7 Reasons Why Canola Oil Is Bad For Keto Diet

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There is a vast amount of cooking oils available at your disposal. If you’re following a keto lifestyle, you’ll quickly learn just how important oils are. That’s because certain oils are full of healthy fats that boost your energy, protect your organs, decrease your chances of heart disease, all the while keeping you in ketosis.

You’ll quickly learn, however, that not all oils are created equally. You’ll want to choose oils like sesame, avocado, coconut, and extra virgin olive oil because they are high in healthy monounsaturated fats. Grass-fed butter is also a great choice for cooking with.

You’ll want to stay away from oils like corn, grapeseed, peanut, soybean, and canola oil. Perhaps one of the most popular and most affordable oils out there, however, is canola oil. It can be tempting to pick up a large container of it because of its cost.

Here are 7 reasons why canola oil is not keto-friendly.

#1 Canola Oil Can Cause Inflammation

Canola oils have been known to cause inflammation. That’s because the oil contains more omega-6s than omega-3s. When you’re on a keto diet, you want your body to have a healthy balance of both so that your body isn’t producing pro-inflammatory chemicals.

Too much omega-6s can also raise your blood pressure and lead to blood clots and a whole slew of other problems. It’s important to find the balance of these essential fatty acids because chronic inflammation can also lead to serious diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

The reason why it’s important to pay attention to this while on a keto-diet is because you will be eating and cooking with a lot of oils. Stay away from processed oils because it’s harder for your body to adapt to the high amounts of omega-6.

#2 Canola Oil is a Genetically Modified Food

Many people following a keto lifestyle try and stay away from genetically modified foods. Canola oil has been genetically engineered to be more resistant to pests and herbicides.

Although, there’s been much debate on whether or not GMO’s are safe, those who are following a keto lifestyle rightfully have their concerns. Canola oil, which has been genetically engineered, can cause a hormone disruption and even lead to soy allergies.

There are plenty of other healthier options when choosing oil to cook with while on keto.

#3 Canola Oil and Trans Fat

Most canola oil is partially hydrogenated. That creates trans-fat in the final product that you pull off grocery store shelves. Those trans-fats are known to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol.

When on a keto diet, your diet should be approximately 70% healthy fats. You’ll want to avoid trans-fat that’s not found in natural products like cheese and butter.

Canola Oil can also contain synthetic trans-fat, and you should avoid that or consume a very minimal amount.

Flaxseed and olive oil are good alternatives for those on a keto diet because they contain large amounts of unsaturated fats.

#4 Lacks the Health Benefits of Other Oils

Many people who follow a keto lifestyle are doing so because they want to get healthier and better their quality of life.Therefore, there’s no reason to consume canola oil.

It does not offer the same health benefits that you would get from other oils like olive and coconut.

Olive oil and avocado oil are better choices if you’re following a keto lifestyle because they are rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants.

When you’re on the keto diet, you’ll want to consume healthy fats in order to help you lose weight. Olive oil is one of the oils which research has not linked to an increase in weight.

#5 Canola Oil Oxidizes Easily

Canola Oil can form toxic compounds when it oxidizes, and therefore it shouldn’t be used for cooking. That’s because the toxic compounds can be absorbed into your food.

The toxic compounds have been known to cause certain degenerative illnesses. Some oils, like canola oil, are known to produce those toxic substances at a higher rate than other oils.

Extra virgin olive oil is a better choice on the keto diet because it takes longer to produce those compounds and they produce at a lower concentration.

#6 Canola Oil Linked to Increase in Cellulite

When following a keto lifestyle, you do so because you want to look and feel your best. Certain foods will not sit well and you’ll realize which ones have an adverse effect on your body.

Keto is a diet change that has you learning what makes you feel good and what makes you feel sluggish, sick, and groggy. Canola oil is one of those foods that have been known to have adverse effects on a person’s body.

There have been studies which show that consuming too much of this type of oil can lead to cellulite. That’s because frequent consumption of vegetable oils can lead to the collage structure being broken down which is what causes cellulite.

Conclusion

There has been a lot of confusion regarding what oils are acceptable on a keto diet. Some people are all for canola oil whereas others swear it off for good.

One of the main things it boils down to is whether or not you’re doing lazy keto or clean keto. If you’re doing clean keto, then you should opt for the healthier oils like avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil.

Canola oil contains highly processed fats thanks to the process by which the oil is extracted. That can lead to inflammation in the body and diseases in the long run.

When people follow a keto diet, they want to make cleaner choices. Canola oil isn’t naturally occurring. Instead, it’s a genetically modified version of rapeseed oil.

If you’re following the keto diet, there are better choices out there for your daily cooking that will give you the healthy fats that your body needs.