clear oils versus solid fats

Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature. Oils come from many different plants and common varieties include:

• Canola oil
• Corn oil
• Safflower oil
• Soybean oil
• Sunflower oil
• Peanut oil

Most oils are high in healthy fats: MUFAs (monounsaturated fats) and PUFAs (polyunsaturated fats), including omega 3 fatty acids, and low in saturated fats. Consuming oil is important for the skin, digestive system, connective tissues, hormones and the nervous system, but remember that oils are a very concentrated source of calories!

Just one teaspoon of oil provides about 40 calories or 5 grams of fat, so the amount of oil consumed needs to be limited to balance total calorie intake.

Did you know? There's actually a canola plant.
The canola plant was developed by natural crossbreeding from the rapeseed plant. Misinformation about the safety of canola oil may stem from the fact that, years ago, oil was produced directly from the rapeseed plant. Rapeseed oil contains very high levels of erucic acid, a compound that, in large amounts, can be toxic to humans. Canola oil is produced from canola plants, not rapeseed plants. Canola plants have very low levels of erucic acid.

Canola oil is generally recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration. In fact, canola oil is very low in saturated fat and has a very high proportion of monounsaturated fat, so it's a healthy and safe choice when it comes to oils.