Term papers!

Think twice when reading your labels!

While many nutritionists and  dietitians as well as so-called healthy cookbooks and magazine articles promote canola oil as healthy, there is a flip side.    You, the consumer, need to hear this and chances are, you haven’t yet…..

Canola oil originates from the rape seed which is a member of the mustard family.   It is used in many baked goods,  mayonnaises, salad dressing, and butter substitutes.   Canola oil, like soybean oil, is found practically everywhere.   In fact,   it is hard to avoid without disciplined label reading.   Even Whole Foods Market uses it in almost all of their prepared foods both in the case and at the salad bar.

“Heart-Healthy” ?

The most disturbing fact about canola oil is that it often contains more trans fatty acids than many vegetable oils on the market.   Trans fats, such as those found in  margarine, have been shown to contribute to cardiovascular system complications including elevated LDL’s and the lowering of beneficial HDL’s.   They in no way promote good health.

When canola is prepared, it often goes through a process of deodorization to preserve shelf-life.   During this  chemical  process   the healthy omega-3 oils are thereby altered to trans fatty acids.    While this might prevent rancidity and mold, it certainly won’t help your health or longevity.

Cooking with canola oil is not advised either.   When the oil makes contact with heat, it will oxidize and create free radicals.   Free radicals will add years to your life and may contribute to disease.

When you look at a bottle of canola oil, you will probably not see any trans fat listed on the label.   I’m not sure why this is.   My guess is that the components of the product have been placed on the label prior to chemical processing.   Does this mean if you buy a package of cookies that contain canola oil and the label reads “zero trans fat”   you can be assured that your body won’t get any of this nasty stuff.   My answer is no.

Nutrient Robber

There are many questions concerning canola oil and these include a study that confirms the consumption of canola oil creates a deficiency in vitamin E.   Interestingly, vitamin E is a heart healthy nutrient and canola oil is often marketed to contain healthful levels.

Good News

I advise you to keep your intake of canola oil on the very low side.   There are too many questions and  controversy  surrounding this oil and why take the risk?

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself and your family:

• Read your labels carefully
• Purchase  cold or expeller pressed organic, non-GMO only
• Ask your prepared foods counter to start making their dishes with extra-virgin olive oil and other healthful fats (or at least insist on the cold or expeller pressed organic, non-GMO only varieties)
• Make your own salad dressings and mayonnaises
• Use real butter or ghee instead of the fake, processed ones
• Request the labeling of GMO foods (this includes many canola oils)

Alison Held, M.S., CMTA
Clinical Nutritionist

This entry was posted on Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 12:36 am and is filed under Food, Kitchen, Nutrition, ingredients. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.