Canola is originated from Canada and it is the
nation's most valuable crop, with annual exports of canola seed, oil,
and meal totaling over $3 billion.
Canola is also grown in the
U.S., largely in North Dakota. Since the mid 90s, sales of canola oil
have rocketed as it is increasingly being used in home and restaurant
cooking and in many processed foods.
Canola has been promoted as "healthy" and marketed as:
- Cholesterol and transfat free.
- Lowest in saturated fat (7%) among all dietary fats.
- High in Omega-3 fat (11%), an essential fatty acid that is needed but not made by the body.
- Has a moderate level of Omega-6 fat (21%), also an essential fatty acid that is needed but not made by the body.
- Relatively high in monounsaturated fat (61%), though olive oil has the highest.
So is canola oil really as healthy as it claims to be?
The Origin Of Canola
For
centuries, rapeseed oil has been very popular in India and China.
Rapeseed belongs to the mustard family of plants. The characteristic
rapeseed oil contains very high anti-nutritional substances like erucic
acid (40-50%) and glucosinolates that are harmful to humans. Therefore,
in the western world, rapeseed oil is seldom used as primary food oil.
Because
rapeseed is very adaptable to genetic manipulation, in the 1970s,
Canada's research community began breeding a new variety from the
rapeseed plant. This new variety of oilseed, which has less than 2%
erucic acid and less than 30 umoles of glucosinolates, became known as
canola, or Canadian oil, low acid.
Potential Problems With Canola
Although the canola industry markets it as "healthy", there are certain aspects of canola oil that raises much concern.
Not natural
Canola
oil is not a natural food, it is a modified food. There is no natural
oil/fat that has similar fatty acid composition as canola. Humans have
never consumed such oil until the last few decades.
Genetically modified and herbicide-resistant
Roughly
90% of the canola crops in America are genetically modified (GM) so
that they are resistant to herbicides like Monsanto's Roundup or
Bayer's Liberty Link. That means these GM canola crops are doused in
toxic herbicides.
What is the long-term effect of eating oil
derived from GM canola crops that have been heavily sprayed with
Roundup or Liberty Link?
The canola industry as well as the
herbicide manufacturers touted its safety. However, various studies on
rats and humans have challenged its alleged safety, with complaints
ranging from hormonal disruption, impairment of liver and kidney
function, to genetic damage.
The truth is, at present, we have not seen any long-term studies on the effects of such GM canola on human health.
Highly processed and refined
In
contrast to extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil which is made by
merely squashing the olives, canola oil has to go through a great deal
of processing.
First of all, the oil is obtained by mechanical
pressing and solvent extraction. A toxic petroleum solvent called
hexane is often used to extract the oil. Even after considerable
refining, traces of the solvent still remain in the final product.
What's
more, the oil goes through high temperature processing, deodorization,
and refining by steam distillation, resulting in the destruction of a
substantial portion of its essential fatty acids. Omega-3 and Omerga-6
fats are very vulnerable to high heat, which makes them rancid and
harmful to health. As a result, some of the essential fatty acids may
be transformed into trans fat.
Depletion of Vitamin E
In
animal studies, regular consumption of canola oil leads to the
depletion of vitamin E, a key factor in cardiovascular health. Canola
increases the rigidity of membranes, causes lesions in arteries, and
increases the size of platelet cells - thus increasing the risk of
stroke, heart attack, and much more.
Dangerous for babies
Canola
is not totally void of erucic acid; it still contains about 1-2%. This
is precisely why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits the
use of canola in baby formula because it can cause a buildup of fatty
deposits in the heart. If canola is not good for the babies, can it be
that great for adults?
Sulfur content
Canola oil also contains traces of some unique sulfur compounds. Baked goods made with canola develop molds rather quickly.
The Bottom Line
- As
seen from above, despite all the hype about how good and healthy canola
oil is, there are many potential health issues associated with it.
Canola oil remains to be time-tested that it is truly safe for human
consumption. In the meantime, it is not worthwhile to be a guinea pig.
- The best oils to use for cooking are unrefined coconut oil and
saturated fats from organic, grass-fed animals. Yes, recent studies
have shown that saturated fats do not cause heart disease; it is trans
fat that is the culprit. Saturated fats are much more stable and do not
go rancid as easily as the vegetable oils made from corn, cottonseed,
safflower, soybean, and sunflower.
- Olive oil is great for salads and should only be used for low to moderate heat cooking.
- Peanut oil is a good cooking and frying oil because it is quite
resistant to rancidity. However, since peanuts are often heavily
sprayed with herbicides, it is best to use organic peanut oil.
- Sesame oil is also quite stable and not easily subject to rancidity.
- Be aware of processed foods that contain canola oil. Quite often,
the front label will boast "Made With Olive Oil", but when you read the
ingredients on the back label, you may discover that canola is listed
as a major ingredient!
- Be aware that many prepared foods use canola oil, including those
found in Whole Foods. Restaurants have increasingly switched to using
canola oil due to its cheaper cost and alleged health benefits. If you
go to a particular restaurant on a regular basis, do ask what kind of
oil is used in the cooking.
