Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The bigger picture about CANOLA OIL

Over the years, we hear about products that are harmful to consume and often it is difficult for us to separate fact from fiction. Canola oil, is one of those questionable products.
Hilary Kallaway, (who works for Spectrum Naturals, a leading brand of organic oils,) just gave a very informative seminar on the properties of the various oils we ingest. She was a wealth of information and below you will find her response to the controversy about canola oil:
Hi Arnel,
I've consulted with our R&D Director to find out a bit about Canola Oil history.
Canola originated from the Rapeseed plant. Rapeseed contains high levels of Euric acid which is toxic. Plant breeders, through seed selection and plant hybridization (not genetic modification), selected out the seeds with less Euric acid. After 30+ years of this we have Canola seeds which are very different from the original rapeseed, but still have the stigma associated with rapeseeds and their high levels of Euric acid.
It is true that today Canola is one of the top Genetically Engineered crop, so it is wise to make sure your source of canola oil can verify that their product is GMO (genetically modified organism) FREE.
Have a good day.
Hillary
Hillary Kallaway
Training Manager/Associate Brand Manager
Spectrum Organic Products
2201 S. McDowell Ext. Suite 210
Petaluma, CA 94954
707.559.2661
Canola oil has a neutral flavor which makes it a great choice for baking. It is high in the beneficial Omega-3's and it also has a high heat tolerance which makes it easy to use for sauteing and frying. As digestively sensitive as I am I have never had any adverse reactions to the expeller pressed/non-GMO canola oil I buy from Trader Joes or Whole Foods.
I use "Nothing but the Best" ingredients in my gluten free products.
Arnel McAtee
www.ArnelsOriginals.com