07/01/2026
I’m sharing this in regards to a recent article from Zoe suggesting that butter is harmful and that seed oils are the healthier choice. I’ve had several messages recently with people feeling overwhelmed by nutrition headlines — and I completely understand why.
Butter has been part of traditional human diets for thousands of years. Across many cultures it was valued for nourishment, fertility and strength, long before modern chronic disease became common.
Seed oils such as sunflower, rapeseed/canola, corn and soy, on the other hand, have only been widely consumed for just over 100 years. Their production relies on industrial processing, high heat and chemical extraction — and these oils are far more prone to oxidation than traditional fats.
It’s also important to understand the wider context of where this messaging comes from. Zoe is not a neutral public health body — it’s a venture-capital-funded company, meaning it has received large sums of money from private investors whose aim is growth and profit. Much of the research Zoe promotes is funded or conducted by the company itself, with senior figures involved.
That doesn’t automatically make the research “wrong”. But it does mean there are commercial interests at play, and it’s reasonable to read the conclusions with that context in mind.
Many respected voices in ancestral and functional nutrition — including Dr Weston A. Price, Sally Fallon, Cate Shanahan, Nina Teicholz and Paul Saladino — tell a very different story. Their work consistently highlights the value of traditional fats and raises concerns about industrial seed oils.
Nutrition science is complex, and no single study or headline tells the whole story.
For me, real nutrition should reduce confusion, not add to it.
The foods that have nourished humans for generations are the ones we can trust most.
