What Is Canola Oil?

How it took Center Stage In The Food Industry

This is one of the greatest learnings I had while studying nutrition at Bauman - the topic of poor-quality fats/oils vs. nutrient dense fats/oils.  It is something I never gave any thought to before, mostly because I had replaced them all with the low-fat margarines, vegetable oils, and other fake fats.  I couldn’t believe that for my entire life, basically, I had been consuming bad quality oils.  And this is no small thing, as bad oils (fats) cause inflammation in the body, and can lead to very serious chronic conditions.  The food I choose at the grocery store is rather limited now, and I’m not deprived at all.  In fact, I’m enjoying more delicious food that I am making myself at home.  There’s a reason why all oils are not created equal.  The science behind the chemical structures of oils, and the way they are denatured by our environment is substantial.

Canola oil took center stage in our food products when the low-fat craze was happening, and everyone was afraid to use butter, lard, and other natural forms of cooking fat because they would cause heart disease (so we thought.)  But was canola oil always around?  Where did it come from?

Canola oil comes from the seeds of a rape plant, which is in the mustard seed family.  The largest exporter is Canada, hence the name “CANola” oil.  During the Industrial Revolution, canola oil was used to clean large ships and machines because it sticks to wet metal.

According to mainstream media, canola oil is “heart healthy” because it’s full of monounsaturated fats, similar to olive oil.  Unfortunately, the media is heavily influenced by big food companies trying to sell a product.  Canola oil is very cheap to produce, so it makes perfect sense that big food companies would use it in all of their products, and that most restaurants would start buying it in bulk to use in their food.  Dr. Frank Sinatra puts it bluntly in The Great Cholesterol Myth, “the success of canola oil and it’s reputation as the healthiest of oils is a triumph of marketing over science.  It’s a terrible oil.”

The biggest problem with canola oil is that it is extracted under very high heat, then refined using solvents like hexane.  The rape seed itself, prior to processing, is high in omega 3 fats, which are very beneficial to our health.  But then it goes through a process of refining, degumming, bleaching, and deodorizing (so it doesn’t stink.)  It is then put into clear, plastic bottles, where heat and light cause the chemicals to leach out from the plastic (endocrine disruptor), and the oil can easily oxidize from light and heat.  Now, does that sound appetizing?  Definitely not. 

So, the million-dollar question (and something I get asked often) - what should I use for cooking and baking? 

Here are the fats/oils I recommend:

(UNSATURATED, for cold use):

·       Olive oil

·       Sesame oil

·       Nut oils (walnut, pecan, macadamia)

·       Avocado oil

·       Flaxseed oil

Unsaturated oils oxidize easily with light and heat, so they are most beneficial with cold foods.

(SATURATED, for hot use):

·       Coconut

·       Palm

·       Butter

·       Ghee

·       Lard

·        

·       Tallow

·       Schmaltz (chicken fat)

·       Lamb fat

·       Duck fat

Saturated fats are more stable at high heat.  When cooking with quality oils and fats, the important thing to be aware of is heating temperature. 

We don’t want to consume oils that are oxidized by heating.

I personally like to use avocado oil for baking because the smoke point is high.  Trans fats are to be avoided at all costs because our bodies do not have enzymes that recognize trans fats.  We could go into the many issues of trans fats, but I’ll save that for another blog post!  The FDA banned trans fats in 2018, 14 years after Denmark’s lead in 2004.  But some lingering products still have them.  So, read your labels.  And keep your doughnuts, fried, foods, bakery items, and any packaged foods at a minimum.  If fact, vegetable oils can be found in almost all ready-made foods.  Salad dressings, sauces, frozen foods, vegan cheeses, meat substitutes, granola, soft-baked goods, and many more.

Canola oil is just one example of the cheap oils you should avoid.  Others include: corn, soybean, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, rice bran, and grapeseed.  The over-under on fats: we need GOOD QUALITY fats/oils in our diet for many reasons, but they should be used wisely.  And if you’re trying to move towards a healthier lifestyle for yourself and/or your family, throw out the canola oil and replace with clean sources of fat.  Your body will thank you later. 

Sources:

Sinatra, S. and Bowden, J. The Great Cholesterol Myth.  

Shanahan, Catherine, MD. Deep Nutrition. Flatiron Books, 2016. Fair Winds Press, 2012, 2014.