Canola oil is poison?

[farmerDale]

I have seen several posts on here regarding canola oil being a poison. I am curious where people are getting their information from. What exactly is in canola oil that is poisonous, and what does this poison cause? I am very confused. Where do people get their information from? Occupy protest camps?

Inquiring minds must know. And as a farmer who grows canola, and who farms land that has raised canola for 40 years, and who has exploding wildlife populations on his land, despite all the critters eating the canola plants, the seeds, the flowers, etc. I have a bit of reason to wonder.

We who farm need to know where this information comes from, so we can offer information from the other side. We want to grow what is in demand. We want to alleviate false concerns. We want to ensure people have healthy choices.

Let me know if you think canola is poisonous, so I can help walk through any concerns.

I googled "canola poison", and the absolute crap and misunderstanding is rampant. I had no idea people were perpetuating this false information. Some sites stated canola was made using GE breeding. False. Some interchanged canola with rapeseed. False.

Let me know, share some links...

Thank you,
Dale

[chickenista]

Well.. first off.. there is no such thing as a 'canola plant".
Canola stands for 'Canadian Oil, Low Acid".

The oil from a straight up rape plant (which is a brassica similar to well..other brassicas) is too bitter and vile for human or animal consumption. So to make it palatable they mixed it with another plant and genetically modified it to alter it's color, taste and viscosity.
Original rape oil was only for use in lamps, it was not food.

And the main reason it is talked about as 'poison' is because big ag companies have made it a mission to really alter the rape blends for optimum growth etc..

In Canada there have been huge stinks because big ag's blowing pollen and spilled seed etc.. have contaminated the few remaining rape farms products.
There is no such thing as organic canola.

It has all been modified to be drought resistant and bug resistant and herbicide resistant etc...

But then again.. what in this brave new world isn't tainted in some way?

[bee]

Interesting thread...

So, what oils are best?
Is corn oil GM?
Soybeans are estrogen rich as well as GM..right?
If true about the GM nature of canola, that is "out"...so what is left?

Olive oil or animalfats...coconut oil? Peanut,tree nut oils,palm nut...?

Low fat diet is good for you but we need some fats in our diets for proper nutrition.

[Bearfootfarm]

Well.. first off.. there is no such thing as a 'canola plant".
Canola stands for 'Canadian Oil, Low Acid".

The oil from a straight up rape plant (which is a brassica similar to well..other brassicas) is too bitter and vile for human or animal consumption. So to make it palatable they mixed it with another plant and genetically modified it to alter it's color, taste and viscosity.

So there is a hybrid plant called "canola", and it wasn't "genetically modified" in a lab.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola

Canola was developed through conventional plant breeding from rapeseed, an oilseed plant already used in ancient civilization as a fuel.

The word “rape” in rapeseed comes from the Latin word “rapum,” meaning turnip. Turnip, rutabaga, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard, and many other vegetables are related to the two natural canola varieties commonly grown, which are cultivars of Brassica napus and Brassica rapa.

The change in name serves to distinguish it from natural rapeseed oil, which has much higher erucic acid content.

I figured it would be a "big ag"/ Monsanto bash deal when I read the title

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

This lie had been floating around for 10 years already

[7thswan]

This is interesting,as I only tryed canola and soy oil once.)localy grown and processed) One of the two tasted bad. So I'm back to useing only olive and peanut oil.

[chickenista]

BFF.. if you are going to quote Wikipedia, then you can't pick and choose the parts.

A variety developed in 1998 is considered to be the most disease- and drought-resistant Canola variety of rapeseed to date. This and other recent varieties have been produced by using genetic engineering. Currently, 82% of the rapeseed crops planted in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan are GM (genetically modified) herbicide-tolerant canola varieties.[16]

A genetically engineered rapeseed that is tolerant to herbicide was first introduced to Canada in 1995. Today 80% of the acres sown are genetically modified canola

[Ohio Rusty]

One doctor in particular, Dr. Esselstyn says olive oil is the worst for you because of the high level of saturated fats ... 14 to 17 grams per serving. He is a cardiologist and advises staying away from oils, particulary olive oil.

I use canola oil for my salad dressing as it is lower in fat that the other oils, and doesn't impart a weird taste to anything. I eat canola oil every day. I too, am confused about canola oil and would like to know one way or another if canola is poisonous or has bad side effects over time for the body..

Does the rapeseed plant have several varieties ??? Does one produce an non-edible oil and the other an edible kind???

I know there are fruits that we eat that belong to the nightshade family. Bittersweet night shade would kill you, but tomato's and potatoes, in the same family are OK to eat.

Ohio Rusty ><>

There is no sound more lonely than a cold and quiet anvil .......

[Paumon]

I think most people don't understand what genetic modification means. They seem to be under the impression that it means it's been chemically altered.

Everything that people eat now comes from genetically modified foods. The only foods that are not genetically modified are wild foods.

Meat animals and birds, plant foods, even the fabrics that clothes are made from have all been genetically modified over the course of decades and even centuries. If they hadn't been genetically modified they would no longer exist.

Chickenista - whatever chickens it is that you raise now - they are from genetically modified stock. If they weren't modified then they would be the same as any other scrawny wild Red Jungle Fowl from India.

[chickenista]

Oh.. I am not in with the whole poison/modified foods etc.. thing.
It is a pointless endeavor.


And I do agree that domesticated animals have been modified, but that was over thousands of years. The modern day alterations come via gene splicing in the seed etc..
And it is not normal that a plant has been altered so that powerful herbicides don't kill it etc..

However, though i realize that trying to avoid anything genetically modified is totally futile, I do disageree strongly with the tactics used by big ag to promote their products to the demise of naturally occurring seeds, plants and lifestyles in 3rd World countries.
The use of trickery, dishonesty and threats in order to build your own personal (and your stock holders') fortunes does leave a bad smear upon my soul.

[Bearfootfarm]

BFF.. if you are going to quote Wikipedia, then you can't pick and choose the parts.

A variety developed in 1998 is considered to be the most disease- and drought-resistant Canola variety of rapeseed to date. This and other recent varieties have been produced by using genetic engineering. Currently, 82% of the rapeseed crops planted in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan are GM (genetically modified) herbicide-tolerant canola varieties.[16]

I didn't "pick and choose" anything.

I posted a link to the source which shows there ARE plants called "canola" and they were NOT all "genetically modified"

Any "genetic engineering" was for herbicide resistance alone, and had nothing to do with the quality of the oil

The part you posted confirms there is indeed a "canola" plant, since there can't be a "variety" of something that doesn't exist.

Canadian law even lists the different varieties of the Canola plants, and how they were developed.

http://www.canola-council.org/chapter2.aspx

Canola is comprised of three species that are modified forms (using traditional plant breeding methods) of rapeseed or brown mustard:

Canola Varieties
Canola varieties grown in Canada belong to the Brassica napus, B. rapa or B. juncea species, which in turn belong to the much larger mustard family. Since B. napus and B. rapa species were first introduced in Canada, plant breeders have developed many varieties.
The development of these varieties with major improvements in agronomic, oil and meal quality greatly influenced the rapid expansion of the canola industry in Canada, especially during the last decade.
Improved seed quality increased the market for canola seed and its products. In 2002, B. juncea was introduced under contract production.
There are considerable differences in agronomic characteristics and yield between species and between varieties. Evaluate these differences carefully when selecting a variety to grow. Choose the variety that is best suited to local conditions.

Canola oil from any source is still NOT "poison"

[7thswan]

I hope my organicly grown heirloom garden produce,silky chickens and longhorn beef aren't geneticaly modified. Tho the calfs from the longhorns that are bred with our Angus bull, ya, I guess we did some modifying there.

[bee]

Sorry Paumon...wrong tho it may be when most folks say "geneticly modified"..ie GM..we are refering to gene splicing between species(like adding bacterium genes to plants as pesticides) rather than selective breeding within a specie or hybridization by crossing varieties within the same species. Chickens are jungle fowl selected and bred for naturally occuring traits and thus over generations no longer jungle fowl but silkies, RIR or Leghorns..etc.

[farmerDale]

Originally Posted by chickenista

Well.. first off.. there is no such thing as a 'canola plant".
Canola stands for 'Canadian Oil, Low Acid".

true

The oil from a straight up rape plant (which is a brassica similar to well..other brassicas) is too bitter and vile for human or animal consumption. So to make it palatable they mixed it with another plant and genetically modified it to alter it's color, taste and viscosity.Absolutely false, Canola was not gm. It is a naturally bred plant with an edible oil, selected by traditional plant breeding The reason they did this, was to lower the erucic acid content which is less palatable, and is actually dangerous in high doses. Canola oil has very low erucic acid.
Original rape oil was only for use in lamps, it was not food.

And the main reason it is talked about as 'poison' is because big ag companies have made it a mission to really alter the rape blends for optimum growth etc..Absolutely false. Canola is its own plant with its own oil type. It has half the saturated fat as olive oil. Canola and rapeseed are not interchangeable at all.

In Canada there have been huge stinks because big ag's blowing pollen and spilled seed etc.. have contaminated the few remaining rape farms products.
There is no such thing as organic canola.Again, absolutely false. If you grow modified canola, you must sign that you are using a patented product. You agree to not use your own seed. Stop using rape. It is not interchangeable, they produce different oils. There sure is such a thing as organic canola. It is grown little because weed control is paramount, as it is a very slow starting crop, with tiny plants initially, which have little hope in competing, unless kept clean of weeds. As far as cases like percy schmeiser, he is about as honest as you think Monsanto is. He had entire crops of gm canola on his farm, which he claimed he never planted. How can one produce a crop you never planted. Its not like it spreads like that.

It has all been modified to be drought resistant and bug resistant and herbicide resistant etc...It has been traditionally bred to capture some agronomic advantages, sure. What crop has not. It has not been modified to withstand drought. Canola is a notorious poor performer in drought situations. It has not been modified to withstand insects, canola is relished by all forms of insects. It has been modified to be herbicide resistant, yes. Finally, you got one right. Because of this, I use WAY less herbicides than before, and my soil, my air, my water is thanking me. My wildlife too!

But then again.. what in this brave new world isn't tainted in some way?

As you can see, there are some who actually know about this plant, and some that are spreading patent lies. This is why I am so surprised at the lack of knowledge, spread by people who have little to do with the crop. It would be like me spreading lies about cotton, though I have never seen a cotton plant, will never be able to grow a cotton plant, and have very little clue about the breeding of cotton plants. I could bash cotton based on what is found online. And that is the bottom line. Why trust a canola farmer over patently false websites? Why trust a cotton farmer then? There are two sides to every story, you can find any such stuff on the internet.

[Paumon]

Originally Posted by bee

Sorry Paumon...wrong tho it may be when most folks say "geneticly modified"..ie GM..we are refering to gene splicing between species(like adding bacterium genes to plants as pesticides) rather than selective breeding within a specie or hybridization by crossing varieties within the same species. Chickens are jungle fowl selected and bred for naturally occuring traits and thus over generations no longer jungle fowl but silkies, RIR or Leghorns..etc.

You said it better than I did.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by 7thswan

I hope my organicly grown heirloom garden produce,silky chickens and longhorn beef aren't geneticaly modified. Tho the calfs from the longhorns that are bred with our Angus bull, ya, I guess we did some modifying there.

Yeppers, anytime we alter mother natures basic genetic engineering... we are modifying. This practice has been going on for centuries and has produced a very wide variety of both plants and animals. I am not sure why some folks get so allfired het up over things they dont understand.

I am more than a little curious myself as to the poisonous nature of canola oil? What specific diseases might it cause and what symptoms should I be on the lookout for?

[farmerDale]

Originally Posted by Ohio Rusty

One doctor in particular, Dr. Esselstyn says olive oil is the worst for you because of the high level of saturated fats ... 14 to 17 grams per serving. He is a cardiologist and advises staying away from oils, particulary olive oil.

I use canola oil for my salad dressing as it is lower in fat that the other oils, and doesn't impart a weird taste to anything. I too, am confused about canola oil and would like to know one way or another if canola is poisonous.

Does the rapeseed plant have several varieties ??? Does one produce an non-edible oil and the other an edible kind???

You hit this one outta the park! A canola plant produces extremely healthy canola oil. Rapeseed produces an extremely excellent industrial lubricant, but is less edible.Mustard is also a relative of canloa, as is broccoli, cabbage, radishes, cauliflower, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, pasture rape, etc.

I know there are fruits that we eat that belong to the nightshade family. Bittersweet night shade would kill you, but tomato's and potatoes, in the same family are OK to eat.

Ohio Rusty ><>

There is no sound more lonely than a cold and quiet anvil .......

Excellent post, Rusty..

[farmerDale]

Lotsa canola grown in those NC foothills, after all.

[stormwalker]

Scandinavians use rape seed oil in cooking constantly.

[chickenista]

Originally Posted by chickenista

Oh.. I am not in with the whole poison/modified foods etc.. thing.
It is a pointless endeavor.


However, though i realize that trying to avoid anything genetically modified is totally futile, I.

Like I said.. I am not on the 'poison train".
Nowhere will you see where I said that canola was a poison.
I just answered the question.
Ya'll act like I am some sort of true believer..

It is futile to try to avoid this carp. It is everywhere.
In the air, in the water, in the soil, in the food, in the drink, in the clothes, in the car seats, in the couch, in the sheets, in the tupperware and freezer bags,
in the paint and in the carpets, in the insulation, in the shower stall and tub...

So we might as well just calm the heck down about it all. It is here to stay.
I can make some slight variations in my purchasing on the things that I do have a choice on, but I understand reality... clearly.

[stormwalker]

Originally Posted by chickenista;5594174/

So we might as well just calm the heck down about it all. It is here to stay.

Wasn't that said about slavery ?
What about all the whoohah about women voting?
Status quo ueber alles?