Question regarding safflower, canola and flaxseed oil

(German Ketonian) #1

Hi everyone,

I know, the usual guideline is that plant oils are to be avoided, because they have a poor Omega 6 to 3 ratio and are chemically extracted (hydrogenated). I have three question regarding two possible exceptions:

  1. Phinney talks about safflower oil being kind of ok-ish. How is this warranted?

  2. I hear bad things about canola oil. However, from what I understand there are differences between canola and rapeseed oil. Also, it seems that the Omega 6 to 3 ration isn’t that bad, is it? It’s roughly 2:1, which not optimal, but you get a decent amount of Omega 3, despite also absorbing some inflammatory Omega 6.

  3. What about flaxseed oil? It has huge amounts of Omega 3, in relation to virtually no Omega 6. Is this then a healthy exception in the plant oil regime?

Thanks!

Simon

(Bunny) #2

Some other highlights to consider about oils (depending on type):

  1. Virgin
  1. Extra Virgin
  1. Processing Methods; Thermal (heat treated) Cold Pressed, Chemical Extraction etc…
  1. Rancidness (oxidation) to Freshness Ratio (how long has it been sitting around)? (e.g. breaking vitamin E caplets into it to keep it from going rancid)
  1. Outsourcing Omega 3’s e.g. Virgin Cod Liver Oil and Krill Oil (DHA specific to marine life) etc. not exposed to heat or light? And possibly Seaweed?
(German Ketonian) #3

Um, sorry to be obtuse here, but how does your post relate to my questions?

(Bunny) #4

Differences in types of Omega 3’s you are considering as beneficial? And educational purposes of other readers on the subject in question! :slightly_smiling_face:

e.g. the omega 3’s you get from flax seeds (plants) are not the same as you get from marine life!

(Doug) #5

Zimon, safflower oil - personally, I would stay away from it. Sometimes it’s extracted with heat and chemicals. Other times it’s “cold pressed” and that’s better, but I don’t need more oil.

Canola was developed from rapeseed plants to eliminate erucic acid and glucosinolates which are found in rapeseed oil. Canada and China produce the most, and in Canada most of the plants have been genetically modified to resist certain herbicides (not sure about China). It’s a cheap, highly-processed oil, and heat does bad things to it.

Flaxseed oil - not too bad, just don’t heat it too much.

Fats
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(German Ketonian) #6

Alright, thanks @OldDoug. I was just wondering, because I think we in Germany only have “regular” rapeseed oil, not canola and I wondered, whether that made processed stuff like Mayo a bit better.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

“Canola” stands for “Canada oil, low acid,” according to my dictionary. It was developed to be low in erucic acid.

I don’t know what is considered a good ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, but I do know that they compete for utilization by the body. Too much of one will crowd out the other, and we do need some of both.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #8

Re: Flax Omega 3 FAs: Flax oil has ALA, but not DHA or EPA. The Omega-3 ALA is classed an essential fatty acid, as your body can make DHA and EPA (the actual essential fatty acids) from ALA, but the conversion rate ranges from poor (30%) to nigh nonexistent (1%). Women convert better than men, but even then, 30% at the high end for EPA and 9% at the high end for DHA.

Also, it degrades if heat even gets in the same room.

If you have bought some flax oil, do not fret… there is a perfectly awesome use for it:

It’s a fricking magic coating. Butter will not stick enough to my cast iron to coat the bottom for cooking…