With fitness craze taking over the whole world, everyone is looking for healthier replacements for their current dietary habits. Canola oil is one of the considered replacements for your regular refined oil. In this article, we give you all the benefits of this oil. But before that let us brief you little about not very popular replacement.
Canola oil is retrieved from the crushed seeds of the Canola plant, which is a part of the Brassica family. Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are also part of the same family of plants. Canola plants grow between three to six feet, producing fragrant, pretty, bright yellow flowers. Seeds from mature Canola plants are crushed to extract the oil which is then refined, bottled and sold as oil for external use as well as consumption.
The oil from the Canola plant is extremely beneficial for health as it contains the least amount of saturated fat and no trans-fat or cholesterol, making it the healthiest cooking oil among its peers. Canola oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, reducing the risk of coronary disease and a rich source of omega-6 fatty acid, essential for growth and development of the brain in individuals. It is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid that protects the body against strokes and heart attacks. Clinical trials and studies reveal that consuming Canola oil instead of other cooking oils impacts the body favourably and offer the individual significant health improvements and increased metabolism.
Canola oil is fast emerging as one of the healthiest options among oils, along with olive oil. Now let us take a look at the most well known canola oil health benefits.
Canola oil contains omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, making it the healthiest cooking oil. It is also low in saturated fats, just like the olive oil.
Canola oil has the highest level of the plant sterols, mainly – beta sterol and campesterol. Studies have shown that food containing high concentration of sterols reduce the risk of various heart diseases.
Plant sterol inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the body, thus reducing the level by 10-15%. It is rich in mono-unsaturated fats (MUFA), which reduces LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases good cholesterol (HDL). Therefore canola oil stimulates healthy lipid profile.
Joint tenderness and stiffness can be reduced by canola oil. It is also helpful for people suffering from inflammation due to chronic arthritis. Canola oil also reduces the inflammation due to asthma and bowel disorders.
Canola oil is rich in vitamin E and K, which helps to eradicate skin problems like wrinkles, fine lines, acne, blemishes etc. It is used as a base in many skin creams and lotions as it makes the skin supple and glowing.
[Read:Olive Oil Vs Canola Oil]
Besides being good for consumption, Canola oil is excellent for skin and has long been used as a remedy for skin ailments.
Rich in Vitamins E and K, the oil reduces skin afflictions and ageing signs like acne, fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes and spots.
Canola oil contains a good amount of anti-oxidant vitamin E, which is a powerful lipid soluble anti oxidant. It protects the skin from oxygen free radicals, thus making it soft and nourished, giving a youthful appearance. One teaspoon of canola oil contains about 15% of the daily recommended value of vitamin E.
Canola oil is a healthy and an inexpensive alternative to olive oil. The fatty acids content in it helps to soothe and nurture dry skin. Mix canola oil with a few drops of your favourite essential oil and use it as body oil. This will help moisturize dry and flaky skin effectively.
Consumers can apply Canola oil available in grocery stores directly onto the skin to work as a moisturizer for dry skin. Those uncomfortable with the odour of the oil can add a few drops of essential oil like lavender or rose oil to the required quantity of Canola oil for a fragrant application on the skin. A common method to apply the oil is to store it in a spray bottle and spray over the skin after a warm shower.
The fatty acids in Canola soothe dry and irritated skin, and nourish it to reveal soft, smooth and healthy skin all over the body. As with facial oil, add a few drops of essential lavender oil to a tablespoon of Canola oil and apply to the entire body after a warm bath. Skin infections like cracked skin especially on the heels, alligator skin, eczema, acne and blemishes can effectively be treated with Canola oil. Research and scientific studies indicate the Lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the skin and joints of the body are steadily destroyed by the body’s immune system, can be treated by a combination of fish and canola oil. This study is still currently in its infancy but the results indicate enormous potential.
[Read:Canola Oil Brands In India]
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