So what about that other MUFA—Canola Oil?
I am not a fan of canola oil. Canola oil may be touted as a naturally healthy, Monounsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA), but a canola seed was not created by Mother Nature– and therefore, not natural, in my book. Actually, Canola oil was “developed” by plant breeders, and is, in fact, the “offspring” of rapeseed.
Rapeseed, is a bitter tasting seed known to be high in, a questionably toxic acid, otherwise known as, erucic acid. It has received quite a great deal of negative press over the years, and the plant breeders of Canola (which is actually a play on the words: Canada and Oil– where the seeds are bred), have gone to great lengths to market Canola seeds, as entirely different from their ancestors.
“It may look the same on the outside but it’s very different on the inside where it matters. Plant scientists used traditional plant breeding methods to get rid of rapeseed’s less nutritional qualities.” -CanolaInfo.com
Personally, I would prefer, that the oil I ingest, not be one that has been bred to be less toxic by plant scientists… but hey! That is just me… and if I have other choices, well I am going to opt for those first.
Aside from that, canola oil is far from being considered “raw”, or cold-pressed. It is often used in processed/packaged goods because processing Canola oil is both cheap, and the finished product lasts longer on the shelves (trust me folks… this is not a good thing). Shelf stable, often translates to– less fresh. Which means that it contains less nutrients (if any)… which then means that it will be more difficult for the body to break down.
Oh! and did I mention that this procedure is a lot cheaper than it would be to “first cold press” an oil… which makes it cheap to manufacture (and what manufacturer company wants to spend bigger bucks?)–which means it can be offered to consumers at a lower price, and still turn a big profit.
The Big Food Industry also loves to use canola oil because it is low in saturated fat—a major selling point in today’s society.
Additionally, it is often found in salad bars, where it is substituted in for cold-pressed olive oil. Why? Well, not to sound like a broken record here… but it is cheaper. Every smart company, grocers included, seeks to gain a profit (which is the idea…). Why would would they spend more money on a cold-pressed olive oil, when Canola oil will save them a couple of dimes, maybe quarters?
Salad bars are already priced high– about $7.99 a lb… so here you are, loading up your little to-go boxes, and already paying a pretty penny, for some sautéed veggies, and cous cous… but! There is a catch here, because the majority of the time you are not even getting the high-quality oils that you feel like you are paying for. I must say, I am always thoroughly disappointed when I see Canola oil listed on the ingredients of some of my favorite salad bar items. (But to their credit… maybe the grocers just don’t know).
Bargains are a great thing, but I’d advise not to cut corners when it comes to the type of fat you are feeding your body.
In summary, FAT can take on many different meanings to different people. A piece of bread smeared with margarine, is not the same as an avocado, is not the same as raw coconut ice cream, is not the same as a handful of nuts, is not the same as a cold-pressed almond/avocado/olive oil.
In order to nourish your body, and avoid having to stress over gaining weight, or having high cholesterol, heart disease, etc., focus on high-quality, raw fats (first-cold pressed oils*, avocados, raw almonds, young thai coconuts, etc.). When a fat is heated, or processed, it becomes difficult for the body to process and use—thus, bring on the unwanted pounds. Raw fats are different, and when properly combined, they nourish the body with little effort.
Next time you want to enjoy something creamy, without having to scrutinize over the good, the bad, and the ugly, smear a ripe avocado over a sprouted whole-wheat bagel, or toast, instead of butter, margarine, or cream cheese. You will notice the difference in the way your body digests, and feels.
How do you feel about Canola Oil? What is your favorite way to dress a salad, or add creamy texture to a meal?
*I do not think I have seen a First-Cold pressed Canola Oil, and I do not consider Canola Oil to be high-quality. That being said, a little bit here and there, is not going to kill you… but I highly suggest using alternative oils whenever possible.
Interesting, thank you for the info! Do you have a suggestion for a cooking oil that withstands high heat that is better alternative to canola oil? (Aside from olive oil?) I only use Canola oil when I need to sear or saute something at high heat.
Hi Sonja!
Great question…
I recommend cooking with an unrefined, raw coconut oil or coconut butter. Coconut oil is a medium chained saturated fatty acid, so it will withstand high temperatures. I also recommend using a bit of organic butter to my clients, who do not like the idea of using coconut products. Coconut oil is more environmentally friendly, and heat stable, but butter will withstand searing, and sauteeing.
Thanks for your great question!
Stay tuned for a more in depth look at this answer in an article to be posted later this week/early next week!
What an informative post. I use canola oil for baking sweets for others and my family, but I personally do not choose to consume it. I always use cold pressed EVOO or coconut oil which adds such a wonderful flavor. However my favorite healthy fat is the humble avocado – it is so delicious and good for you. Plus it is so versatile you can do almost anything with it.
Yum, My FAVORITE fat is the avocado too. It is so versatile and delicious… I 100% agree!
What oil is best for baking? I used to use a lot of canola oil because of the versatile flavor, but after reading this I think I would like to explore some different oils in place of it. I see so many at the store: everything from avocado oil to apricot kernel oil. I saw somewhere that people use safflower oil instead. Is this a good baking choice? I have read all of your recent posts about fats and am still a bit confused about what is best to bake with. It seems every oil has a different set of “instructions”–even if I try to stick to organic, cold-pressed. It’s kind of overwhelming!
P.S. When you say sesame oil, do you mean toasted or regular (I don’t think I’ve ever seen the latter)?
So sorry for the confusion.
I would recommend unrefined Coconut Oil for cooking.
The thing is, there really are SO many “new” oils on the shelves… it IS overwhelming. I recommend always trying to go back to the basics. For instance:
Canola Oil… What exactly IS a canola seed? Well… it is apparently some offspring of a “thought-to-be” toxic seed… that gets pretty confusing- and we shouldn’t have to think that in depth about it.
Avocado oil… you think… “o.k. cool! I know what an avocado is”… same with the other “new” oils, like “almond oil”… BUT they all generally say “refined.” I do not like this word, as it means processed- in some form or another.
So going back to the basics… I would say… I like to know WHAT the oil is coming from (a canola seed, huh?)… and then HOW it is being processed… is it refined (i.e. processed)?, is it Organic First-Cold-pressed (which means it is a higher quality oil, that has certain “unprocessing” standards to meet)… etc. etc.
RAW Coconut oil is SUPER heat stable WITHOUT having to be processed (like an avocado oil, or an almond oil) and it is… or SHOULD BE… unprocessed– which is why it says “raw”.
Is that a little less confusing?
As for sesame oil… I wouldn’t really worry about it. I would just go for a high-quality, organic version. There seem to be too many to keep track of these days. I know cold-pressed versions exist, but I generally see toasted. I am sure you will not be using it daily… but it can be fun to add character to certain asian cuisine, or salad dressings.
xo Lauren
Thanks, this helps a lot. I like your advice to just “stick to the basics” and what we know. I have some raw coconut oil; I’ll have to dig it out. I was just concerned previously about all the saturated fat–which I know isn’t “bad”, but since the research is still inconclusive I thought it was safer to stick to the coconut oil when I need less, like for stir-frying or to flavor daals or curries, rather than the 1/2 cup or so required to bake cookies.
Actualy, you do not want to cook with high heat with olive oil, it burns quite fast, Cottonseed, grapeseed and peanut oil can get to an higher heat without burning.
I really enjoy reading your posts, i just used this website Swap my Seeds, as a way of giving away my unused seeds. Anyone know what I can sell them for? I have maybe 60 geranium seeds left.
[...] generally speaking, Asian restaurants will deep fry a food in a cheap boiling oil, like soy or canola oil, but then, the fried food, like General Tso’s Chicken, will be drenched in “sweet [...]
[...] often seen as the bad guy. Every woman’s magazine talks about good fat, and bad fats, Mufas, and Pufas… and every man’s magazine stresses the importance of low fat— high protein. Regardless, fat [...]
[...] were baked (dehydrated would be ideal, and therefore healthiest), these little guys are FRIED in canola oil, dextrin (derived from starch), and [...]
Around here is quite easy to find could pressed rape seed oil, what is supposed to be the “healthy brother” of canola and Scandinavians cook and bake with it all the time.
However, cold pressed rape seed oil stinks like hell and has a terrible strong flavor that simply doesn’t go away. And the strong yellow color is persistent, what makes it a impossible to neutralize in a dish.
The only jar I bought was really expensive, it cost more than extra virgin olive oil or as much as avocado oil (a very expensive oil in Europe) and it smelled like car oil or grass cutter oil. Gasoline has a better color and smell, I used it once and added some dozens of crushed garlic pieces to flavor it but is was in vain.. it turned into a stinky garlic oil.
I didn’t use canola before but I had to try the rapeseed oil to see.
The point is, nobody should use canola and nobody will handle cold pressed rapeseed. It is just not possible to make healthier canola because the oil is processed exactly for that purposed, to remove the strong flavor and smell natural to the oil. It is bad all the way around..
Great post.
Claudia
Awesome comment Claudia! Thanks!
AWW.. jeesh I also read its piosonous…symtoms dont show untill 10 years later! GREAT….:\.I’m sick of this…palm oil aint good either, palm oil workers intentionally killed endanjored orangutains because they were eating the seeds..I’m vegetarain( animal rights) and also shop at the local healthfood store all the time…. GOD DAMMIT!! I care about my OWN health too!…..jeesh well what CAN I eat that trully DOES’NT impact animals OR my health???….I’m seriously thinking maybe just go friutarain or raw foodist or something…this makes me mad!!!… hmmm possibly I will look for products and food that use minimal ingreidance as possible…I’m furious now!!…..so many things I will watch out for now! :/
I seriously don’t know what to eat half the time anymore…. :/
Ohh crap…. opps sorry PALM oil is piosonous!!.. palm oil plant workers killed about 30 oranitains for eating the seedlings!!…I threw out my ‘earth ballance’ non dairy butter spread!! the first ingridance on was PALM OIL…
[...] “Where to use different oils and fats in the kitchen“, and “Canola oil“, I am not sure if I have ever stressed just how important fat is in every [...]