The "skinny" on "good fat!"

Found at http://www.canolainfo.org/

Some fats are good for you, some are not. Your body needs fat to provide energy and help absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Certain fats such as omega-3 and omega-6 fats are essential for good nutrition and must be consumed as part of a healthy diet. It is important to choose fats wisely because some fats are healthier than others. Canola oil provides higher amounts of healthier fats than other popular vegetable oils.
Every body needs good fats to stay healthy.

Choose a healthy oil. In keeping with dietary recommendations canola oil is:
• Low in saturated fat
Saturated fat raises the bad LDL cholesterol in blood and has been linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease.
• A source of omega-6 fat
Omega-6 fat must be consumed as part of the diet and is important for the brain and essential for the growth and development of infants.
• High in omega-3 fat
Omega-3 fat must also be consumed in the diet and helps protect against heart attacks and strokes.
• High in monounsaturated fat
Monounsaturated fat may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by lowering bad LDL cholesterol in the blood and helping control blood glucose.
• Cholesterol and trans fat-free
Trans fat raises bad LDL cholesterol and lowers good HDL cholesterol.

The U.S. government recommends that people "consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of cholesterol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible."
Health Canada advises "for good health, include a small amount (2 - 3 Tbsp/30 - 45 mL) of unsaturated fat and limit the amount of saturated and trans fat in your day."

Canola Oil Qualified Health Claim
Canola oil may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized, in October 2006, a qualified health claim for canola oil based on its high percentage of unsaturated fats.
The claim states: "Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 11/2 tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in canola oil. 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."

Frequently Asked Questions and misinformation on Canola... read on.

You're looking for more information about canola - the seed, the oil and the meal. Maybe you've checked websites that made you wonder who's telling the truth. Wonder no more. We asked impartial professionals in the fields of nutrition, biology and food science to answer your questions. Some of these questions may seem a little bizarre but that's what's out there! So here's the truth. We promise.

Q: What is canola oil?
A: Canola oil is the healthiest of all commonly used cooking oils. It is lowest in saturated fat, high in cholesterol-lowering mono-unsaturated fat and the best source of omega-3 fats of all popular oils. Canola oil comes from pressed canola seed. The seed is harvested from pods that are formed after those beautiful yellow flowers you've probably seen in the summer fade away. North American farmers have been growing canola seed for over 30 years. Canola is not rapeseed. It looks the same on the outside but it is very different on the inside where it matters. In the late 1960s, plant scientists used traditional plant breeding methods to get rid of rapeseed's undesirable qualities: erucic acid and glucosinolates. That means canola oil and meal are different from rapeseed oil and meal.

Q: Have human studies been conducted on the consumption of canola oil?
A: Yes. Clinical studies conducted over the past 20 years involving thousands of healthy volunteers, examined the role of canola oil in lowering blood cholesterol levels and reducing risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. The studies confirmed that when used as part of a balanced diet, canola oil has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and have a beneficial effect on clot formation, thereby decreasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Canola oil contains just 7% saturated fat compared to, for example, 15% for olive oil, 19% from peanut oil and 12% for sunflower oil.

Q: Is canola oil safe for animals and humans?
A: Yes. Before being approved for food use, canola oil was required to go through stringent animal feeding trials to ensure it was a safe edible oil. And a great deal of research has been done which shows the benefits of incorporating canola oil into human diets.

Q: Was canola developed using genetic engineering?
A: Canola was developed using traditional plant breeding techniques, so it was not developed using biotechnology. However, about 80% of the canola grown in Canada has now been modified using biotechnology to make it tolerant to some herbicides. Using these specific herbicides has reduced the amount of chemical needed for weed control in the fields. Remember - the canola plant has been modified, not the oil. So canola oil from the herbicide tolerant plant is exactly the same safe and healthy oil as canola oil from conventional plants. The modification has been made to only one canola gene and it is a protein. Processing removes all proteins from canola oil. That means canola oil made from GM seed is conventional canola oil.

**Note: On the back of our cookies, you'll sometimes read organic canola oil or simply canola oil. In either case, the canola oil we use (whether it be organic or natural) comes from Non-GMO sources.

Q: Are canola oil and rapeseed oil poisonous to living things?
A: No. Canola oil has been thoroughly tested and is guaranteed safe and beneficial for humans. Hydrogenated rapeseed oil is also safe and is in fact approved by Canadian and US food regulatory agencies for use as a food product emulsifier. When rapeseed oil is fully hydrogenated, its erucic acid becomes behenic acid - a natural saturated fatty acid found in peanuts and peanut butter. Some peanut butter brands contain very small amounts of hydrogenated rapeseed oil to prevent the peanut oil from separating from the peanut butter. Rapeseed is grown on very limited acreages in North America under contract between the grower and the buyer. It doesn't get into the regular grain handling system.

Q: Was GRAS status for canola oil purchased from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)?
A: No. The FDA granted GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status following the submission of a lengthy petition, which detailed years of research on the beneficial health effects of canola oil in human and animal diets.

Q: Does canola oil cause emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation, irritability, and blindness in animals and humans?
A: No. After extensive animal and human testing, canola oil has been proven to be absolutely safe to consume and will not produce these or any other diseases or conditions.

Q: Is mustard gas made from canola oil?
A: No. Mustard gas is an oily volatile liquid, which got its name from its mustard-like odor. It bears no relation to canola, or any other plant member of the mustard family.

Q: Does canola oil turn rancid quickly?
A: No. Canola oils shelf life stored at room temperature is about one year. Except for flaxseed oil, the shelf life of other vegetable oils stored at room temperature is similar. Flaxseed oil should be stored in the refrigerator.

Q: Can canola kill insects such as aphids?
A: Yes. Pour any cooking oils: canola, olive, corn, sunflower or peanut over an insect and you'll suffocate it. Many horticulturists in general recommend vegetable oils as a non-chemical, more environmentally friendly insect control method.

Q: Does canola contain cyanide?
A: No, canola does not contain cyanide. Canola contains compounds that sound a little like that - isothiocyanates, compounds found naturally in many foods, especially in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, turnips and canola. Isothiocyanates are sulphur-containing compounds that have anti-cancer properties, a fact first recognized some 30 years ago. In rats and mice, isothiocyanates inhibit the development of tumors in esophagus, mammary and lung tissue. Isothiocyanates appear to act by interfering with the metabolism of cancer agents and increasing their removal from the body. The cancer-fighting properties of cabbage, cauliflower and the other members of the mustard family are likely due to their isothiocyanate content.

Q: Is canola made of a "very long chain fatty acid oil (c22)" that can cause a degenerative disease?
A: No. Canola oil's fatty acid profile consists predominantly (over 90%) of the 18 carbon unsaturated fatty acids oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Canola does not cause or contribute to any disease and in fact, it can improve health. The positive effects of canola's unsaturated fatty acids on certain health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, are well documented.

Q: Is it true that Europe has banned canola oil since 1991?
A: No. The European Union (EU) countries together produce more canola than Canada. Europeans call their canola "oilseed rape" and the oil "rape oil" or "rapeseed oil" but it is canola. They chose not to adopt the new name "canola" when it was developed. So Europeans consume canola oil every day and have ever since canola was introduced in Europe shortly after being developed in Canada. The difference at present is that European farmers are prevented by law from growing genetically modified canola (or any GM crop). Europeans therefore consume canola oil from non-GM plants. Most of the canola oil from Canada can be exported to the EU and the EU has approved some of the GM canola seed for processing as well. Canola oil produced from GM plants is safe and healthy. And - canola oil itself does not contain any GM ingredients. The GM modification is made to one canola gene and it is a protein. All proteins are removed from canola oil during processing so canola oil made from GM plants is no different from conventional canola oil.

Continue on to "The Organic Difference."