Canola Oil vs. Olive Oil

What is Canola Oil?

Canola oil is an extract of a specific breed of the rapeseed plant. The product we currently identify as Canola Oil comes from a plant isolated and specially bred by Keith Downey and Baldur R. Stefansson in the 1970's. The name Canola is derived from the terms "Canadian oil, low acid," which refers to the oil's origin as well as its chemical profile. Originally, the oil was not fit for human consumption, due to the high levels of erucic acid present in the oil. Erucic acid not only has a very bitter flavor, but has also been linked to certain lipid processing diseases in rats.

Therefore, Canola oil can be roughly defined as an engineered food product in that it only occurs because of human intervention. Only the most recent versions of canola oil, however, have been the result of genetic engineering. This is where many people begin to feel uncomfortable. Canola oil does offer definite dietary benefits, however.

What is so great about Canola Oil?

Canola oil is an unsaturated fat, meaning that at room temperature, it will be in a liquid form. Without getting into the chemistry of different types of fat, it is enough to know that this is a very good thing. This fat will be less likely to stick together in clumps once it's in your body.

With that in mind let's think about what's going on inside of our body, specifically our blood vessels. Your veins and arteries are tubes through which liquid (your blood) flows. It is believed that because unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature they will be less likely to stick to the walls of your blood vessels and form clumps that may close off the vessel. For more information check out Mayo Clinic's article on fats.

In addition, ongoing studies have linked increased consumption of saturated fats with development of obesity and diabetes in developing countries.¹ Canola oil is a wonderful, healthy alternative to oils that contain more saturated fats.

One more thing is worth saying. Canola oil is great to cook with! Unlike many varieties of olive oil, canola oil has a relatively high heat tolerance. That means that if you're going to deep fry something, canola oil is a great choice. Technically, extra virgin olive oil has almost the same "smoke point" as canola oil, but when you consider price, canola oil is the obvious choice.

Sources:

1) Misra, A., Singhal, N., & Khurana, L. (2010). Obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes in developing countries: role of dietary fats and oils. Journal Of The American College Of Nutrition , 29(3 Suppl), 289S-301S. Retrieved from EBSCOhost .

What is Olive Oil?

This seems like kind of a dumb question, right? Olive oil is oil that comes from an olive. It's flavorful, it's natural, and it's in the same category as canola oil. It's an unsaturated fat. Olive oil is produced by a simple process where olives are mashed into a paste, and then the oil is pressed out by large hydraulic pistons.

When compared with canola oil, olive oil seems like a much more natural product. The biggest difference, however, lies in the flavor. Olive oil will impart a subtle fruity flavor to any product that you cook with. That is, really, the only difference. For some people, this flavor is too strong, or is simply unpleasant. Others enjoy the flavor of olive oil immensely, and could not imagine using any other cooking fat. The choice is yours.

What is so great about olive oil?

Olive oil, as I've said, has more or less the same dietary benefit as canola oil. The argument many people make for olive oil is that it is a more natural product. This is true, as olive trees are generally left to produce on their own without a whole lot of fiddling. Throughout history, olive trees have been selectively bred and developed, a process all current commercial crops have undergone.

Olive oil is also an unsaturated fat, a few of the benefits of which were outlined above. Olive oil's processing is also more well-known that canola oil. That is, we know by the way the olive oil is labeled how it was produced. Extra-virgin olive oil implies a lower degree of processing and superior flavor. Virgin olive oil is said to have inferior taste to extra-virgin, and so on. "Light" olive oil is simply a statement about the flavor, and does not reflect anything about the processing or quality.

You'll hear many claims on the internet about the miracle benefits of different oils. Most of this is hype, and is not backed up by any real research. If there is research involved, it is usually based on epidemiological data collected from national registries. In other words, these claims are at best educated guesses that create links between one ingredient in a population's diet and certain anomalies in that population's health profile.

Ok, enough with the big words. What I'm trying to say is that when you're trying to eat healthy, keep it simple. Both olive oil and canola oil are good options for cooking oils. Olive oil is much more expensive, however, so this is how I use them.

Canola oil is good for deep frying, sweet baking, and any application that requires you to use a large amount of oil at one time. It is better to us canola oil for sweet baking because it will not complicate the flavor of what you are making. Olive oil is useful for savory baking, since it will often compliment savory flavors. This is, of course, a matter of personal taste.

Olive oil is perfect for making salad dressings, dips, or sautéing. All of these applications require a small to moderate amount of oil. I think using olive oil in this way keeps a good balance between the cost of olive oil, and health benefits.

What are your thoughts? Which oils do you use at home? Any suggestions for improvements to this article? I would love to keep improving this information. Please let me know!