Breakfast, Seed Oils and Sanity: Finding Balance in a World of Conflicting Nutrition Advice

Feeling confused by conflicting nutrition advice? Learn how to choose healthy oils, balance breakfast, and eat without food fear.

I had two conversations this week that summed up the challenge so many women face when it comes to food and health.

The first was with someone who had stopped eating breakfast altogether. She’d read so many mixed messages online about fasting, protein shakes, and “clean eating” that she didn’t know what to do anymore, so she just gave up.

The second was from someone asking, “Are seed oils bad for you?”

It’s no wonder so many women feel exhausted trying to make sense of it all. Nutrition has become noisy. Every week, there’s a new “rule,” a new list of foods to avoid, or a new influencer claiming to have found the answer. But when we step back and look at the bigger picture, the truth is far more nuanced and far less scary.

So let’s talk about it. Let’s unpack the real story behind breakfast, seed oils, and why demonising foods often does more harm than good.

When “Healthy Eating” Becomes Confusing

I completely understand why people start to question even the simplest of choices, like what to eat in the morning.

The woman I spoke to about breakfast had stopped eating altogether because she’d read that fasting was better for your metabolism. Then she worried that her usual protein shake might be “ultra-processed.” When we talked through what she’d actually been putting in it, chia seeds, spinach, berries, protein powder, and milk, it turned out she was having quite a balanced breakfast.

The alternative was skipping it entirely and relying on coffee until lunch, which was sending her blood sugar and stress hormones all over the place.

And that’s where I struggle with the constant demonising of food groups. When everything feels “wrong,” we either give up trying or we swing the other way, eating whatever’s easy because, honestly, what’s the point?

So rather than asking whether a food is “good” or “bad,” I prefer to ask: What’s the context? How is it serving your energy, mood, and long-term health?

Let’s Start with Breakfast

Breakfast has become surprisingly controversial. For years, it was called “the most important meal of the day.” Then fasting became fashionable, and suddenly skipping it was seen as a sign of discipline.

The truth? It depends on your body, your lifestyle, and what’s actually in your breakfast.

For many women, especially those with busy mornings and higher stress levels, starting the day with caffeine and no food can leave blood sugar and cortisol levels swinging wildly. This can lead to mid-morning crashes, irritability, and cravings later in the day.

On the other hand, including a balanced breakfast, especially one with good quality protein, can help stabilise energy levels, support hormones, and keep you fuller for longer.

Research shows that having protein at breakfast can improve blood sugar control, reduce cravings, and help regulate appetite throughout the day. In other words, you’re less likely to reach for that mid-morning pastry.

So, if you’re someone who feels more alert, calm, and focused after eating breakfast, trust that. You don’t need to skip it because social media says fasting is “better.”

What About Protein Shakes?

Not all shakes are created equal, and some are packed with unnecessary ingredients. But a good-quality protein powder, one that’s low in sugar and free from artificial flavours, can be a really practical option.

If your mornings are busy, blending protein powder with milk (or a dairy alternative), spinach, berries, chia seeds, and nut butter is still a nourishing start. The goal is to create balance: protein, fibre, and healthy fats to support your blood sugar and energy levels.

You could also rotate between this and solid breakfasts like eggs with avocado, or Greek yoghurt with nuts and fruit. Consistency matters more than perfection.

The Great Seed Oil Debate

Seed oils have become the latest nutrition battleground. Depending on who you listen to, they’re either heart-healthy or highly inflammatory. The truth, once again, lies somewhere in between.

Seed oils, like sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean oil, are extracted from seeds. These oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, an essential fat our bodies can’t make on their own. The key isn’t cutting omega-6s out, but keeping them in balance with omega-3 fats, which we get from foods like oily fish, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. Omega-6s help the body manage inflammation when it’s needed, while omega-3s help calm it down, so the two work best together.

Before we dive into which oils to use, it helps to understand why their processing matters.

Cold-pressed or mechanically pressed oils are extracted gently, without solvents or high heat. They retain more nutrients and antioxidants, such as vitamin E.
Refined or chemically processed oils are extracted using heat and solvents to increase yield. This process can strip away nutrients and increase oxidation, creating compounds that may contribute to inflammation if consumed in large amounts.

When oils are exposed to excess heat, light, or air, especially during industrial processing or deep-frying, the fats can oxidise, a bit like how a cut apple browns when left out. If consumed often, those damaged fats can increase oxidative stress and inflammation inside the body.

Store oils away from light and heat, think “cool, dark cupboard,” not next to the hob, to stop them oxidising before you even open them.

What the Research Says

When you look beyond the headlines, the research around seed oils tells a much more balanced story.

A recent review published in Frontiers in Nutrition (2025) found that seed oils, such as canola, flaxseed, and sesame, may help improve cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, and even reduce oxidative stress in the body. In simple terms, these oils can support heart and metabolic health when they’re high-quality, minimally processed, and used as part of a balanced diet.

However, the results weren’t always consistent. Some oils, like flaxseed oil, appeared to reduce markers of oxidative stress, while others, such as sunflower oil, showed little change. These mixed findings highlight that not all oils are created equal, their source, the processing method, and how they’re used all matter.

It’s also worth noting that studies looking at linoleic acid (the main omega-6 fat found in seed oils) have shown that higher intake is linked with healthier cholesterol levels and no clear evidence of increased inflammation. In fact, a review of human trials published in Nutrients (2020) found that linoleic acid tended to lower LDL (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) in healthy adults.

So, while cold-pressed or organic seed oils can support heart health, the heavily refined versions, often labelled as “vegetable oil” or found in processed foods, are best kept to a minimum.

In short, it’s about quality, moderation, and temperature: choose good-quality oils, use them in small amounts, and avoid overheating them. That’s where they can support your health rather than undermine it.

How to Use Seed Oils Wisely

Here’s what I suggest to clients who feel unsure:

Choose quality where you can. Cold-pressed or organic oils are less processed and retain more beneficial compounds.
Use olive oil as your staple. Extra-virgin olive oil is rich in antioxidants and stable at moderate temperatures.
Mix up your fats. Variety is key. Rotate between olive oil, avocado oil, butter, ghee, or cold-pressed rapeseed oil.
Avoid overheating. One of the issues with seed oil is burning them. High heat damages fats, producing compounds linked to oxidative stress.
Look at your overall diet. If most of what you eat is real food, vegetables, quality proteins, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, a drizzle of seed oil here and there isn’t going to derail your health.

It’s the cumulative effect that matters, not a single ingredient.

Why Demonising Food Does More Harm Than Good

When we start to label foods as “good” or “bad,” we take the joy, and often the logic, out of eating.

It’s easy to end up paralysed by indecision, questioning every bite. But health isn’t about perfection, it’s about consistency. What you do most of the time matters far more than what you do occasionally.

So, if you’re out for lunch and the restaurant cooks with seed oils, that’s fine. If you occasionally rely on a protein shake to get something in your system before a busy morning, that’s also fine.

What really shapes your long-term health is your overall pattern, not one single food choice.

A More Balanced Way to Think About Nutrition

Instead of worrying about every ingredient, start asking:

How does this make me feel?
Does this support my energy, mood, and focus?
Is it helping me move closer to the kind of life I want, or further away?

If skipping breakfast leaves you tired and snappy, or if avoiding every trace of seed oil makes you anxious, it’s probably not serving you.

Sometimes “healthy” choices can backfire when they come from fear rather than from nourishment.

A Few Small Steps to Help You Cut Through the Noise

Come back to the basics. Real food, balance, hydration, movement, rest. These haven’t changed, even if trends have.
Be mindful of extremes. Whether it’s fasting, keto, or seed oil bans, if a plan feels rigid or guilt-based, it’s probably not sustainable.
Listen to your body. Track how different meals make you feel, rather than focusing on what’s “allowed.”
Keep perspective. One meal doesn’t define your health. What you do consistently, calmly, and confidently does.

The Takeaway

You don’t need to fear food, and you certainly don’t need to follow every nutrition headline.

Seed oils aren’t all bad, and breakfast isn’t the enemy. What matters is balance, the gentle consistency that builds strong foundations for energy, focus, and long-term wellbeing.

When you can look at your plate and see nourishment, not confusion, that’s when change really sticks.

So, if you’ve been skipping breakfast out of uncertainty or panicking about every ingredient label, take a breath. Simplify. Choose whole foods where you can, be flexible when you can’t, and remember: one “imperfect” meal will never undo all the good work you’re doing.

Take the pressure off. Your body thrives on nourishment, not rules.

You’re doing far better than you think.

About Claire

Claire Thomas is a Nutritional Therapist, NLP Practitioner, and Phlebotomist with a background in Children’s Nursing. She specialises in supporting ambitious women who feel exhausted, burnt out, or stuck in survival mode. Through personalised nutrition, mindset coaching, and functional testing, Claire helps her clients increase their energy levels, find clarity, and do more of what they love. Based near Cullompton, Devon, she works both in-person and online through her clinic, Nourish to Soar

References

Fornari Laurindo L, et al, (2025). Evaluating the effects of seed oils on lipid profile, inflammatory and oxidative markers, and glycemic control of diabetic and dyslipidemic patients: a systematic review of clinical studies. Front Nutr. 2025 Feb 7;12:1502815. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1502815. PMID: 39996006; PMCID: PMC11849496.
Froyen E, Burns-Whitmore B, (2020). The Effects of Linoleic Acid Consumption on Lipid Risk Markers for Cardiovascular Disease in Healthy Individuals: A Review of Human Intervention Trials. Nutrients. 2020 Aug 4;12(8):2329. doi: 10.3390/nu12082329. PMID: 32759714; PMCID: PMC7469037.

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