What is Canola Oil

Canola oil is a type of edible oil that is extracted from the seeds of the canola plant for cooking and dressing purposes. This plant belongs to the Brassica family and was spawned from the rapeseed plant in the 1970s. Many people are of the opinion that canola plant is also known as rapeseed, but the two are different in nature and components.

Now that you know what is canola oil, you would also like to know that it is used for its rich nutritional ingredients all over the world. Canola oil has a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, that help in reducing blood cholesterol, thus keeping you healthy. There are many more benefits of this oil mentioned in the following paragraphs. Take a look and find out if you need to switch to canola oil!

What is Canola Oil Made From?

Now you know what is canola oil, but do you know what is canola oil derived from? As mentioned above, it is a common misconception that canola oil is made from rapeseed plants. This is because rapeseed was used as a parent plant to breed canola. Soon after its first generation evolved, it became an independent parent plant. Canola oil could then be extracted from the canola plant seeds exclusively and sold in its own name. There are many other canola oil substitutes which have emerged in the markets today, but are not as healthy as canola oil.

The components of this oil are erucic acid and glucosinolates, found in rapeseed as well. The other components include very low amounts of saturated fats and high amounts of mono-saturated fatty acids. This oil is also enriched with the perfect balance between omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids. Because of these contents, it is preferred over other cooking oils. With this explanation to what is canola oil made up of, let's move ahead to canola oil nutrition facts and benefits.

Health Benefits of Canola Oil
There are many health benefits and uses of canola oil, as it is healthy, inexpensive and readily available in many countries. It is an economical as well as healthy choice preferred over vegetable oils thus commonly used in households. Some more benefits of the canola oil can be as follows;

• While comparing canola oil vs olive oil, people prefer to go for canola oil. This is because, canola oil contains mono-saturated fatty acids which are healthy for the heart. Olive oil also offers similar benefits but canola oil is preferred over olive because it is less expensive.
• About 16 g of saturated fats, 61.2 g of polyunsaturated fats, 137. 9 g of monounsaturated fats and 0.9 g of trans fats are contained in 218g of canola oil. And now about the canola oil calories. Well, 2 teaspoonful of canola oil contain around 80 calories.
• There are a number of unhealthy fatty acids present in vegetable oils priced lower, but you can't risk your health by blindly opting for the low-priced oils. Therefore, in the debate of canola oil vs vegetable oil, canola oil emerges winner. It is recommended by dietitians as it proves to be a healthier choice.
• Eating foods prepared in canola oil increases the amount of omega 3 fatty acids in your body. These fatty acids reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and act as anti-inflammatory agents too.
• Canola oil is also a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. This is again a type of omega 3 fatty acid, that is not produced by the body. It is required for effective blood clotting and platelet aggregation and is hence very essential.
• It is observed that, the amount of saturated fats in canola oil is 7% and the amount in olive, peanut and sunflower oils is, 15%, 19% and 12% respectively. Saturated fats being very unhealthy for the heart, canola oil definitely proves to be better than other cooking oils.

With this information about what is canola oil and what are its benefits, you can surely use this oil for cooking. However, it's best to have a clear answer to 'is canola oil bad for you' to know about the dangers of using canola oil, if any. All in all, canola oil is healthy and inexpensive and will definitely reduce the risk of heart diseases.