As part of patient education we have recommended discontinuing vegetable oils and using extra virgin organic olive oil, organic virgin coconut oil, organic macadamia nut oil and organic pure butter. There are oils such as sesame, peanut, etc., that people like for cooking. Remember high heat can be dangerous especially when the heat is rapid, high and causes the oil to smoke— not good, so use good sense and moderation and the right oils.

The term heart healthy vegetable oil(s) is an oxymoron. The danger to the cardiovascular system is great and when you toss in the implications in macular degeneration, a skull and crossbones on the label would be appropriate.
After watching one of my favorite chefs (Bobby Flay) on the food channel use “canola Oil”, I‘ve had enough. Even if you recommend vegetable oils (which I don‘t), sunflower oil comes from sunflowers, safflower oil from safflowers. Nut oils come from nuts such as macadamia nut, walnut oil from walnuts, etc. This begs the question what is a canola? It is not the name of an actual plant from nature but rather a contrived name from the words Canada and oil. A marketing play. There is a plant involved but not from nature. Canola is a, surprise....! A Genetically engineered plant from the rapeseed. The rapeseed is part of the mustard seed family of plants and according to Agricultural Alternatives is a family of plants whose oils have a long standing use in processes and purposes that are toxic to humans and animals. Big industry is big business and Canadian industry and Canadian Government paid $50 million dollars to the United States Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have canola “oil” recognized as (GRAS). The GRAS list (Generally Recognized As Safe) is home for numerous, other questionable products but this one should be at or near the top of the slick list. I don‘t know what it should stand for but how about Sleazy, Lucrative, Insidious, Cancer, Killer?

When this new “industry” was created laws were enacted. This in turn affected commerce, international trade and dietary traditions. Studies on humans were not performed until the money train was rolling. Animal studies showed fatty degeneration of the heart, kidneys and endocrine glands. When canola oil was withheld the deposits were shown to dissolve. The scar tissue however remained on all the vital organs.

The mustard family of plants is very interesting. The genetically engineered part of this family of plants engineered from the rapeseed plant is scary.
Rapeseed oil is poisonous to “living things” and is considered a top notch insecticide. It has for years been used to kill aphids by suffocating them. We have been around this oil for years as it has been used to illuminate color pages in magazines. It is used as a lubricant, fuel (excellent in diesel), soap, synthetic rubber base, etc., etc. One thing it is not, is a food. It is an industrial oil and is not for human (or animal) consumption.

We see canola oil replacing other oils just as margarine replaced butter back in the 50‘s and beyond with severe consequences. Now peanut, sesame and other oils are being replaced with “canola oil”. It is being used in processed foods such as dressings, crackers, peanut butter, breads, etc. It is the cheapest “oil” and the Canadian government subsidizes it to industries and that includes food processing industries. Why would anyone in charge choose toxic over healthy oils such as flaxseed oil and olive oil. Greed and the love of money come to mind for starters. According to Young Again magazine as well as other sources the $50 million dollars paid to the FDA to have rapeseed registered as “safe” is part and parcel their idea of “business as usual” where greed and corruption thrive.
Safe Rape-seed oil has been linked to various symptoms of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) such as emphysema and other respiratory disturbances. It has been linked to blindness in humans and animals, anemia, irritability, constipation, etc., etc. Already considered a toxic poison when it is processed it becomes rancid very quickly making it even more dangerous. When insects won‘t eat it we may want to pay attention. Rapeseed has been shown to cause lung cancer. In the 1995, June 7th issue of The Wall Street Journal, some possible side effects included loss of vision, disruption of the nervous system, respiratory illness, anemia, heart disease, cancer, low birth weights in infants and irritability in adults. These may sound generally common but considering Rapeseed has a cumulative effect taking nearly 10 years to manifest, it bears watching and paying careful attention. As a certified therapist in the International Academy of Enzyme Nutrition, enzymes are near and dear to me and Rapeseed inhibits proper metabolism of food and normal enzyme function. It is a trans fatty acid (C22) and this makes it hydrogenated. It contains euric acid (a long chain fatty acid), which is irritating to mucus membranes. The build up of these long chain fatty acids destroys the protective sheath (myelin) on nerve cells. Irritability? What a surprise.

Remember what was said earlier about high temperatures? Canola oil is a long chain fatty acid that has been treated at very high temperatures of up to 300 degrees. At the clinic we recommend avoiding hydrogenated oils that affect cardiovascular disease. We highly recommend oils such as flax seed oil and olive oil that can help blood pressure, high triglycerides and other lipid problems and that can destroy tumor tissue and oxygenate the system when taken on a regular basis.

Why does this fraud (one among many) continue to be perpetrated on the public? Greed (the love of money) avarice and corruption. This oil is so cheap to produce and the profits staggering along with Government subsidization especially to food processing concerns such as bakeries and schools. It is not fit for human or animal consumption. It is a penetrating oil even after processing. It becomes rancid very quickly and the free radicals abound causing even more health problems. It emits cancer causing chemicals. Read “Fats That Heal and Fats That Kill” by Udo Erasmus and the “Canola Oil Report” by Tom Valentine.
Remember the “Mad Cow Disease” scare? Millions of cattle were slaughtered in the UK so that they would not infect people. Cattle were being fed a mixture containing material from dead sheep. Sheep suffer from a disease called “scrapie”. Canola oil was in the feed. It was believed that the infiltration to the human chain came from this combination. What is most intriguing is that when the canola oil was removed from the feed the “scrapie” disappeared. Between 1986 and 1991 canola oil was widely used in animal feed in Europe and England. In 1991 it was tossed— thrown out.
Greed may or may not be curable but ignorance is. Educate your self and take good care.

Dr. Rich Easterling N.D. Ph. D.
Next: Are all trans fats bad for you? No! Trans oleic acid the major fatty acid found in olive and macadamia nut oils— slash the risk of heart related deaths while trans linoleic acid, the omega six fatty acid commonly found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils— nearly doubles the risk from heart disease. Watch for more...