Is Canola Oil Healthy For You?

The canola plant, crossbred from the rapeseed plant, was first developed in Canada. Uses for the canola plant include food for animals, vegetable oil for cooking and biodiesel production, according to Biotechnology Online. Canola oil, similar to olive oil, contains mainly the two healthier types of fats -- monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Nutrtional Information

Canola oil contains 100 percent of its calories from fat. A single tablespoon of canola oil contains 124 calories. Of those 124 fat calories, 1.031 g is from saturated fat, 8.9 g are from monounsaturated fat and 3.94 g are from polyunsaturated fat. The remaining fat grams are trace amounts of trans and trans-monoenoic fats. Canola oil is a good source of vitamin E -- a serving has 2.44 mg. The Institute of Medicine recommends adults have 15 mg daily of vitamin E. Canola oil also has 10 mcg of vitamin K, essential for your body's blood-clotting ability.

Uses

Compared to butter, which has almost 8 g of saturated fat per tablespoon, and smaller amounts of healthier monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, canola oil is a better choice for sauteing vegetables or for use in baking breads or bran muffins. When sauteing with canola oil, use the least amount of oil possible to conserve calories and fat. If a recipe calls for melted shortening, you can often substitute canola oil. If you prefer canola to stronger-flavored olive oil, make a mild-flavored homemade salad dressing with canola oil and spices of your choice.

Benefits and Safety

Substituting canola, olive oil or olive oil spread for margarine in cooking may help lower your risk of coronary heart disease, decrease your blood pressure levels and improve your low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and total cholesterol levels, according to a February 2008 study published in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." In recent years, public concerns arose that canola oil had unhealthy levels of erucic acids, a type of fatty acid potentially toxic to humans. However, MayoClinic.com explains that the type and breed of plant used for canola oil in the human diet does not contain dangerous levels of these acids.

Considerations

Even with the beneficial fatty acids in canola oil, the American Heart Association advises limiting your fat intake to a maximum of 35 percent of your daily total calories. Too much fat in your diet can lead to difficulty in weight management because fat has two and a half times more calories than protein and carbohydrates. When purchasing processed foods such as crackers or chips, read the ingredient list and choose foods with canola oil over those with trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils.