Canola Oil

hazeleyez682 · March 18, 2011

Hey everyone! I am so confused about canola oil! When I was first diagnosed a fellow celiac I know said to stay away from it, but while ingredient reading I noticed almost ALL of my gluten-free items made by gluten-free companies contained canola oil. Then I made gluten-free brownies from a King Arthur mix using canola oil and got super sick the next day? What gives?? Nothing i have read says it's a gluten containing oil, but for some reason it bothers me? Any ideas?

psawyer · March 18, 2011

Canola oil is gluten-free. I can't think of an oil used in food that isn't. Wheat germ oil is debatable, but it shows up in cosmetics and hair care products--I have never seen it in a food.

Canola is a product of selective breeding of rapeseed to produce an oil lower in erucic acid. The levels of erucic acid in ordinary rapeseed can be harmful to humans.

You may be having a reaction to even to low levels of erucic acid found in canola oil. I use it in cooking with no problems.

Kelly777 · March 18, 2011

If you look up Canola oil poisoning online it will take you to the EPA site for pesticides. True. It is rapeseed and it is a pesticide. I can't stand the stuff and I don't know why all these health food places have it in their food but they won't sell Splenda products because it is considered a string of a pesticide. Everything has it in it though and like you it makes me ill and it should. You might as well swallow a can of Raid. I use the good oils like sunflower, safflower, corn or olive but steer clear of canola. It must be dirt cheap because everyone uses it in their products. The other thing is I was using Rice Dream instead of milk in recipes and read up on it online. It is filtered with barley. True. And they put gluten free right smack dab on the box but when you go online to their site it says the product has 0.02 percent gluten. I don't know about you but when an amount the size of a pin head can cause damage and health problems I would assume that 0.02 percent gluten would too. I am much better since I switched to Almond milk even though I really don't like it as well as I did the Rice milk but I'll get used to it just like everything else with this disease.

psawyer · March 18, 2011

Kelly777, can you provide the link to where Rice Dream say that there is .02% gluten, please. That would be 200 parts per million (ppm) and it was my belief that they tested to less than 20 ppm (.002%). I looked for it on their web site, but did not find it.

As to canola, you may be exceptionally sensitive to erucic acid. As is the case with many things in life, it is not black and white. As an example, iodine is toxic in large doses, but is an essential nutrient for proper functioning of the thyroid. Too much sodium can cause life-threatening hypertension (high blood pressure), but your body needs a certain amount of sodium. Potassium, vitamin A, I could go on.

T.H. · March 18, 2011

Do you have any issues with corn? As I recall, many people with corn sensitivity tend to have trouble with canola oil - can't remember if it's cc or processing.

I'd just say, if canola oil is bothering you...just avoid that crud, yeah?

Although you could possibly see if there is a company that actually tests its oil for gluten levels - I don't think most do - and try one that is less than 20ppm, and see if that works? If you're willing to try it out.

bridgetm · March 18, 2011

I use canola oil for everything and haven't had any problem (that I know of). I'm soy free so I just stick with canola and olive, but canola is more versatile.

jerseyangel · March 18, 2011

From Rice Dream's website:

Is RICE DREAM Beverage a gluten free product?

Yes. Although RICE DREAM Beverage is processed using a barley enzyme, the barley enzyme is discarded after use. The final beverage might contain a minute residual amount (less than .002%) of barley protein.

Open Original Shared Link

Personally, I use olive oil. Extra light for most things including baking, and extra virgin for flavoring and salads, etc.

sb2178 · March 18, 2011

I'd look closer at the bronwie mix. Sometimes it's hard to deal with the new flours at first. Have you ever reacted to something that's a combination of something you eat often and canola oil? Like, broccoli sauteed in it or indian food made with it?

alfalfa sprouts cna poison you too. Many of our foods contain compounds that can poison you if you consume too much of them. Variety is key...

hazeleyez682 · March 19, 2011

Thanks Everyone for the input. The brownie mix as King Arthur gluten-free and I use several of their mixes with no problem, I really thinks it's the oil. It just seems like it's hard to avoid as it's in m gluten-free earth balance butter, and many other of my gluten-free products. I'll try to find alternatives. I don't have a corn intolerance but I guess that doesn't exactly mean I wont be intolerant to canola. I'll discuss it with my doc. Thanks again all!!

swinne · April 20, 2011

Hi.

I'm pretty new to this site. I think I may have posted once or twice. I'll try not to be too long-winded.

June of last year my hubby went on a Mediterranean diet to eat healthier & lose weight. I'm a skinny person but decided to go on the same "diet" but larger portions. Basically, it was just eating healthier. A few days into it and my throat started swelling up. We had no clue to what was causing it and for 7 weeks I was dealing with my throat, face, neck swelling. My whole body felt inflamed. I really tore my system up, I was very sick. My hubby finally figured it out when he remembered that years ago I had a topical reaction to olive oil! Olive oil of all things!! After being off of it for a few days I felt MUCH better but then I started having the same reaction to other foods....ALOT of other foods. One doctor suggested that it might be gluten as well. That's how I found this site and about celiac. I had a blood test and it came back negative but my health has improved by going gluten free so I feel I either have celiac or gluten intoleration. I have always had a lot of problems with my tummy and had to have 17 ft of my small intestine removed when I was 13.

I am struggling, however, with the multiple food reactions. Still trying to figure things out. (I've lost a lot of weight. I now weigh 105. I struggle to keep my weight up.) Anyway, I seem to react strongly to oils, olive oil & definitely canola oil and now I think butter as well. Very frustrating indeed. I am glad I found this site.

Gemini · April 20, 2011

Hi.
I'm pretty new to this site. I think I may have posted once or twice. I'll try not to be too long-winded.
June of last year my hubby went on a Mediterranean diet to eat healthier & lose weight. I'm a skinny person but decided to go on the same "diet" but larger portions. Basically, it was just eating healthier. A few days into it and my throat started swelling up. We had no clue to what was causing it and for 7 weeks I was dealing with my throat, face, neck swelling. My whole body felt inflamed. I really tore my system up, I was very sick. My hubby finally figured it out when he remembered that years ago I had a topical reaction to olive oil! Olive oil of all things!! After being off of it for a few days I felt MUCH better but then I started having the same reaction to other foods....ALOT of other foods. One doctor suggested that it might be gluten as well. That's how I found this site and about celiac. I had a blood test and it came back negative but my health has improved by going gluten free so I feel I either have celiac or gluten intoleration. I have always had a lot of problems with my tummy and had to have 17 ft of my small intestine removed when I was 13.
I am struggling, however, with the multiple food reactions. Still trying to figure things out. (I've lost a lot of weight. I now weigh 105. I struggle to keep my weight up.) Anyway, I seem to react strongly to oils, olive oil & definitely canola oil and now I think butter as well. Very frustrating indeed. I am glad I found this site.

If you have had a portion of your small intestine removed, then that would explain the problems with oils.

You may have had the portion which controls fat absorption removed, making it harder for you to digest fats.

I still have trouble digesting fats myself, even after 6 years gluten free. I use a digestive enzyme and that really helps with the problem.

swinne · April 20, 2011

If you have had a portion of your small intestine removed, then that would explain the problems with oils.
You may have had the portion which controls fat absorption removed, making it harder for you to digest fats.

I still have trouble digesting fats myself, even after 6 years gluten free. I use a digestive enzyme and that really helps with the problem.

Oh, my gosh! I never realized that different portions of your intestines handle different absorptions. I guess I never really thought about it before. What digestive enzyme do you use? I am also trying to fine some vitamins/supplements to take that are ok.

I was very sick when I was little. I had my first surgery at 17 months when a part of my small intestine turned inside out. Then I had 4 more surgeries when I was 12 & 13 ending with the removal of most of my small intestine. The doctor said that they had left 3 feet. By the time I was about 16 the doctors were amazed that it had grown to 8ft. I am 50 now and needless to say, I have had a lot of tummy troubles & health issues. I've lost track of all the doctors I've gone to and all the weird ailments. The last doctor I went to was an allergist. I don't think he really believed me about the olive oil. He said he didn't have a way to test for that and had never heard of it before. He also spoke to me like I was a child. Oh, I hate that! The doctor that has been the most helpful to me has been my acupuncturist. He's helped me with alot of issues that other doctors just want to throw pills or horrible tests at which make things worse. He was the one that suggested it might be gluten. He also suggested reading the "Gluten Connection".

Again, I am so glad I found this site!