Monday, February 7, 2011

Is canola oil truly healthy?

From what I've read online the answer is a resounding NO. Canola oil is not made from a canola(there is no such thing) its stands for Canada-oil, which is a GMO product and made from Rape seed, which is a bug repellent. For more information check out these articles...

"Here are just a few facts everyone should know before buying anything containing canola. Canola is not the name of a natural plant but a made-up word, from the words "Canada" and "oil". Canola is a genetically engineered plant developed in Canada from the Rapeseed Plant, which is part of the mustard family of plants. According to AgriAlternatives, The Online Innovation, and Technology Magazine for Farmers, "By nature, these rapeseed oils, which have long been used to produce oils for industrial purposes, are... toxic to humans and other animals". (This, by the way, is one of the websites singing the praises of the new canola industry.)
Rapeseed oil is poisonous to living things and is an excellent insect repellent. I have been using it (in very diluted form, as per instructions) to kill the aphids on my roses for the last two years. It works very well; it suffocates them. Ask for it at your nursery." Click here for the rest of the article.

And... "It has been very much in vogue in health food circles to praise Canola oil as very healthy oil-high in polyunsaturates, while condemning tropical oils such as coconut or palm oil as being saturated and unhealthy.

The high praise for Canola is propaganda put forth by the Canadian government because "can-ola," a hybridized rape plant, is one of that nation's chief export products. Rapeseed oil contains toxic erucic acid. Canola has much less erucic acid in it.


Health food store operators parrot the hype without checking any facts. Consumers search out various products with Canola oil in them because they believe this is somehow much healthier than other oils. All food grade Canola, including the varieties sold in health food stores, are deodorized from its natural terrible stink with 300 degree F. high-temperature refining. You cannot cook a vegetable oil at that temperature and leave behind anything much edible." click here for the rest of the article

My recommendation for a healthy cooking oils are, Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil(EVCO), or Grapeseed Oil. Having each one of these on hand, you will have an oil for just about anything you want to make. from cookies, to chicken to candy(EVCO is a great replacement for butter in ANY recipe, including homemade fudge, found here)

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