Why is Canola Oil better than Olive Oil?

Some product promotions conceal more facts than they reveal and it is always better to understand your diet science to a healthy lifestyle. Olive oil has always been promoted as the healthier oil but you need to delve deeper, to grasp the result yourselves. Next, we should always apply this knowledge to see whether Olive Oil is actually suitable to Indian cooking.

First and foremost, Olive Oil has 14% Saturated Fats which raise LDL (Bad Cholesterol) while Canola oil has only 7%, probably the lowest amongst all cooking oils. Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D., President of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute & Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California San Fransisco says “Studies comparing the effects of canola oil versus olive oil show that canola oil consumption results in lower LDL cholesterol levels. This is not surprising, since olive oil contains approximately 14% saturated fat, whereas canola oil has much less. It’s clear that olive oil is a healthier fat than                                                                        many others, but not as healthful as                                                                            canola oil”.

Next, Olive Oil has only 1% Omega-3 essential for reducing risk of most coronary heart diseases, brain development/problems, inflammation etc. while Canola Oil has 11% Omega-3 which is significantly the highest amongst all common cooking oils. And Dr Ornis says “Canola Oil definitely the better because canola oil has significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, whereas, olive oil does not. The omega-3 fatty acids are truly good fats for most people. They have extraordinary health benefits.”

After this comes the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 which health policy planners, nutritionists and dieticians ideally desire to be 1:2. Although olive oil has the reputation of being “good for you,” it has 13 times the amount of harmful omega-6 fatty acids as beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Canola oil on the other hand has a perfect ratio of 2 times Omega-6s to Omega-3s. Unfortunately, the ratio in the average Indian diet (and now that of much of the rest of the world) is between 20 to 1, which means most Indians are consuming way more of the omega-6 fatty acids than the omega-3 fatty acids. While the omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation, the omega-6 fatty acids increase it if you consume too much of them. Inflammation increases the risk of coronary heart disease and other chronic illnesses. So, Dr Ornis says “So, to improve your ratio, consume more canola oil or fish oil (which contain omega-3 fatty acids) and less olive oil”.

Then finally the important point whether Olive Oil can suit Indian cooking that is generally done in high heat? Olive Oil has a much lower smoking point below 200 o C while Canola can withstand heat upto 240 o C. Most of the Indian cooking happens above 210 o C. If you cook oil at a higher heat than its smoke point, it can cause free radicals to form, which are a cause of cancer and other diseases.

We have found that the market in Punjab, Delhi and northern states find ardent users of both Olive Oil and Canola Oil. Speaking to India’s largest selling Jivo Canola Oil, we learnt that Canola is much lesser priced to Olive Oil. That finally seals this argument and as Jivo’s punchline says “Ab dar hatao, jum ke khao”.