, there have been some notions it has health benefits, though these claims might never have been true. As quoted in an article at Forks Over Knives, “So what is the effect of olive oil on FMD? All oils, both animal and plant derived, tend to worsen endothelial function. Within hours of ingesting fat, arteries stiffen and the ability to dilate is impaired. A 1999 study measuring FMD [Flow Mediated Dilation] after the ingestion of high-fat meals reported a “three-hour decline in FMD after subjects ingested a traditional meal of a hamburger and fries or cheesecake. Olive oil was found to have the same impairment to endothelial function as the rest of these high-fat meals.” And a 2007 study showed a similar detrimental effect on endothelial function after the intake of olive, soybean, and palm oils.” “Other studies report similar findings, showing that EVOO damages endothelial function just like its ‘regular’ olive oil counterpart. “In the PREDIMED study, 7,447 people at high risk for cardiovascular disease were randomly placed into three groups. One group was told to eat a Mediterranean diet using only EVOO (up to 1 liter per week!). The second group ate a Mediterranean diet and added a half-pound of nuts per week. The third group, the control group, was told to reduce fat intake (but it didn’t). “After five years, the conclusions were stunning; there were nearly no differences between groups. No differences in weight, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, or lipid profile. “And no difference in the number of heart attacks or deaths from cardiovascular disease; those in the EVOO group suffered just as many heart attacks and cardiovascular disease as those in the control group. (There was a significant reduction in the number of strokes, but that reduction was greater in the group that ate nuts.)” The article goes further, saying “The scientific evidence clearly shows that olive oil plays a role both in damaging blood vessels as well as forming atherosclerotic plaques. ‘Causing less damage’ is a far cry from ‘promoting heart health’ as so many people believe is the case with olive oil.” One of the reasons some people eat olive oil is because they believe the idea it has health benefits, but these same people don’t seem to know what they are. One claim about olive oil is it has health benefits because it contains naturally occurring compounds called polyphenols. However, there are other and sometimes better sources of polyphenols that don’t cause harm. They are: Apples. Berries. Broccoli. Carrots. Chili peppers. Cumin. Dark chocolate (because cocoa is a major source of polyphenols). Flax seeds. Ginger. Olives Gingko biloba. Green tea. Oats. Onions. Red cabbage. Sesame seeds. Spinach. Turmeric. Whole grains. Fresh plant foods contain more polyphenols than ones that are not fresh. Vegetable oils, including olive oil, may sit in plastic or glass bottles on store shelves for months or longer before they are purchased and consumed. Who knows exactly how long they have been sitting before they are consumed. Some vegetable oil should not be consumed because it has gone bad. “It’s true that vegetable oil can go bad over time. Too much oxygen, heat, and light can ruin oil, making it smell bad, taste bad, and be unsafe. While oils like peanut oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil usually last a long time, they can lose some of their quality if they are not stored properly. Knowing when vegetable oil goes bad is important, especially if you want to avoid health problems.” Some vegetable oils are contained in plastic bottles and microplastics can leach into the oils, according to one study. “A recently published study has found the widespread presence of microplastics contaminating popular vegetable oils, including extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, and mixed seed oils from Italy and Spain. “The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Bologna and FISABIO-Public Health, analyzed samples of various edible oils packaged in both plastic and glass bottles. The results were concerning: microplastics were detected in every single sample, regardless of the type of packaging used. “Microplastics, defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters, have become an increasingly prevalent environmental contaminant. These tiny plastic fragments can be ingested and potentially accumulate in the body, with unknown long-term effects.” Further, vegetable oils contain no fiber, which is an essential nutrient for human health. There are ways to cook foods without using oils, so vegetable oils were never necessary in the first place. Using butter, margarine, or lard was never essential either. In fact, many recipes can be made with alternative ingredients.