Canola: How Did An Engine Lubricant Become An Industrial "Food"?
- ketogenicfasting
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Canola oil is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils in the world. It is found in restaurants, fast food, salad dressings, baked goods, processed foods, and thousands of products lining supermarket shelves. For decades, it has been promoted as a "heart-healthy" alternative to traditional cooking fats.
Yet few people realize that canola did not exist until the second half of the twentieth century.
Unlike olive oil, butter, coconut oil, beef tallow, or lard—foods that have nourished human populations for centuries—canola is a modern agricultural creation developed from rapeseed, a member of the Brassica family that also includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts.
Canola: Industrial Oil Disguised as Food!
The story of canola begins with rapeseed.
During the early twentieth century, rapeseed oil was valued primarily as an industrial lubricant. Its high erucic acid content gave it exceptional lubricating properties, making it particularly useful for steam-powered locomotives and marine engines operating under high temperatures and pressure.
When World War II disrupted European rapeseed production, Canada stepped in. With vast prairie farmland and ideal growing conditions, Canadian farmers rapidly expanded rapeseed cultivation to supply the growing industrial demand.
Reinventing Rapeseed
By the end of the war, demand for industrial lubricants declined dramatically, leaving Canada with an established crop but a shrinking market. Agricultural researchers and government officials began searching for a new commercial use instead of abandoning the crop.
Japan appeared to offer the perfect opportunity. Rapeseed oil had long been used in traditional Japanese cooking, including tempura. There was only one problem. Traditional rapeseed oil contained high concentrations of erucic acid, making it unsuitable for widespread human consumption.
Canadian growers began selectively breeding rapeseed varieties naturally lower in erucic acid and glucosinolates. After years of breeding, they manage too develop a new variety suitable for the food market.
That new crop became known as canola. The name itself was carefully created:
CAN = Canada
O = Oil
LA = Low Acid
The original canola varieties were developed through conventional plant breeding. Today, however, most commercial canola grown throughout North America has been genetically engineered for herbicide tolerance.
Fatty Acid Profile
Compared with traditional rapeseed oil, canola contains significantly less erucic acid and relatively little saturated fat.
Its fatty acid profile consists primarily of:
Monounsaturated fat
Polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids
Smaller amounts of omega-3 fatty acids
These characteristics became the foundation of canola's marketing as a "heart-healthy" cooking oil.
Its rise coincided with decades of public health messaging that portrayed saturated fats (butter, lard, etc.) as a major cause of heart disease. By emphasizing its low saturated fat content, canola was deceptively promoted as a healthier alternative to traditional cooking fats such as butter, lard, and beef tallow.
The "heart-healthy" image of canola oil was built largely on its low saturated fat content while directing the attention away from its extensive industrial refining, oxidation, and the growing dominance of omega-6-rich seed oils in the modern food supply.
From Farm to Refinery
The canola sold in grocery stores bears little resemblance to oil simply pressed from seeds.
By the time the refining process is complete, virtually all of the oil's naturally occurring nutrients and protective compounds have been stripped away, leaving behind a highly refined industrial fat that oxidizes readily during processing, storage, and high-heat cooking. The end product is a uniform, inexpensive, shelf-stable oil with a neutral flavor and long storage life, but little to no nutritional value.
Major Concerns
Canola oil raises several significant concerns:
Extensive industrial processing that strips away virtually all naturally occurring protective compounds and micronutrients.
Heavy reliance on solvent extraction, bleaching, deodorization, and other refining processes.
Widespread genetic engineering of commercial crops for herbicide tolerance.
Herbicide-intensive farming practices associated with large-scale canola production.
Its contribution to the modern diet's excessive omega-6 intake through its widespread use in processed foods, restaurant meals, and commercial frying oils.
Does Canola Oil Promote Inflammation?
Yes. Refined canola oil is a pro-inflammatory fat. Its high omega-6 content, combined with extensive industrial refining and its susceptibility to oxidation, makes it a major contributor to chronic inflammation, particularly when consumed regularly.
Here's why:
Excess omega-6 → Promotes a pro-inflammatory environment when consumed in excess relative to omega-3.
Industrial refining → Strips away naturally occurring protective compounds while accelerating oxidation.
High-heat cooking → Produces additional oxidized fats and harmful oxidation byproducts.
Widespread use → Found in restaurant foods, processed foods, and commercial frying oils, leading to frequent exposure.
Bottom Line
Canola oil represents one of the most successful agricultural transformations of the twentieth century. A crop once cultivated primarily for industrial lubrication was selectively bred, genetically modified, rebranded, heavily promoted, and ultimately established as one of the world's most widely consumed cooking oils. Whether viewed as an agricultural achievement, a triumph of marketing, or biggest deception in the food industry, canola's history is unlike that of almost any food.
We recommend avoiding canola oil altogether and choosing minimally processed, naturally stable fats that nourished human populations long before the rise of industrial seed oils. Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, butter, ghee, beef tallow, and lard remain far better choices.
We wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole!
Comments