I’ve become so familiar with my local grocery stores that I’ve reached a point where I almost don’t even notice the unhealthy products staring at me from the shelf. It has almost become habitual for me to stroll down the aisles and quickly grab the products I know and love.
The other day I paused for a moment and took at glance over my shoulder towards the shelves of various cooking oils. I had almost forgot how overwhelming this section can be! Olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, canola oil, unrefined, first pressed, cold pressed, virgin, extra virgin … the choices go on forever! As our society begins a shift back in the direction of more health consciousness, it’s easy to see why so many people are still struggling. Fats and oils are one of the most crucial aspects to our health. Consuming adequate amounts of good quality fats is essential to restoring and maintaining our well-being. After all, every cell in your body are comprised of fats which make up the cell membrane. If we are consuming poor fats, then how can we expect any cell within us to be functioning optimally?
Canola oil is one of the oils that concerns me. It is hailed as a healthy alternative containing omega-3’s and may in fact have benefits for your heart. However, we should take a look at it’s origins to fully understand what it is so we can make an informed decision.
As opposed to most other oils, such as olive oil or sunflower oil, canola is not made from a “canola” plant. There is no such thing. In fact, this oil comes from a plant called rapeseed. The name Canola oil is a marketing ploy that was implemented as a result of the negative feedback associated with the name “rapeseed”. In the 1970’s, the term “canola” was derived from “Canadian Oil, Low Acid”.
Although changing its name may not seem like a big deal, this allows companies to essentially hide what their product is actually made from. Prior to human consumption, this oil was actually developed as a lubricant for industrial machinery. What the Canola marketing campaigns fail to inform you of is that rapeseed, the very thing canola is produced from, is toxic to humans and poisonous to nearly all other living animals! The toxicity comes in the form of erucic acid. When rapeseed is processed, the levels of erucic acid are reduced and said to be “safe for human consumption”. My concern is that toxic levels are still present, regardless of how low they are. If a person were to consume that small amount of poisonous substance regularly over the course of several years, a dangerous amount could accumulate and lead to serious illness. Considering human consumption really only started in the late 70’s or early 80’s, we really don’t have any significant long-term statistics showing that canola is safe for us.
When low quality oils are consumed, there is a decrease in nearly all aspects of your health including, but not limited to vision deterioration, central nervous system disruption, respiratory illness, blood toxicity and anemia, constipation and bowel irregularities, heart disease and cancer, low infant birth weight, irritability and depression. On top of all this, Canola is almost exclusively genetically modified.
The subject of canola is a sensitive one which is under constant debate. I believe it is important for us, as consumer, to know the facts about the products we are putting into our bodies so we can make informed decisions.
Through experimentation I find it takes around 20 minutes to give me superhuman toilet blocking powers. As a vegetarian I used to think it was cross contamination, but it’s rapeseed! The pain, the utter abdominal pain… it can be accurately replicated every time by using canola to cook eggs etc. Absolutely fine with Olive. At the moment, almost all breads, baked goods, vegetarian stuff, pizza, restaurant, greasy spoon, and takeaway items are dripping with the stuff. We are doomed in 30 years when all the heart attacks happen.
UK based, totally NOT vegan.
I figured out years ago that canola oil was the culprit giving me cramps and diarrhea after eating fried foods or anything else prepared with canola oil. I started looking at ingredients in evrything I buy because mayo, crackers, soft butter, and other products all bothered my stomach if they contained canola poison. My stomach was happy when I got rid of all of that junk and bought alternatives.
Just to add to the google search results in finding this blog, I also have a problem with canola oil. It took years to finally make the correlation, and it happened by preparing grilled chicken breast and using a little combination canola/olive oil blend off the shelf. After several instances of eating literally only that and a veggie, and being perplexed as to how such a simple meal could cause so many problems, the light bulb finally went off. I prepared the same meal again using only olive oil, and had no issues. I generally try to avoid canola oil, but it is difficult, especially when eating out. If I have too many encounters with the stuff in a short period of time, I’ll be generally unhappy from a digestive system standpoint for a few days. I can tell when it happens, because it starts with a crazy amount of burping for a day or two, and then works it’s way through after that resulting in general intestinal “unhappiness” for up to a week depending on how much I had.
My husband always said there is something wrong with canola oil. Sent him running to the bathroom too.
Thought I would add my two cents and time stamp this article.
I have been suffering IBS symptoms for a while now. The other day I had a real bad episode. Pooping mucas, stomach cramps & sever wind. This was after eating salmon & mayonnaise sandwiches. Checking the mayonnaise I find it’s 76% Canola oil. I suspect this is what has been making me ill for quite some time. I will cut this oil completely from my diet from now on.
I was extremely tired and hungry last night at the market and grabbed a box of vegan cheddar style crackers after briefly scrolling through the ingredients list. I woke up bloated and feeling terribly hungover – I don’t drink alcohol at all. I checked my food log and saw nothing reactive except these new vegan crackers. On rechecking the ingredients I’m seeing Canola oil, which I avoid. Frakenfoods like these should be illegal!!! I can’t believe the Canadian government paid the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) $50 million dollars to have canola oil placed on the “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) List! I know from past experience that when I eat inflammatory foods I essentially gain weight and am constantly exhausted- no amount of calorie restriction or exercise can fight that type of weight gain. There’s nothing to be done about the exhaustion from eating low quality foods like canola oil. I hate hate hate how there is soo much canola oil packed into Whole Foods Market now, especially in their prepared foods section. I wish the world was about caring for each other, not about making money off of people’s pain.
I usually cook with ghee or olive oil but these are unsuitable for use in my recently purchased deep fryer. So for the inaugural batch of French fries I purchased canola oil. The taste was awful and the house is now full of a plastic/kerosene odour. Worse, I’m currently suffering from nausea and bloating. First and last time I will use this industrial waste product.
I also suffer from Canola Oil in foods. Even a small bag of Lays potato chips will give me gastric distress and diarrhea. I have contacted the Canola Council of Canada and suggested they work with me to identify the exact reason I react this way. They suggested I am not really suffering and I am being used as a “Useful Idiot” to spread false and misleading information. I seek only to better identify the exact reason Canola Oil causes this reaction. I have eaten some products with “cold pressed” Canola Oil, without issues. I have also found most Canola Oil is processes with high heat using Hexane, a petroleum product. It seems a trace amount of Hexane remains in the oil. Is that the problem? I do not have a problem with any other cooking oil, as most cooking oils are processed with Hexane. I am not a chemist, but I do suffer. How can I find the answer?
Have you had anyone report extreme fatigue from canola oil that can last 1-3 days? My husband has this and it is terrible. Please tell me. We can’t get anyone’s attention at our retirement home.