10 Healthiest Benefits of Canola Oil for Hair & Cooking

What is the Healthiest Oil to Cook With?

If you are into cooking, most probably you have heard of canola oil before. More precisely if you read cooking recipes, blogs, cooking books of authors based in the U.K. but if you are from another country or the USA, there are slight chances of you, heard canola oil before. Why is that? Well, it all narrows down to the nomenclature. You may have been using this oil in your recipes and everyday use, or you have been purchasing it every time you step in the grocery store because in the USA canola oil is mostly known as “the Canola oil”. First things first, we will discuss the reason behind these whole different names in different regions of the same substance and why is that? Well, there are two types of canola oil, one is much deliberately used in the mechanical and chemical industries, hence pronounced as industrial canola oil. This oil is used to produce engine lubricants and biodiesels while the other one is used in all these cooking purposes. Since it is used for culinary purposes hence, called culinary canola oil. But these two types are not similar to each other. Rather, both are easily distinguishable from each other. Both of these oils are extracted from rapeseed plants but both from different plant varieties. It used in industries and for mechanical work has a difference in their composition, the one is known as industrial canola oil is rich in erucic acid (around 30 tob60 per cent). So, what are the consequences? This oil is dangerous to your health if consumed in more than enough amounts. Many pieces of research link industrial canola oil with a bunch of heart issues in animals. Why is it used in industries? Well, this oil is a perfect fit for industries because it has some really good properties, those are not appreciated for your health. This oil is incredibly heating stable. Industrial canola oil can be used as a lubricant and without burning with the heat from machines. Now the other type we have is culinary canola oil. This plant was developed in the 1970s, and the noticeable property of this plant was its much lower levels of erucic acid and relatively high levels of oleic acid. This plant was produced by crossbreeding and not with genetic engineering. The levels of erucic acid are low as much as less than 2 per cent. And this was the reason for renaming this plant as Canola oil (which is similar to"Canada oil", as an honour for the country which grows much of rapeseed plants.). It is considered to be a good move though. This oil is extracted from the seeds of the rapeseed plant either from the cold pressor refined oil both of these contain most of the original oil nutrients that can help in your everyday life. This rapeseed plant blooms in summer, in bright golden yellow colour. Its oil is known as rapeseed oil and canola oil, as I have already mentioned above. If you are willing to know some essential benefits, qualities, and usage of this oil you have to read the whole article and you will come across some keen benefits, which will help you in your daily life one way or another.

Nutritional Analysis:

Since rapeseed oil is pure oil, it does not have any protein or carbohydrate in its composition. However, it is a rich source of healthy fats and fat-based vitamins. Nutrients, calories, and macros you will get from rapeseed oil are, as you follow below, these are some essential nutrients that are necessary for the proper development of your body.

• Calories: 124
• Total lipids: 14 grams
• Saturated lipid: 1 gram
• Monounsaturated lipids: 9 grams
• Polyunsaturated lipids: 4 grams
• Vitamin E: 16 per cent of daily intake
• Vitamin K: 8 per cent of daily intake

It contains a great amount of vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant that can benefit your skin and eye in multiple ways. Plus it can be used to naturally give your heart better health due to the presence of low saturated fat and high unsaturated fat. More specifically, rapeseed oil contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is omega-3 fat. Alpha-linolenic acid is an essential lipid that when digested, converts into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in your body. These fatty acids when present in your body will increase the longevity of your heart and other health benefits such as smooth blood flow. It is rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which is essential for your body's support and health but only if these are consumed in moderate amounts. However, if you consume omega-6 fatty acids greater than the required amount it may lead to multiple disorders such as inflammation and strokes. Certainly, rapeseed oil has both Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids in a proportion of 1:2, which is supposed to be a perfect fit for two fats, by experts. Most experts consider 1:4 ratio or less than this, as an ideal ratio for your overall good health. This makes rapeseed oil best for you. When it comes to blood cholesterol there are mixed views. However, according to the latest analysis of multiple studies, people consuming canola oil or Canola oil resulted in lower levels of low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol of your body, giving a slight increase in high-density lipoproteins. In this way, it can also protect you from multiple heart disorders.

Benefits of Canola Oil:

Although there is some controversy on the benefits of rapeseed oil due to its composition and a whole lot of vitamin E, K and, fatty acids, it also has some important benefits which you should know, to have the best outcomes from this natural oil. The following are some benefits of canola oil.

1. For your Skin Care
2. For your Hair Care
3. Reduce your Bad Cholesterols
4. Downsides of Rapeseed Oil
5. Genetically Modified Plants
6. Highly Processed Rapeseed Oil
7. Rapeseed oil has a higher Smoke Point hence, Good Cooking Option

1. For your Skin Care:

Your skin is the biggest organ and it surrounds your whole body. It acts as a barrier between you and these harmful foreign particles that can be fatal. And I am pretty much sure you are not willing to cause any slight damage to this important organ of yours. How can you do that? Well, no doubt there is not much human research on this specific topic but there are quite a few studies that prove rapeseed oil to be your ally in this fight. Due to the presence of this vitamin E and K, rapeseed oil can give your skin the necessary required nutrients to polish your epithelial cells which will help in the regeneration of our tissues rapidly. Vitamin E will also function as a potent antioxidant in your body that will certainly prevent your body from injuries caused by free radicals. This oil builds a protection layer around your skin which protects you from ultraviolet radiation. In addition to all these aspects, canola oil contains omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, which helps your skin in absorbing proper nutrients. This oil will tighten up your skin and give you that smooth, pretty glow. So, all you have to do is make this oil in your daily regimen and topically apply it on your skin regularly.

Precautions:

No doubt studies prove rapeseed oil as an essential potion for your skin but there could be some issues as well if not monitored. It is better to do a patch test before counting rapeseed oil in your daily regimen. Place a few drops on your skin and cover it with some cloth, let it stay put and observe after twenty fours hours at least, look for any redness or itching. You might have an allergic reaction if your body shows hypersensitivity towards canola oil. If you are allergic do not try to use rapeseed oil because it will only harm and no benefits could be achieved. It is advised to consult your medical expert before you put rapeseed oil into your everyday routine.

2. For your Hair Care:

Your hair plays an important role in your personality. And yeah, no one is willing to let any harm to them. Say what if you have that bald head? It will let you lose your confidence and it might put your career in a hassle. So, what can you do about it? I am here for you to guide out of this hassle. This oil is one miracle substance that can get you out of it. Its composition is the one you should be thankful to. It contains vitamin E and vitamin K which nourishes your scalp and promotes your hair growth. These vitamins which are present in canola oil enhance your hair's body. In addition to the above-mentioned facts, it contains these omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids, which retains moisture in your skin and helps you in eliminating that ugly dandruff over your shoulders. These fatty acids also develop your scalp by giving them proper nutrient absorption. You can use it regularly for your hair development. Last but not least, rapeseed oil covers your scalp and protects your hair from UV radiation damage and some other hair issues such as alopecia and hair fall. So, all you need to do is pen down this oil in your shopping list and use it quite often, if you want to end these struggling days and willing to get your confidence back.

Precautions:

No doubt there are benefits for your hair in this oil, but for some people, it can go reverse. How, right? If this canola oil shows an allergic reaction towards your body, you can do nothing about that. Your body is not going to accept it and all you can do is to avoid it at the maximum level. Because it will never work for you. So, it is better to do a patch test before adding this oil in your proper regimen. You can do a patch test before to check how your body reacts to this oil. You have to put a few drops on your scalp and let it rest for twenty-four hours if you observe any sort of itching and redness. I am sorry to say but rapeseed oil is not a good choice for you. It is always better to consult your medical expert before adding any substance in your use.

Is Canola Oil Good for You, or Bad?

Since your medical expert knows your body and whole physiology behind your body, better than most people do. So, it is never good to go with a quack’s advice, always consult your doctor first.

3. Rapeseed Oil has a Higher Smoke Point hence, Good Cooking Option:

Everyone has to cook food for themselves and their family members and I am pretty sure that you want it to be in the most healthy manner possible. Your body needs clean and hygienic food. So, it is better to cook food healthily and suitably possible. Well, this I can help you with. According to experts, canola oil is one favourable substance you can opt for. This oil works like a miracle when it comes to cooking. This oil is heat stable, which means you can cook your food at high temperatures because of the smoke point rapeseed oil has. This means you can cook your food around 400°F (204°C), this is the temperature at which your oil will start to give smoke. At this temperature, the lipid molecules present in your oil starts to break down giving your oil some harmful substances. Don’t you think 400°F (204°C) is enough temperature to cook your food? Like you can cook most of your food at this temperature. Right? The smoke point is the quality of your on which you can distinguish oils for your culinary purposes. The higher the smoke point the better quality cooking oil it is. This is also the same factor on which one can decide how refined oil is. More refined oils have higher smoke points. Since rapeseed oil has a higher smoke point than most other oils you see in the market. It means it is highly refined and those free fatty acids and most of the impurities have been removed from this oil, making it the best fit for cooking

4. Rapeseed Oil might Reduce your Bad Cholesterols:

Cholesterol is a necessary evil for your body. It is the one substance that neither you can do good with its excess nor with its absence. The more devastating this compound is, even more, essential it is for your normal functioning. Hence you can say that you always have to maintain a normal balance for your cholesterol. And what if I tell you it is quite easy and simple to do so? This wonder potion can save you and it is known as rapeseed oil. Never thought it would be easy, right? Well, this substance has a perfect balance of some important nutrients which help your body to maintain its cholesterol levels. The presence of vitamin E and K help in your blood flow throughout your body. Plus the fatty acids that are present in rapeseed oil such as omega-3 and omega-6 are found to maintain your cholesterol levels significantly. According to multiple studies, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids are found to reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterols significantly and there are slightly inclined results seen in high-density lipoproteins (HDL) or good cholesterols. This helps in preventing your heart out from any disorders plus giving your body a spike in immunity. So, if you were also tired of fighting this cholesterol now your hard days are going to an end. This oil is on our side and you do not have to worry about increased or decreased cholesterol levels anymore. Make sure to keep rapeseed oil in your shopping basket whenever you get out for shopping. Do not forget to use it gradually in your everyday routine and consult your medical expert before adding it to your regimen.

5. Downsides of Rapeseed Oil:

As I have mentioned above there are numerous benefits of this natural, wonder drug but incomplete knowledge is always disastrous. So, I will brief you with complete knowledge behind this oil. There are some drawbacks as well when it comes to the rapeseed oil. And these downsides are, as you may follow below.

6. Genetically Modified Plants:

Initial harvesting of culinary rapeseed plants was performed organically and naturally by cross-breeding. But later on, these culinary rapeseed plants were produced genetically instead of cross-breeding. Which no doubt gave some edge as well. With the manipulation of genes, rapeseed plants became pest resistant, which helped in less destruction of plants, more favourable plant growth, and larger yields. This resulted in larger profits at affordable prices due to fewer wastes. Without any doubt this gave benefit but there is controversy on this. Some experts believe these genetically modified organisms are prone to pests which make them cause particular allergies, antibiotic resistance, cancer, and other health issues. There are cultures and religions which also abide by genetically modified food as well, they consider it an unnatural way of food. However, most studies show that these genetically modified foods are safe to consume and they do not cause any harmful or adverse effects on your health. Although these genetically modified foods are produced with new technologies and new methods. To say anything about these genetically modified foods there is more research and proofs are needed. Despite all these, if you want to stay away from genetically modified foods, you are always free to go with 100 per cent organic food, found in your grocery stores, all you have to do is to go for canola oil certified organic from united states department of agriculture (USDA) or look for genetically modified organism free (GMO-free) label endorsed on it.

7. Highly Processed Rapeseed Oil:

Every oil produced in industries is for sure highly processed, and this oil does not have any exception as well. There is a chemical component that is used to clean the oil. This component is called hexane and after cleaning this oil it is passed in a water filtration process. Which removes free fatty acids and other waste particles. Although it does not seem to be the worst process, it has been observed that after high processing, vitamin E levels are decreased and so does free fatty acids, which may decrease rapeseed oil’s health benefits. Processed oils tend to have more omega-6 fatty acids, and higher consumption of these fatty acids tends to have high risks of inflammation in your body. If you are willing to avoid high processed canola oil you can always go for cold-pressed rapeseed oil. With cold-pressed rapeseed oil, you can have most of the necessary nutrients but this version is not easily available on grocery stores but you can always get it online.

How to use Rapeseed Oil?

This oil has a bunch of benefits in your everyday life, a few of them we have discussed above but how can you use this oil to get wondrous benefits. Well, all you need is to be regular. Buy this oil from your grocery store.

• you can most probably cook your food in it.
• You can also apply a few drops topically on your body or hair and massage it thoroughly

Just wait to see the wonders. This oil will benefit you in every way possible and you would be pleased. In the end, I am sure you will be surprised by this wonderful substance. These benefits will force you to put it in your shopping basket and use it gradually in cooking and your everyday life. By learning these benefits, I am sure you would be benefitted one way or another. I hope these facts will always help you in every struggle you face. Just stick to canola oil and let it do wonders in your life.