Seed Oil Scout: Healthy Dining

I was excited to try seed oil scout. As a Health and Wellness Nurse Coach, I’m always on the lookout for helpful things to recommend to my clients. I tried the app for the free trial and then purchased it so I could use while traveling. The problem that I have with it is I don’t know that it’s accurate. I dined at a restaurant that had the highest rating “dine fearlessly”. I was suspicious for a few reasons - 1. I’ve never found some of the items on the menu to not have seed oil in them unless handmade and these things weren’t. 2. The texture and appearance of the “butter” on the toast were the same as would be at any normal restaurant. 3. I spoke to the owner and told her how I had found the restaurant on the seed oil scout. She got a little evasive and uncomfortable, she said “I don’t know how we got on there but I’ve been told by others that we are”. So for those reasons I was not reassured that what I was getting was 100% seed oil free. It seems like anyone can add a restaurant to the app without really knowing the truth. I will continue to use the app but will also continue to dine suspiciously no matter what it claims. Hopefully there will be a more trustworthy method of verification in the future.

I recently tried out this app on my iPhone, and I've got to say, it's pretty cool, especially if you're trying to avoid those iffy vegetable oils in your food. It's like Google Maps but for checking out what oils restaurants are cooking with. Super easy to use. But, there's a bit of a downside. Turns out, a ton of places actually use vegetable oils, and a lot of them don't really offer alternatives. It's kind of a bummer when you're hoping to find more options to eat out. It's a bit of an eye-opener, honestly, about how common these oils are in the restaurant scene. Despite that, I think the app is really useful. It's great for making sure you know what you're getting into before you choose where to eat. And honestly, it's made me think more about just cooking at home more often. That way, I know exactly what's going into my food. So, if you're trying to stay away from certain oils, I'd recommend checking out Seed Oil Scout. It's a handy tool, even though it might show you how hard it is to avoid those oils when eating out. But hey, it might just inspire you to become a master chef in your own kitchen!

Just another organization who claims to carry about public health but keeps everything hidden behind a paywall. When I first downloaded this app it was free to use. I found it “somewhat” useful then, and even added a few restaurants I’ve dined at that don’t use seed oils. I didn’t enjoy that the majority of the food joints listed were all “dine shamefully” or “dine cautiously”, most of which were obvious…like fast food places. I had to sift through countless restaurants to find just one that was listed as not using seed oils. I get that that’s because the majority of places DO use seed oils, but maybe just only have the locations that don’t in your database. Even if they only use seed oils for some things, they simply should not qualify. Either way it no longer matters because you can no longer access ANY aspect of the app without paying for it. You can’t even bypass the free trial for use of limited features within the app. It’s ALL or nothing. I hope this blows up in their faces. You had a good idea, with good intentions, and let greed take over. I get we all have to make money but $9 a month for an app….that’s not even a great app to begin with, just a good idea, is a bit rich for most people’s blood. Deleting this app. I hope someone else comes along and does it better without a stupid pay way. Use ads, or something, it’s not that difficult to make it free or affordable if you actually cared about people’s health.