Is Canola Oil Bad for You? What Should You Use Instead?

Is canola oil bad for you? (Photo by Roberta Sorge on Unsplash) — Is canola oil bad for you? (Photo via Unsplash/Roberta Sorge)

Ever wondered, "Is canola oil bad for you?" It’s better to have a surrounding knowledge of anything that you wish to add to your diet.

A primary reason behind that is to be cautious about the nutritional value of the product, and whether or not it helps with your overall calories. However, before getting to understand if canola oil bad for you,, let's understand what it is.

What is canola oil?

As the name goes, this is an oil made from the seeds of the canola plant and is categorized as a vegetable oil.

The seeds are crushed, and the oil from the seeds is extracted. The process involves pressing or solvent extraction. The oil extracted is refined, bleached, and finally deodorized before it’s packaged for a neutral tasting oil.

Incidentally, it's low in saturated fat but high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. As a result, canola oil is a popular choice among individuals who want to use it for cooking and baking. Additionally, canola oil is widely used in processed foods.

Is canola oil bad for you?

Oil (Photo vis Unsplash/Edgar Castrejon)

To know if "is canola oil bad for you", you need to be clear on what you’re using the oil for.

Studies and research have shown that canola oil, like many other items, has its pros and cons. Some have linked canola oil with being healthy for the heart, while others have claimed that it can lead to inflammation and oxidative stress.

When we think about saturated and unsaturated fats, it’s believed that it’s better to have unsaturated fats than saturated. For that reason, canola oil is probably not bad for you. The reason being that it’s low in saturated fats and high in unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats).

Meanwhile, anyone with knowledge about how diets are formed will tell you that you should consider all types of fat for your diet but in moderation. Hence, it’s completely fine to add canola oil to your diet, but you must do so in moderation. Such is the case for every food product that you add to your diet.

Eventually, it will come down to a series of trials and errors. As everyone’s digestive system reacts differently to various food items, you must take note of how your body reacts to canola oil before determining whether it's good or bad for you.

What can you use instead of canola oil?

Vegetable oil (Photo via Unsplash/Quin Engle)

Assuming that you’re not keen on the idea of using canola oil, what else can you use? A common option would be vegetable oil.

Between vegetable oil and canola oil, you should note that both are commonly used for cooking, but there are some differences:

Composition

Vegetable oil can refer to any oil that's extracted from plants. However, canola oil is specially from the canola plant. So, all canola oils are vegetable oils, but not all vegetable oils are canola oils.

Taste

Canola oil has a milder taste compared to other popular vegetable oils that are used in cooking.

Health

Canola oil is a healthy option due to its low level of saturated fats, but there are other vegetable oils that can provide similar nutritional value too. However, when thinking about health in terms of oil, it largely depends on how much of any oil you're using in cooking.

A tablespoon of canola oil is healthier than a scoop of vegetable oil and vice versa. It’s not possible to denote the exact nutritional values of two types of oils that are extracted from plants using similar processes, though.

If at all you believe that your opinion about “is canola oil bad for you?” is a strong yes, there're other oils at your disposal that you can use for cooking.

Some of the most popular options are coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil. While oils such as coconut and avocado oil are better for high-heat cooking, olive oil is better for low-to-medium-heat cooking.