Wheat germ oil occupies a unique and troubled position in Aajonus's framework. He acknowledged that at some point in history, and theoretically in principle, wheat germ oil was considered one of the few worthwhile supplements, worthy enough that it was mentioned in the context of oils that could have real nutritional value. However, by the time of his active teaching and writing, Aajonus's position on wheat germ oil had become unambiguous and absolute: there is no truly raw, truly cold-pressed, non-solvent-extracted wheat germ oil available anywhere on the commercial market. Not one brand. Not one country of origin. Not one "cold-processed" or "cold-pressed" label.

The subject of wheat germ oil is therefore less a discussion of a beneficial food and more a detailed case study in industrial deception, a lesson Aajonus used repeatedly to illustrate how the food and supplement industry systematically poisons people while using words like "natural," "cold-pressed," and "cold-processed" to disguise what are fundamentally petrochemical extraction processes.

The bottom line Aajonus stated plainly: "Wheat germ oil is all solvent extracted. It's like soaking the oil in kerosene." He had not consumed it himself since 1977. He considered it unavailable in any form that would benefit people on the Primal Diet, and he advised staying away from wheat germ itself as a food for the same underlying reasons.

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Aajonus acknowledged that wheat germ oil, in a truly raw and non-solvent-extracted state, was once considered a supplement of real value. The context in which this was raised was in a question to Aajonus referencing a specific vendor (viobinusa.com), where the questioner noted that Aajonus had previously stated wheat germ oil was "one of the few worthwhile supplements." This prior endorsement, however, was historical and conditional, it applied to a form of the oil that no longer exists in commerce.

Aajonus explained in detail that the process used to extract wheat germ oil is inherently destructive and toxic regardless of the marketing language applied to it:

• Cold-processing / Cold-pressing of wheat germ does not mean what consumers assume. In Aajonus's words: "Cold-processed means that they dissolved the germ with either kerosene ('natural') or hexane (gasoline)." The word "natural" in this context is used by the industry to justify kerosene because kerosene is derived from natural sources, not because the resulting product is in any way safe or beneficial.

• Even when the label reads "cold-pressed" rather than "cold-processed," the temperatures involved are far above what Aajonus considered safe for oil processing. He stated: "If you were to find one marked 'cold-pressed', it is not truly cold-pressed, temperatures reach as much as 176°F." This is nearly double the threshold of 96°F that Aajonus established as the maximum temperature below which an oil could still be considered uncompromised.

• The fundamental problem is a physical one: wheat germ oil cannot be stabilized through mechanical cold-pressing alone. As Aajonus stated: "You can only extract wheat germ oil and get it stabilized by solvent extraction. If you cold-press it, it gets it up to 170-some degrees and destabilizes it." This means that the very act of mechanically pressing wheat germ to extract its oil generates enough heat to destroy the oil's nutritional integrity. And if you avoid that heat by using solvents instead, you introduce petrochemical contamination.

• The solvents used, kerosene and hexane, are petroleum derivatives. Even after the solvent is used and then theoretically removed through distillation, Aajonus stated: "You're still getting your petroleum product when you get, in distillation, when you're solvent-extracting it. Causes massive headaches in people and a lot of contamination."

Aajonus addressed the marketing of wheat germ oil as a source of vitamin E. He stated that even the form of vitamin E associated with wheat germ oil, D-alpha-tocopherol, though technically different from synthetic forms, is "still solvent-extracted, which means they've just made it into the same thing that Kodak uses." He was referring to the industrial applications of these compounds, placing so-called natural vitamin E from wheat germ in the same category as industrial chemical compounds used in photography and other non-food industries.

He described the broader vitamin E supplement industry as a waste-product monetization scheme: "That's a waste product. Guess what? How much money they make instead of how much money they spend on dumping it." The implication being that what is sold as a premium health supplement is actually a byproduct that would otherwise require costly industrial disposal.

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Aajonus was unequivocal: as of his teaching period through at least June 2013, no acceptable form of wheat germ oil existed, not in health food stores, not from specialty supplement companies, not from international sources.

He personally called "one of the most prominent labs" and asked the chief chemist directly whether a new method had been devised to cold-extract wheat germ oil without solvents or excessive heat. The answer was no.

Aajonus described the theoretical standard that a wheat germ oil would need to meet to be considered acceptable on the Primal Diet. he wrote: "If and when there is ever truly cold-pressed, non-solvent-extracted wheat germ oil available, it should be refrigerated." This places wheat germ oil in the same storage category as flax oil, meaning it is highly vulnerable to oxidation and light, and would require refrigeration to preserve its integrity even under ideal extraction conditions.

The implication is that this oil, in its theoretical ideal form, would be: - Extracted without any solvent (no kerosene, no hexane, no "natural" petroleum derivatives) - Pressed at temperatures below 96°F (36°C), the universal threshold Aajonus applied to all oils - Stored in a dark container and refrigerated immediately after pressing - Obtained as fresh as possible given its vulnerability to oxidation

This form does not currently exist in commerce.

Aajonus was asked separately whether he would recommend wheat germ itself (as opposed to the oil) for people who were aware of the oil's problems. His response was brief but definitive: "I have not touched it since 1977." This was in June 2013, meaning he had avoided wheat germ for 36 years at that point. He offered no protocol involving wheat germ as a raw food either.

When asked about "organic, raw wheat germ that has been vacuum-packed, but frozen," Aajonus's response was nuanced but not enthusiastic: - "For people on poor diets it might be of some benefit." - "It would be of some value to us if it were not frozen."

This indicates that even in its most minimally processed form, organic, raw, vacuum-packed, wheat germ retains some value only when not frozen, and only for those whose diets are otherwise compromised. For people already on the Primal Diet, he implied it was not worth pursuing even in this form.

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Aajonus provided specific investigative guidance for anyone attempting to verify a supplier's claims about wheat germ oil. This guidance came in the context of a direct conversation where a questioner was following up on Aajonus's claims with the actual manufacturer (viobinusa.com). Aajonus's instruction:

"When you call them, ask them to give you a written letter describing the process, the temperatures, highest and lowest, to which the wheat germ comes in contact, and any chemicals used whether natural or not. And, if the wheat germ was processed in any way prior to their lab getting the wheat germ."

This four-part written documentation request, covering (1) full process description, (2) temperature range minimum and maximum, (3) all chemicals used whether "natural" or synthetic, and (4) any pre-processing of the raw material before it even reached the extraction facility, represents Aajonus's standard for due diligence. He applied similar methodology to other oils and supplements.

The outcome of this inquiry, as reported by the questioner: "I just spoke with them. You are 100% correct on all counts." The manufacturer confirmed everything Aajonus had stated, the solvent use, the heat, the contamination.

Aajonus repeatedly flagged the use of kerosene in "natural" or "cold-processed" wheat germ oil extraction. He framed this in terms of a stark analogy he used across many contexts: "Would you soak your food for 20 hours in kerosene, rinse it off for 60–90 seconds, and then consume it?" The fact that kerosene is technically a "natural" substance derived from petroleum does not make it safe for food processing, and Aajonus considered the industry's use of this label to be deliberately deceptive.

The questioner asked whether people could make their own wheat germ oil at home. Aajonus did not offer a home extraction method. His silence on this point, combined with his explanation of the fundamental extraction problem, that mechanical cold-pressing generates too much heat to stabilize the oil, and that solvent extraction introduces petroleum contamination, implies that home production is also not viable.

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Since Aajonus advised against consuming wheat germ oil in any currently available form, there is no active pairing protocol for it. However, in the context of his general framework for pressed oils, which wheat germ oil would fall under if a clean version existed, he consistently recommended pairing pressed oils with animal fats such as raw butter or raw cream.

His reasoning for all pressed oils: "As they start dissolving compounds in your body, you want the other protective fats there to protect the cells and to chelate with those toxins that are released and dissolved. So you can eliminate them easier so they don't do damage." He stated: "I always recommend that when you have olive oil or flax oil, that you have either cream or butter with it."

If a truly cold-pressed, non-solvent-extracted wheat germ oil were ever to become available, by logical extension of this framework, it would need to be consumed with raw butter or raw cream as a fat buffer, just as all other pressed oils require.

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The dosage of wheat germ oil in any currently available commercial form is, in Aajonus's framework: zero. No dose is safe because no available product is free of petrochemical solvents and excessive processing heat.

If a truly cold-pressed, non-solvent-extracted wheat germ oil were ever to become available, which Aajonus acknowledged as a theoretical future possibility when he wrote "If and when there is ever truly cold-pressed, non-solvent-extracted wheat germ oil available", it would presumably fall under the general pressed oil guidelines:

• No more than one tablespoon per day
• No more than five tablespoons per week if consuming in a single sitting (such as in a sauce)
• Always consumed with animal fat (raw butter or raw cream)
• Should be refrigerated
• Should be stored away from light

However, Aajonus never specified a dose for wheat germ oil specifically, because he never encountered a product that met his standards.

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Aajonus used wheat germ oil as one of his primary examples of how the supplement and food industry manipulates language to deceive consumers. The term "cold-processed" sounds like cold-pressing, a mechanical low-heat method, but in the context of wheat germ oil, it specifically means that chemical solvents were used instead of heat, because heat-pressing is mechanically unavoidable beyond 170°F with this particular oil. Cold-processed is not "cold" in any meaningful nutritional sense, it means cold relative to industrial heating, while the chemical contamination is considered acceptable or hidden.

The word "natural" attached to kerosene is another example of this linguistic manipulation. Kerosene is technically derived from natural petroleum, therefore industry can label its use as "natural" extraction. Aajonus found this to be one of the more egregious examples of industry deception because it exploits a technically accurate word to hide what most consumers would find completely unacceptable.

Aajonus described the wheat germ oil vitamin E industry in terms of industrial waste monetization. He said: "That's a waste product. Guess what? How much money they make instead of how much money they spend on dumping it." Vitamin E concentrate derived from wheat germ oil extraction, D-alpha-tocopherol, was a byproduct of the oil extraction process, and the supplement industry converted what would have been an industrial waste disposal cost into a profit center. The fact that it was being sold at premium health supplement prices, while being chemically equivalent in terms of contamination to Kodak photographic chemicals, represented for Aajonus the full extent of the gap between health marketing and biochemical reality.

Aajonus's methodology for investigating any supplement's production claims was specific: do not trust marketing materials, do not trust executives, do not trust presidents of companies. Ask to speak with "the chief chemist" and obtain all confirmations in writing, covering temperatures (highest and lowest), solvents (natural or otherwise), and all pre-processing steps before the raw material reached the extraction facility. He applied this standard to wheat germ oil and, through a questioner's direct investigation, had his findings confirmed in full.

Aajonus's statement, "I have not touched it since 1977", is significant. This was not a recent conclusion based on newly available information. He had recognized the problem with wheat germ oil more than three decades before the exchanges documented in the 2013 Q&A. This puts his avoidance in the context of his broader personal health journey: he had been on the Primal Diet and investigating industrial food contamination since the mid-1970s, and wheat germ oil was one of the early substances he identified as fundamentally incompatible with genuine raw food nutrition.

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