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You may have heard or read that Canola oil is beneficial for your health. Many, including the Food and Drug Administration, have said that eating about one and a half tablespoons of Canola oil a day may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. They claim that because of the unsaturated (ie: healthy) fat content in Canola oil is better for you than other edible oils.
While we would love for this to be 100% true, it’s not.
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The first thing you need to know is that there is no such thing as a “canola plant”. Canola oil actually comes from rapeseed. And rapeseed oil is toxic, which is why it was banned for human consumption in 1956. But manufacturers never give up, so they found a way to split and genetically modify the seed and change the name, so it is now backed by government agencies and deemed “healthy”.
The process of turning rapeseed to Canola oil contains many steps, many of which decrease the nutritional value and cause the oil to become hydrogenated. And as you know, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are the ones you want to avoid.
Here are tips on how to choose a good cooking oil:
- Select one that is “cold-pressed” or “extra-virgin”.
- Make sure it’s GMO free.
- Choose one in a glass container over plastic.
- When in doubt, go with organic.
The bottom line is that there are plenty of other healthy oils to buy over Canola oil:
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Organic Pastured Butter
- Red Palm Oil
- Flax Seed Oil
- Avocado Oil
I've avoided canola oil for years and many people seem to be cooking with it because it's far less expspensive than many of the other Organic or Healthier oils. Thank you I knew it was bad. I just didn't know why until reading your article.
I had read that before about Canola Oil. Thanks for reminding. I noticed your list of beneficial oils did not include Grapeseed oil which I have heard also ranks up there with olive oil, coconut oil etc… Your thoughts?
Thanks, Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, there is a lot of confusion about Grapeseed oil and whether it’s healthy or not. It’s true that grape seeds have a high nutrient value, and therefore by association many believe the oil is healthy….but unfortunately when tested, the Grapeseed oil does not contain a high amount of nutrients, according to Journal of Health Science. Also, unless the oil is cold pressed, the oil is extracted by a chemical process which involves the solvent, hexane. Because of those reasons, I tend to steer clear of it.
Thanks for asking!
Leann