LightSeeker, I agree with you that these concerns have been raised about canola oil, and the reason I say I don't care if anyone uses it or not is that nobody has to use it to survive or be healthy. I say the same about soy, which you claim I've made some controversial comments about but my argument with Gymdandee has been simple: it's a valuable non-animal food source that billions of people live on and show none of the harms claimed for it. Because it's such as valuable foodstuff, to tell people not to use it has consequences that are severe, but as with canola oil, nobody has to eat it to be healthy or to survive unless you live in the most populous areas of Asia where it's a staple affordable food. Things you see in small lab studies that don't appear in the real world need to be seen as informative but not having yet proved anything. As for canola oil, many foods need to be used very carefully to avoid harm -- that doesn't make them not natural. Nettles have to be carefully prepared so as not to cause cuts to both your insides and your outsides, but if you do it's quite healthful. Many mushrooms are only safe if you know how to properly gather and prepare them but are toxic if you don't. Pork and shellfish are unsafe if you don't use them carefully but aren't if you do. People have learned how to do this, but the fact you use some of the plant and not other parts doesn't make it not natural. As for oxidation, using high-oleic canola oil is actually one of the best high-heat cooking oils available for avoiding carcinogens; as for oxidation, that occurs in many foods upon cooking, but that doesn't cause harm, it just destroys nutrients in most cases. Flax oil, for example, is well known to only be beneficial if consumed uncooked and kept under refrigeration. Right now raw kale is a fad in the US, but raw kale is extremely hard to digest and not the best way to eat it. The only way to eat it raw is to juice it, and that's not really raw anymore, is it? But it's close. So far, you haven't convinced me, but if out of this we've convinced others to do some homework before they believe what they see on the internet we've done some good. As for what Gym said about fluoride, the biggest problem with it is putting it in the water supply, because that's supreme overkill and it's a potent immune system suppressant. But it does harden and protect teeth. And it does weaken bones, especially in the special products made for people with osteoporosis. Again, too much marketing and overselling. The lesson out there is, be careful out there, folks, but at some point you gotta do something.
Natural rapeseed oil contains large amounts of erucic acid, which is known to cause health problems.
The rape seed has been modified to separate the part of the seed containing larger amounts of the toxic eruric acid retain the part which produces the so-called canola (a made-up term for commercial purposes, in an attempt to avoid controversy) with less toxicity and more oleic acid content.
I fail to see your point of view: "Now, I don't care if you don't use canola oil, but it is a real plant -- it's the rapeseed plant". Really?
How is canola oil natural? What am I missing here?
And BTW, here's some info from the Mfg of Melt Organic
Canola Oil products (sourced from Netherlands to avoid GMO contamination):
"Oils high in Omega 6s and Omega 3s like CANOLA, soy, safflower, and flax should be avoided for cooking purposes as well as foods fried using these oils (e.g., potato chips, corn chips, fries) because polyunsaturated fats are prone to oxidation, polymerization, and cross-bonding. Oxidized oils are carcinogenic and should be avoided".
My suggestion: simply avoid Canola Oil
And as far as environmental impact, the coconut industry is not nearly as damaging compared to red palm oil,
however, this is up to the consumer to make the right choices.
I purchase Klassic Coconut products which are imported from the Peter Paul Phillipines Corporation, which has the following certifications:
Certified Organic
EU Regulations 834/2007 and 889/2008;
USDA National Organic Program
Bio Suisse
Certified Fair Trade
ECOCERT Fair Trade Standards
Cheers,
Niko
Ask me!
I had severe periodontitis and had major work done in my gums with ongoing issues even after all that!
Apparently, I have a genetic predisposition for excessive deposition of plaque and tartar, regardless of all the precautions and dental care.
When I started oil pulling, I experimented with various oils, but my real breakthrough came when I tried coconut oil for a week.
It is the only oil which is anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-viral anti-parasitic and VERY absorbable.
The lauric acid in the coconut oil reacts with sodium hydroxide in saliva during oil pulling to form sodium laureate, the main constituent of soap which explains the superior cleansing results and decreased plaque accumulation.
Every single person that I know who has switched to coconut oil for oil pulling, has shared similar experiences.
The only reason sesame oil has been heavily promoted, is because it was traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine, since it was more in abundance than other oils in India.
Cheers,
Niko
Oil pulling was probably done more with sesame oil than coconut oil -- coconut oil is very popular these days for nearly everything but there's no evidence that it works for much. Oil pulling was popular before the invention of the toothbrush. There are actual anti-bacterial agents you can use, such as iodine or myrrh or grapefruit seed extract, but if your teeth are truly bad and in pain you probably want to at least get them healthy first by using standard dental treatments recommended by dentists before moving over to the natural route. I followed the natural route with my homeopathic dentist for years and now, in my 60s, I've lost four teeth, have nine root canals, and still counting. Kinda wish I'd done it differently in some ways, but dental products recommended by dentists have their downside as well -- fluoride works but can cause other problems if used too much, and pharmaceutical products usually downplay their downsides. The main thing is diet and flossing and brushing regularly. But some people just have bad teeth and there's really no telling why sometimes -- I'm the only one in my family with bad teeth, and they were always bad even though we all ate the same things and did the same things when I was young. In your case, since you had good teeth before neglect, I'm guessing using strong dental products for awhile until they're healthy is best. Then, you can try natural products, which use a host of different substances and are quite different from one another. I'm very biased toward the natural, because pharmaceutical products have so many hidden costs, but in the case of my teeth it certainly didn't work out.
"Oil Pulling" using 1 teaspoon organic coconut oil, 1st thing each morning.
This entails swishing vigorously for about 20 minutes and then spitting it out and rinsing real good, to rid billions of toxic molecules and harmful bacteria, instead of them gradually seeping into your body & eventually causing infections and additional damage.
The coconut oil is able to enter the tiny dental tubules and
attack the bacteria which may be hiding there.
This is all natural, safe and inexpensive, but most importantly it is very effective.
I have been doing this daily for years and my oral hygiene and dental health is excellent!
There's no better remedy than oil pulling, which dates back thousands of years, as it was used in Ayurvedic medicine.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Niko