By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., March/April 2010
A. Canola oil comes from canola seeds. They are a genetic variation of rapeseed that was developed in the 1960s using traditional plant-breeding methods to make the rapeseed more palatable.
But canola often gets a bad rap. For example, we get questions from people who’ve heard canola oil is toxic and can cause various diseases, from emphysema to Mad Cow. The truth is there are no sound scientific studies suggesting a link between canola oil and any disease.
We also hear concerns that canola oil is genetically engineered (GE). This is true—most canola (93 percent in the U.S.) is GE. If that’s a concern for you, choose certified organic.
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EatingWell often uses canola oil in our recipes because it’s one of the healthiest oil choices. It’s a good source of monounsaturated fats, the kind that, when used to replace saturated fats like butter and cheese, can help reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease. Canola is the richest cooking-oil source of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat that has been linked to heart health.
Canola is also versatile: it has a neutral taste, light texture and a medium-high smoke point, so it works well for sautéing and baking. (An oil’s smoke point is the temperature at which it begins to smoke. When it does, disease-causing carcinogens and free radicals are released, so you never want to heat your oil to that point.)
Links:
[1] http://www.eatingwell.com/user?destination=print/15547
[2] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547
[3] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/how_healthy_is_canola_oil_really&linkname=How Healthy Is Canola Oil Really?
[4] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101/shopping_cooking_guides/cooking_oils_guide
[5] http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101/shopping_cooking_guides/olive_oil_buyers_guide
[6] http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/10_healthy_baking_recipes_with_olive_oil
[7] http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/butter_or_margarine_is_there_a_healthy_butter_substitute
[8] http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/health_blog/3_reasons_you_should_reach_for_canola_oil_when_you_re_cooking
[9] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?order=timestamp&sort=asc&page=10
[10] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=9
[11] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=6
[12] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=7
[13] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=8
[14] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=11
[15] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=12
[16] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=13
[17] http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15547?page=14
I am so tired of our corporate, for profit only food system. Nature has given our planet an abundance of healthy foods that we are all designed to be eating. Real food, not man made experiments like this rotten Canola oil. I try hard to avoid it but the point is that we the public should not have to read all the fine print and put one product after another back on the store shelves because this dangerous man made canola oil is in there. We need more integrity in high places were this crap all gets approved so we the public don't have our health jeopardized by an out of control corporate food system.
— Anonymous
05/22/2012 - 4:14pm
So who is going to pay for these scientific studies that prove canola is poison? No one can make money from that.
— Anonymous
05/20/2012 - 11:01pm
Every product has a good/bad impact on your body...so I prefer to choose many not only one :)
— Anonymous
05/13/2012 - 5:19am
God made our plants and food source's perfect, as only He can. Man is still trying to outdo God. It CANNOT be done. I wish man would leave our food alone, and stop playing with our food, trying to extend the life of food by adding harmful chemical's such as HFCS and such!
— Anonymous
05/07/2012 - 11:48am
Most of you complaining about Canola Oil are a bunch of babies. You heard something somewhere and claim some business or government conspiracy. I haven't seen any real, hard, scientific evidence presented that explains why Canola Oil is bad for you.
However, Canola Oil is recognized by the:
* American Dietetic Association
* American Heart Association
* U.S. Food and Drug Administration
You will get a nice dose of Omega 3 from Canola Oil. You will also get a decent amount of Omega 6.
The dangers of rapeseed and erucic acid are nonexistant because commercially-grown plants that are used to extract Canola Oil contain less than 2% erucic acid.. Canola Oil doesn't even come from wild rapeseed; but, comes from genetically-engineered plants. If you have a problem with genetically-engineered foods, then stay away from Canola Oil.
What I DO have a problem with are corporations like Monsanto who sue farmers just because the farmers' fields gets "infected" by another field using some product of Monsanto.
Finally, somebody mentioned using butter and olive oil instead. Butter is butter... full of saturated fats. Compared to Canola Oil, Olive oil contains twice as much saturated fat, lacks Omega 3, and has half as much Omega 6.
In summary, Canola Oil is absolutely one of the healthiest, safest, and best oils that you can use. There is PLENTY of scientific evidence to support Canola Oil. I'd post direct links here, but not sure they will come through.
— Anonymous
05/06/2012 - 12:53am
Canola oil,it is just a really bad oil.if you want to look after your own health,cause no one else will,choose another alternative.Why risk it.The world runs on money,if they can make money out of something they will.Educate yourself about what goes into your body,its your CHOICE!
— Anonymous
04/30/2012 - 6:15am
What you have posted is the classic Agribusiness spiel on Canola. What nonsense. Canola oil will kill you. Rape seed oil is poison. People there is huge money involved in punting Canola so don't believe anything you read especially wikipedia articles which are easily manipulated to a ceratin view point and read like fact whne in fact wiki themselves state that their articles should be read with a large dose of salt. The minute a manufacturer says "there is no conclusive evidence"........run!!!!!
— Anonymous
04/30/2012 - 12:24am
" I poured some on the sidewalk,and it remained there for like two months,even through rain!"
Sounds pretty typical for *any* kind of oil, as you may be aware oil and water don't mix. And spraying an insect with *any* kind of oil is going to ruin its day.
— Anonymous
04/08/2012 - 8:15pm
i am clueless about this canola oil and after reading all of these comments now i really don't know what to do.
— Anonymous
04/07/2012 - 10:30pm
I have Canola Oil, its light and I also read an article which states that Canola Oil can help people lose Visceral Fat (Fat around the tummy). You can see the difference in 2 months' time!
Canola is better than Sunflower oil / refined Oil / Butter............
— Anonymous
04/02/2012 - 7:49am
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