Is Canola Oil Dangerous?

[black chef]

http://www.aspartame.ca/page_oho3.htm

while researching cooking oils, i came across this site.

i had no idea that canola oil was produced in this way.

 

[Michael in FtW]

This reminds me of something my Dad used to say ... "A little science is a dangerous thing." This site is obviously pro coconut/tropical/nut oils and depends largely on ignorance to make their point. Okay - some of what they say I might agree with ... if stated in another way.

Example 1 - Toxins: There are a lot of foods that we consume on a daily basis that contain some levels of toxins. If vegetarins were presented with just a raw list of all the toxins in fruits and vegetables (without further explanation) - we would have no more vegans! And us carnavours would no longer have side dishes of vegetables.

Example 2 - Plastic Isomers in Canola Oil: While part of this is true ... let's drop the other shoe .... ALL fats contain plastic isomers to one degree or another. Do they polymerize into plastic in cooking or in our system? Not they way they are alluding to. Depending on the plastic (polycarbonate is immune do to it's chemical structure) but take something like a typical soft plastic bowl and put some pasta sauce (made with oilive oil and natural meat fats) in it for 24 hours ... it is stained and greasy and you'll never get it clean no matter what you do (removing either the stain or the greasy feel). Why? The natural isomers in fat have polymerized with the plastic - they have formed a chemical bond due to their chemical structures which has nothing to do with heat as a catalyst to cause the reaction. The fat has become bonded to the surface of the plastic through a sharing of electrons - and is now a part of it.

A good example of fat polymerization under heat is when you season a cast iron skillet. A thin layer of fat is spread over a cast iron surface, heated, the heat causes polymerization of the fatty acids (they form a sheet of "plastic" which bonds to the metal surface) - a molecular change takes place where the "liquid" is expelled and the ramainder becomes a solid mass. As more layers are added - frying foods actually works like the plastic bowl ... fat is attracted to and bonds with the "plastic" layer, and over time, this bonding builds up a virtually nonstick layer of natural organic material over time that is hard as nails. Ask any cast iron aficionado about the virtues of a well seasoned cast iron skillet or pot.

I'm interested in nutrition and food science ... and whenever I see an article making misrepresentations about one thing or another I tend to have a jaundiced eye about the validity of the whole.

 

[Gretchen]

Michael, such words of wisdom. Thanks.

 

[Andy M.]

If you cannot sell a product on its merits, you attack the competition. Thus the attacks from the palm and coconut oil 'experts'. The internet is a perfect place to proliferate mis-information from quacks or hacks. Please be careful.

Canola oil is an excellent cooking medium.

 

[Robo410]

canola (canadian rape seed oil) is a mono saturated oil like olive oil, healthy. it is neutral in flavor, and takes to fairly high heat.

 

[ChefJune]

Canola oil is an excellent cooking medium.

I agree. But I think it has to do with HOW the oil is processed. Cold pressed oils are healthier than those that go through extensive machines and heat processes.

 

[jennyema]

In addition to Michael's excallent explanation, if you go to Snopes.com, you'll find out that that canola oil story is an urban myth.

 

[FryBoy]

Horse Manure!

That site demonstrates everything bad about the Internet -- there's too much hysterical nonsense passing for fact, and fools fall for it because, well, it's in black and white and "they wouldn't say it if it's not true." My sister is one of them, and sends me such garbage constantly.

One good site for checking questionable claims that come across your screen is www.snopes.com, the Urban Legends site. They conclude that the rumors concerning canola oil are false:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

Also, check the links at the end of the article.

 

[Gretchen]

While having nothing to do with cooking, it does have to do with the validity of what's available on the internet. My personal favorite was a site I came across that purported that rheumatoid arthritis was caused by a parasite that ate your joints. Of course, it came with medicine to order to cure it.

 

[GB]

and fools fall for it because, well, it's in black and white and "they wouldn't say it if it's not true."

One good site for checking questionable claims that come across your screen is www.snopes.com, the Urban Legends site.

I find it humorous that people always say this. They say you can't trust what you read on the internet, and for proof they say to check out Snopes.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that Snopes is not right. I have never (to my knowledge) been mislead by that site and I do use it all the time, but I just find it humorous that people use an online source to prove that online sources are not valid

 

[FryBoy]

I find it humorous that people always say this. They say you can't trust what you read on the internet, and for proof they say to check out Snopes.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that Snopes is not right. I have never (to my knowledge) been mislead by that site and I do use it all the time, but I just find it humorous that people use an online source to prove that online sources are not valid

The difference is the sources cited by Snopes. It's not perfect, but it's a good starting place.

 

[GB]

Oh don't get me wrong, I agree with you. Snopes is invaluable for finding out the truth behind a lot of things. I just see an irony in it that I find very funny.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I've been using canola oil for over two years now, because I found it to be almost tasteless and therefore perfect for making strongly flavoured Indian pickles. (Mustard oil, which would probably be the oil of choice, is not available here).
Sometimes I add a little Chinese peanut oil - mostly I use it alone.

 

[silvercliff_46]

You got it Michael. I have lived long enough to have heard every food scare in the books. Almost all you could have spread on the garden.

 

[CharlieD]

I don't know how healthy or unhealthy canola oil is, but I simply do not like it. Most of all I do not like the way it smells when used for frying. Well I actually can't stand the smell, brrrrrrrrrrr