"The real cost of the food is paid somewhere."
― Prince Charles (Prince of Wales)
Hi Healthy Eating Action-Taker (HEAT~),
A while back, when I always mentioned which cooking oils to be using, many past fitness training clients and even amongst friends
would react exasperatedly comparing a bottle of extra virgin olive oil next to a bottle of that conventional soybean oil and
say what almost everyone does at first glance:
Why would I pay triple for the “same thing”?
Fair question, but only at the surface level.
It isn’t quite the “same thing”
Sure we can get cooking done with either (to some taste or texture capacity-difference),
But the price tag at checkout is the LEAST important concern
Especially when it comes to bringing self-respect to your body and how it can process what we consume daily.
Why is Vegetable Oil so "CHEAP" in the First Place?
It's not cheap for simple sakes.
Did you know?
Seed oils go through industrial extraction, high-heat processing, chemical solvents, bleaching, and deodorizingbefore they EVER reach a bottle.
That’s so ULTRA-PROCESSED, undergoing the most Unnatural things, chemicals, and the like…
And what it results in, is something extremely unstable and pretty much not even close to nature that it even “derived” from.
❇️ Do recall why we Favor Whole, Natural Foods (🍏 Nutrition No-Brainer #4)​
They're cheap because crops like soybean, corn, and canola are among the MOST HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED in the world,
thanks to decades of agricultural policy that favor mass commodity crops.
Meanwhile oils like olive, coconut, and avocado are simply pressed from the flesh of a fruit, with none of that manufacturing subsidy behind them.
Do note: these of course have FAR LESS processing involved.
So the price you see on the shelf was never really "the cost of the oil."
It was the cost after a government or capitalist subsidy picked up part of the tab.
(See p. 195 of one of my favorite books on metabolic health: Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means,)
What are you ACTUALLY paying for with Vegetable Oil?
Even though the price is what we might obsess over when it comes to stretching the budget and living expenses just a bit more,
Those “economic” vegetable or seed oils inherently high in omega-6 fatty acids,
which is we learnt already in 🍏 Nutrition No-Brainer #3 - Cook with Olive or Coconut Oil​
when the ratio of omega-6 fatty acids is consumed in excess relative to omega-3s,
this contributes to chronic inflammation in the body.
And every time these vegetable/seed oils are heated,
they tend to oxidize more easily, producing free radicals that further damage nearby cells.
This is NOT a one-time cost.
That’s EVERY time you cook with these types of oils.
And what’s even more SINISTER is that so MANY processed packaged food or drink include these seed or vegetable oils as the main part of their ingredients (the first 5 signify the bulk of the ingredients of any product).
Imagine not only overloading on omega-6 fatty acids from daily cooking,
but ALSO in any packaged product
(especially if you’re a snacker…I know I was in the past, admittedly and I didn’t know back then, just how much compounding ratio I was inflaming my body with from those omega-6 fatty acids).
This is a grave cost you would pay in small amounts every single time you cook with these “bad” oils:
inflammation in the form of joint stiffness, skin issues, gut irritation, fatigue and so much more that often worsens any state of sickness (any symptoms amplified or healing processes altered).
The Real Math: Per-Meal Cost, Not “Per-Bottle” Cost
A bottle of quality extra virgin olive oil,
used for low-to-medium heat cooking or drizzling,
lasts for weeks because you only need a tablespoon or two per meal.
The result of clean eating and clean cooking in general, allows you to feel far more satiated!
What’s cooked with clean ingredients (aka closest to natural state without chemical processing or adding preservatives or anything artificial)
ends up being meals with higher nourishment quality and
keeps you from sickness or mad cravings.
Meanwhile, any vegetable oil "savings" gets spent right back in oxidative byproducts and inflammatory load every time you heat it or
You’d end up craving other harmful foods to make up for the extra hunger or body’s response to needing actual REAL HEALING food to recalibrate the askewed ratio.
Caveat! You're not comparing an “expensive” product to a cheap one.
You're comparing a small, consistent price you can see,
to a small, hidden and sometimes IRREVERSIBLE COST you can't (the body keeps the score!).
Where Is the Money ACTUALLY Going Right Now?
Before saying "I can't afford good oil," take an honest look at what's already leaving your wallet on:
- Processed snacks
- Flavored drinks and sodas
- Takeout and delivery meals
(almost ALWAYS cooked in the cheapest, most-reused (worst of all) seed oil available)
Redirect even a small fraction of that spend toward quality cooking oil at home,
and the math shifts entirely
because you're not adding a new expense,
but reallocating one that was already working against you.
How to make Quality Oil go further
You genuinely don't need much (as a childless/without dependendts) entrepreneur CAVEAT!):
- Olive oil: use it for low-to-medium heat, salad dressings, or drizzling — a little goes a long way
- Coconut oil: reserve it for higher-heat cooking (frying, sautéing) since it's more heat-stable
- Buy extra virgin for the antioxidant content,
but you don't need the priciest bottle on the shelf.
Mid-range extra virgin still clears the bar~
Additional Resources:
For a succinct run-down of tackling the price objection to the right types of oils to use,
here’s a great <5min video by Dr. Suneel Dhand,
who I appreciate is a real Internal Medicine physician
(because I’ve seen TOO many cases of preventable chronic disease when I rotated in Internal Medicine during both 4th and final year of med school).
Literally there’s SO MANY wonderful youtube videos covering the truth about vegetable/seed oils when you search it.
So do take a look and stay informed!
A Simple Step to Try Today:
Buy one bottle of quality extra virgin olive oil this week
(or start saving up for it – yes, AT LEAST ONCE)
Mid-range is fine, you do not need the fanciest label!
(in other words, don’t be daunted by the different prices even amongst different olive oil brands)
Now, before you might object further any laundry list of other reasons not to, which tends to happen especially if you consider healthy eating a “luxury”
– which it shouldn’t, since as an entrepreneur you must take care of yourself to serve what your mission is at the highest and most optimized level.
If it’s your first time investing in yourself,
(if you’ve never once paid for self-improvement of any kind: be it an outside of regular program course, gym membership, coaching, speaking classes, any new skills classes etc.),
Take it as the easiest first investment to put in.
If you’re already an avid self-investing individual,
here’s to another one for INmeasurable ROI!
(the best there is: your health for longer, instead of cut short by chronic debilitation accelerated by unhealthy eating).
Use the olive oil for just one meal a day for the next two weeks, swapping out whatever vegetable/seed oil you'd normally reach for.
(Bonus points for simply removing all such vegetable/seed oils –
yes…go cold turkey purge on this….I did so and did NOT regret…)
Track what you actually spend on it per meal
(do the math, you might even be surprised how much more satisfied you are with the meals you cook that you don’t need so much oil in the first place either—depending on what you cook),
and notice any shifts in digestion, energy, or even how your skin fares!
Would love to see what brand olive oil you got for yourself
(or if you already have in the kitchen?)
Do reply and share how you found this objection-tackle?
Did I help? (if not, reply to let me know what you specifically struggle with?)
Do stay tuned for the 🍏 MINI-DIVE on Nutrition No-Brainer #3~
(Need a review? Previous MINI-DIVES:
- ​🍏 MINI-DIVE on Nutrition No-Brainer #1​
- ​🍏 MINI-DIVE on Nutrition No-Brainer #2)
Until next time~
-Emz
Founder of 🍏Nutrition No-Brainer​
​
P.S. I know eating healthy can feel incredibly challenging, and sometimes even lonely...
especially when family or friends question your choices or make you feel like the odd one out.
That's exactly why I created the 🍎 Nutrition No-Brainer Challenge. It's more than a 30-day challenge:
a real practical way to build your own evidence, confidence, and lasting healthy habits alongside a supportive community that's growing through the same journey.
​If you'd like to join the next cohort, you're welcome to sign up for the waitlist here!​
PSS. I'm completing med school in literally <6 days-time!
Maybe it's time I created videos under proud MD title like Dr. Suneel Dhand right?
Reply to this email to let me know what topics you might like me to cover! especially if any curiosities related to how I've learnt in Cuba of all places.
Letting you know I share short 6-second moments of reframe or reminder of the human condition and incredible lessons each day counting down to the end of my final of finals rotation: General Surgery.
You can follow along here at: ⏱️ 6-seconds in Surgery.​