No, canola oil comes from rapeseeds. According to AgriAlternatives, The Online Innovation, and Technology Magazine for Farmers, By nature, these rapeseed oils, which. Canola Oil Myths and Truths. Canola oil has been called both the worlds healthiest cooking oil and a poison. Obviously there is much misunderstanding and misinformation out there about it. Is Vegetable Oil The Same As Canola Oil' title='Is Vegetable Oil The Same As Canola Oil' />The oil comes from a specially bred variety of rapeseed, a yellow flowering plant in the Brassicaceae cabbage family, developed by Canadian scientists in the 1. Its name is a contraction of Canadian and ola meaning oil. Is canola oil toxic, as many people warnAre vegetable oils as heart healthy as the food industry would like us to believe Learn why vegetable oils are bad news and bad for your health. From Waste Vegetable Oil as a Diesel Replacement Fuel by Phillip Calais, Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, and A. R. Tony Clark. No. The confusion involves erucic acid, a substance in traditional rapeseed that has been linked with structural changes in heart tissues and other problems in animals. But canola has been specifically bred to be very low in erucic acid. In 1. 98. 1, several hundred deaths in Spain were linked to food grade rapeseed oilbut it turned out the oil mislabeled as olive oil was contaminated with an industrial solvent that was being used illegally. Despite the long standing safety of canola oil, the Internet is still awash with rumors that it causes all kinds of maladies. There has never been any evidence to support these claims. According to the EPA, canola oils toxicological profiles are similar to those of other vegetable oils that are used as food. Isnt canola oil used industrially Yes, though that doesnt mean its dangerous to consume. Canola oil can be used, for example, as a pesticide it smothers insects, industrial lubricant, and biofuelbut thats true of any vegetable oil. Its also used to make soaps, plastics, cosmetics, and printing inks. In fact, such uses are generally considered environmentally friendly alternatives. How does canola compare to other oils nutritionallyAll vegetable oils contain a mix of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. Do You Cover Rice When Cooking. Canola oil consists mostly of monounsaturated fats 6. Of all vegetable oils, it is lowest in saturated fats 7 percent. And, notably, it is second highest in alpha linolenic acid ALA, an omega 3 polyunsaturated fat related to the omega 3s in fish 1. ALA, compared to 5. In contrast, olive, corn, safflower, and sunflower oils contain just 1 percent ALA. Like many other plant foods, canola oil contains phytosterols such as beta sitosterol, which lower cholesterol, along with some vitamin E and K. What are canolas health benefits Twenty years ago, the well known Lyon Diet Heart Study from France, which put the Mediterranean diet on the map, found that an ALA rich diet with fats coming largely from canola oil based margarine significantly reduced heart attacks and deaths in people who had a prior heart attack. Several studies since then have also shown that canola oil, when substituted for saturated fats, has heart benefits. For example, in a small study in the Journal of Internal Medicine in 2. LDL bad cholesterol and triglycerides in people with high cholesterol after three weeks. And a review of 4. Nutrition Reviews in 2. LDL oxidation oxidation makes LDL more harmful and decreased blood clotting, compared to saturated fat based diets. Other vegetable oils have similar effects, however, and its not clear how canola oil compares with them. Still, some researchers contend that canola oil may be advantageous because of its higher ALA content. Since 2. 00. 6, the FDA has allowed canola oil and products containing it to carry this qualified health claim Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1. To achieve this possible benefit, canola oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. What is high oleic canola oil Used in commercial food production, high oleic canola oil is higher in monounsaturated fats oleic acid is monounsaturated than regular canola oil, though it is also lower in ALA. The food industry likes it because it is more heat stable, so it lasts longer in frying it has a high fry life, and it is less susceptible to developing off flavors. Also important, it is a good substitute for partially hydrogenated oils. Is all canola genetically modified Nowadays most, but not all, canola plants in North America are genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide Round. Up, used for weed control. But the original canola plant was developed through traditional plant breeding methods genetic engineering didnt even exist at the time. In any case, the oil, whether from a genetically modified or conventional canola plant, is the same. Organic canola oil, by definition, cannot be produced from genetically modified plantsthough it makes up only a small percent of the market. In Europe, canola oil is produced from non modified plants only. What about claims that canola oil is extracted using toxic chemicals To produce canola and other vegetable oils, the plants seeds are crushed and then typically heated and subjected to chemical solvents, like hexane, to extract the oil. Manufacturers claim that virtually all the solvent is then removed, but its unclear whether trace residues might be a health hazard hexane also has adverse environmental effects. Cold and expeller pressed oils, including canola, do not involve the use of chemical solvents and, because they undergo less processing, tend to be higher in nutrients and antioxidants. They also cost more. Bottom line Like other healthful vegetable oils, canola oil can be used in place of butter or shortening in all types of cooking, including baking and sauting, as well as in salad dressings and marinades. If youre concerned about hexane processing or just want to be more environmentally friendly, look for cold and expeller pressed oil. If you want to discourage the use of genetic modification, buy organic or European produced oils. Keep in mind that all oilsincluding canolaare calorie dense, with about 1.