As a sports dietitian who spent 31 years working with NFL teams, players, coaches, and staff, my philosophy has always been to SHOP- Safeguard Health and Optimize Performance. This is accomplished through personalization and consideration for a player’s:
Physiology (preventative, protective, and proactive strategies for underlying health concerns)
Physique (body composition goals)
Performance Optimization
Practicality (foods that are enjoyable, preferred, and can be prepared easily)
Recently, an announcement was made about eliminating seed oils from an NFL football operation. I am never in favor of food elimination without medical justification, and when I see recommendations for training table transformation based on nutrition misinformation, it warrants a response. When it comes to fueling football players, energy demands for basic needs as well as for practice, workouts, and games must be met daily. Taking away food without appropriately replacing calories can result in a deficit, increasing performance rains and potentially having a negative impact on health.
Eliminating seed oils from the diet is NOT going to optimize athletic performance, improve health, or decrease inflammation.1 Rather, we should be thinking about including foods that provide value beyond the football field. Food is not only fuel but can also positively impact health and decrease the risk of disease. We want our players to think about fueling their bodies as an investment in their health, both during their time as professional athletes and after their playing days are over. Body composition can be a concern for professional football players. For those who are looking to lean up, being selective with food choices can help them better reach their goals. Of note, a study by Belury et al observed the positive impact of linoleic acid (found in seed oils) on body composition.2
Football, in particular, is a contact sport that increases the risk of discomfort, so my primary goals with what is served are familiarity, adequate energy, and nutrient security. Players put themselves at risk on the field (e.g., injuries, concussions), so when they sit down to a meal, the emphasis should be on the benefits. Players need to eat enough to provide fuel to the muscles they’ve exercised as well as meet their basic daily requirements.
Essential Fats and Nutrition
The essential fatty acids (linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid) found in some seed oils like soybean oil (a.k.a. vegetable oil) can be used as a form of energy storage as triglycerides or as an immediate fuel source. Most players don’t do well with unlimited volumes of food before practice or games, and after practice on a hot day, their appetite might be suppressed. All this means that they must make sure they get the most benefit from the least volume. A pan-fried catfish in vegetable oil, with rice pilaf and sautéed greens, can be a great way to capitalize on nutritional benefits without supersizing quantity.
Thinking beyond performance benefits, proper nutrition is an investment in overall health. In addition to lowering LDL-cholesterol, seed oils may also:3
• Provide essential fatty acids- linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid
• Decrease risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease
• Decrease risk of Type 2 diabetes
• Improve body composition
• Decrease accumulation of fat in the liver based on multiple randomized controlled trials where linoleic acid was a substitute for saturated fat. And several studies have shown that omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids can beneficially alter the gut microbiota to decrease liver fat storage compared to saturated fat.4,5,6,7
Football players may be at increased risk for heart disease,8 so being proactive, preventative, and protective makes sense for life beyond the NFL. Many of these players will retire before the age of 40 with a lot of life left to live. Food choices should provide positive health benefits, not increase disease risk.9,10 The strategy of removing seed oils and replacing them with saturated fat is not going to improve cardiovascular health in football players.11
Inflammation
As sports dietitians, we are often asked about dietary strategies to decrease inflammation. Our recommendations include consuming anti-inflammatory foods such as the omega-3 fatty acid-containing fish (including sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, and herring (SMASH)),12,13 flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seed,14 extra virgin olive oil,15 tomatoes,16 turmeric, ginger, saffron,17 whole grains,18 nuts,19 leafy greens,20 and legumes.21 Notably, evidence shows that seed oils do not increase inflammation and observational studies indicate linoleic acid in seed oils decreases inflammation.1 A dressing made with canola or soybean (vegetable) oil may be a pathway enabling players to increase their intake of greens. Eating kale, spinach, or collards sautéed in a seed oil not only increases vegetable intake but also provides micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and phytonutrients (plant-derived compounds).
Food is only beneficial if it is eaten, which means it must taste good. Many of my players have picky palates and don’t always like strong or unusual flavors in the foods they choose. The mildness of seed oils makes them ideal for a stir fry or a marinade for fish, chicken, kebabs, and grilled vegetables. When aiming for optimal performance, seed oils can add value by providing healthy fat and serving as a conduit for increased vegetable consumption.
REFERENCES
1. Nagra, M., Goldman, D. M., Belury, M. A., & Messina, M. (2026). Concerns about the health effects of industrially produced seed oils are without scientific foundation: a scoping narrative review of the clinical and observational evidence. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2026.2657527.
2. Belury MA et al. 2016. Erythrocyte linoleic acid, but not oleic acid, is associated with improvements in body composition in men and women. Mol Nutr Food Res. 60(5):1206–1212. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201500744.
3. Petersen KS, Messina M, Flickinger B. 2026. Health implications of linoleic acid and seed oil intake. Nutr Today. 61(1):19–25. https://doi.org/10.1097/NT.0000000000000746.
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7. Maleki Sedgi, F., Mohammad Hosseiniazar, M., & Alizadeh, M. (2024). The effects of replacing ghee with rapeseed oil on liver steatosis and enzymes, lipid profile, insulin resistance and anthropometric measurements in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomised controlled clinical trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 131, 1985 – 1996.
8. Okoh A.K., Amponsah M.K.D., Cheffet-Walsh S., et al. Prevalence of cardiovascular disease and risk factors among former National Football League players. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024;83(19):1827–1837. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2024.03.371.
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10. Trexler E.T., Smith-Ryan A.E., Defreese J.D., Marshall S.W., Guskiewicz K.M., Kerr Z.Y. Associations between BMI change and cardiometabolic risk in retired football players. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2018;50(4):684–690. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001492.
11. Dong D. Wang, Frank B. Hu. 2017. Dietary Fat and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Recent Controversies and Advances. Annual Review Nutrition. 37:423-446. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064614.
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20. Gunathilake, K. D. P. P., Ranaweera, K. K. D. S., & Rupasinghe, H. P. V. (2018). In Vitro Anti Inflammatory Properties of Selected Green Leafy Vegetables. Biomedicines, 6(4), 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines6040107.
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This blog is supported by SNI Global and U.S. Soy.
