Why We Don’t Touch Seed Oils: Fire Dept Meals’ Take on Clean Cooking Fats

Why We Don’t Touch Seed Oils: A Firehouse Take on Clean Cooking Fats

In our kitchen, food has a job to do. It’s not just about taste — it’s about fueling the body, keeping you sharp, and powering through long shifts and unpredictable days. That same mindset drives everything we do at Fire Dept. Meals.

We don’t cook with seed oils — not now, not ever.

They’re cheap, overused, and damaging to your body in ways most people don’t even realize. Instead, we cook with clean fats — the kind that actually support your metabolism, energy, and gut. This isn’t about trendy ingredients or food fads. It’s about serving real food that keeps you healthy.

Why Seed Oils Don’t Belong in Our Kitchen — or Yours

Seed oils like canola, sunflower, soybean, safflower, and grapeseed have been sold to the public as “heart healthy.” But the science tells a different story. These oils are ultra-processed and loaded with omega-6 fats — way more than your body needs. That overload promotes inflammation, disrupts your gut, messes with your hormones, and leads to long-term health issues.

Gut Health? Forget About It.

Seed oils break down fast when heated — and not in a good way. They turn into harmful compounds that inflame your gut and slow your metabolism. A study from UC Riverside found that high soybean oil intake actually feeds bad gut bacteria and weakens your gut lining. That opens the door for toxins to leak into your bloodstream — setting you up for chronic inflammation and illness.

Seed Oils Mess with Your Hormones, Too

These oils don’t just sit in your gut and make you bloated. They screw with your hunger hormones — especially leptin, which tells your brain you’re full. When that system gets jammed, your body keeps signaling hunger even when you’re not running on empty. And the result? More eating, more fat gain, and more frustration.

Some seed oils even contain goitrogens — compounds that interfere with your thyroid function. That’s a fast track to sluggish energy, weight gain, and hormone chaos.

Real Fats, Not the Fake Stuff

We’re not in the kitchen just to make things taste good — we’re here to fuel your body with food that actually does something for you. When you cut out seed oils, you make room for the fats your body recognizes and knows how to use.

The oils we use aren’t just there for flavor. They’re there to support your metabolism, reduce inflammation, and help your system run clean. Real fats — like grass-fed butter, ghee, olive oil, and avocado oil — are stable, nutrient-rich, and digest the way they’re supposed to. They don’t gunk up your system like the fake stuff.

That’s what sets our meals apart. No garbage oils. No guesswork. Just real fuel, made right.

Here’s What We Use Instead:

100% Organic Cold Pressed Pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Rich in oleic acid — a powerful anti-inflammatory fat — olive oil brings both flavor and function. It holds up under heat better than you think and adds depth to everything from stews to roasted veg.

100% Organic Cold Pressed Pure Avocado Oil

Neutral in flavor and packed with monounsaturated fats, avocado oil holds a high smoke point and delivers nutrients that help reduce cholesterol and joint inflammation.

100% Grass-Fed/Grass Finished Butter

This isn’t your store-brand butter. Ours comes from grass-fed cows and is loaded with omega-3s, vitamin K2, and healthy saturated fats that are not the enemy they’ve been made out to be.

100% Grass-Fed/Grass Finished Ghee

For folks who can’t do dairy, ghee is a game changer. It’s clarified butter with all the good stuff — heat-stable, lactose-free, and rich in vitamins and flavor.

100% Grass-Fed/Grass Finished Beef Tallow

100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef tallow is rich in healthy fats, vitamins A, D, E, and K, and supports high-heat cooking without oxidation, making it a nutrient-dense, stable, and flavorful alternative to processed oils.

Real Fats, Real Flavor

Clean fats aren’t just healthy — they make food taste better, plain and simple.

• Organic Avocado oil brings a mild, buttery flavor perfect for high-heat cooking.
• 100% Grass-Fed/finished butter gives you that rich, nutty taste that makes veggies, eggs, and proteins pop.
• 100% Grass Fed/Finished Ghee adds a deeper, roasted aroma that turns simple dishes into comfort food.
• Organic Olive oil plays well with just about anything — spicy, grassy, fruity, or bold. It’s a finisher that adds character to any dish.
• 100% Grass Fed/Finished Beef Tallow adds a rich, savory, slightly beefy flavor with a clean, buttery finish that enhances both meats and vegetables without overpowering them.

Nutrition That Fuels, Not Fakes

Here’s what you’re really getting when you eat our meals:

• Organic Olive oil: Packed with vitamin E and K, and a balanced fat profile that supports heart health.
• 100% Grass-fed/finished butter: 26% more omega-3s than standard butter and loaded with beta-carotene for vitamin A production.
• 100% Grass Fed/finished Ghee: Rich in fat-soluble vitamins like A, E, and K — all without the dairy bloat.
• Organic Avocado oil: Full of antioxidants, carotenoids, and phytosterols that help you absorb even more nutrients from your food.
• 100% Grass-fed/finished Beef Tallow: Supports heart, skin, and brain health by providing anti-inflammatory omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2, all while being free from inflammatory seed oils.

Why We’re Able to Keep Our Standards So High

We don’t do bulk processing. We don’t mass-freeze trays of mystery meals. Our small-batch cooking model means we control every single ingredient that goes into your food.

We can choose the best fats. We can skip preservatives. We can source better produce. And we can adjust for your dietary needs, whether that’s gluten-free, high-protein, or plant-based.

We’re not chasing scale. We’re chasing quality — every time.

Final Word: No Seed Oils. No Compromises.

When we say no seed oils, we mean it. We’re not cutting corners, and we’re not interested in using “just a little” because it’s cheaper or easier.

At Fire Dept. Meals, your health comes first — because we’ve seen what happens when it doesn’t. Our meals are built to fuel you, not slow you down. They’re designed to reduce inflammation, support your metabolism, and give your body the kind of nourishment it was meant to run on.

So if you’re tired of guessing what’s in your food — or being told seed oils are “no big deal” — we’ve got your back. With every delivery, you’ll get clean, real food that supports your goals, your energy, and your life.

No seed oils. No preservatives. No excuses.