Why You Shouldn't Cook with Canola Oil

Mmmm…rapeseed…

Sounds delicious, does it not?

Unless you live on a farm and grow all your own food and never eat packaged foods, you’ve consumed rapeseed. And if you do eat out often or buy packaged foods, you’re likely swallowing the seed’s unpalatable-sounding oil every day.

It doesn’t take a marketing expert to realize how unappetizing ‘rapeseed’ sounds, so approximately 30 years ago, marketers decided that the product name ‘rapeseed oil’ would not fly off the shelves at supermarkets and rechristened it as “Canola oil,” in deference to Canada, which is where rapeseed was developed...at least it’s modern version.

Rapeseed varieties were cultivated in Asia thousands of years ago. But one major reason you should avoid canola oil is that contemporary rapeseed is genetically modified. Whether or not you think genetically modified foods are safe for human consumption or potentially harmful is your call to make. But when groups such as the American Academy of Environmental Medicine conclude, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects,” and call for a moratorium on GM foods, you may want to be at least slightly concerned.

While scientists may have had good intentions for developing modern Canola oil--resistance to crop disease, breeding for lower potentially harmful acidic compounds, for example--it’s still a laboratory-produced foodstuff, with long-term consumption effects still mostly unknown; there simply are not enough studies to verify if Canola oil is safe. It has not been around long enough to fully assess its safety.

And how does a dose of hexane sound?

Canola oil’s processing includes refinement with hexane, a constituent of gasoline. Hexane is used in several industrial applications, including extracting cooking oil from seeds.

Could you envision your mother telling you, “Don’t worry about it...a little hexane won’t hurt you?”

Not likely. Hexane can be potentially toxic. And traces of it are typically found in crops like soybeans and Canola oil.

The only good kind of Rancid is the 1990's-era punk band

Most producers of Canola utilize detergents and heating processes to refine the oil. Heating an oil such as Canola, results in the molecular degradation of the oil. In other words, the oil could very well be rancid before you grab it off the shelf. Rancid oils promote inflammation in the body and you can’t tell by sight or smell.

Eliminating Canola oil 100% of the time might be an impossible task if you eat out regularly. Cheaper than premium and health-promoting unrefined olive oil, most restaurants and food manufacturers stock up on Canola oil. But what you can do before ordering is ask the waiter to find out what kind of oil the cook uses. Stretch the truth and tell your order taker that you are allergic to Canola oil and ask if they can cook your food in butter instead.

Though butter is high in calories and saturated fat, a dab of it is much healthier to cook with because the saturated fat is chemically stable when cooked and won’t turn rancid easily like Canola oil.

If you can, cook at home often, as you’ll be in control of what oils you put in your body.

Use these oils instead when cooking your favorite Miracle Noodle dish

Coconut oil, ghee (clarified) butter, regular butter, and, to a lesser extent olive oil (if not cooked at a high temperature) are best for cooking your favorite Miracle Noodle (certified non-GMO, by the way!) dish.  Or don’t use any at all, the high water content of the noodles allows you to fry without adding oil!!

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Tell your friends and family about the dangers of processed oils like Canola oil and what they should consume instead. And of course, share with them the joys of eating all the noodles you want without the guilt. As incentive, when you share Miracle Noodle on Facebook, Twitter or via email, and a friend clicks your share link, both you and your friend will receive 13% off your next order. Here’s the link:  ?saopen=share  

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