Is Canola Oil Bad For Gout?

You’ve heard that Canola oil is healthy, right?  It’s in everything…well, everything that is in a box, bag, can, or bottle anyway. (i.e. processed foods...that cause gout) That should be our first clue about whether it’s good for you or not…and whether it might have something to do with getting gout.   But let’s take a step back.

Full Fat, Low Fat, No Fat?

What’s the deal?  When it comes to gout, should you avoid fat? (this is a trick question, answer carefully)  HELL NO!  You need fat!  From good healthy sources like butter from pasture fed cows, coconut oil, nuts and seeds like walnuts and almonds and Bazil nuts and pumpkin seeds.  Why not Canola oil?

Well, to give you some background, about 30% of our daily caloric intake should come from healthy fat sources.  It helps slow the digestive process and regulate blood sugar, and it’s needed to create healthy bile in order to make the most out of the healthy fats we eat.  Healthy fats are involved in the process of hormone production, and in turn helps the quality of those hormones and hormone communication.  And guess what?  The cell membrane of every single cell in our bodies is made out of “phospholipids”…lipids…get it?  FAT!

But when it comes to gout, the most important thing about getting your fatty acids in balance is that they have everything to do with the production of the hormone-like substance called “prostaglandins”.  Prostaglandins are responsible for how we healthfully inflame and anti-inflame.  And you and I both know, gout is ALL ABOUT inflammation, right?  So don’t for a minute think that low-fat or no-fat anything is good for gout.

So how does Canola oil fit into this conversation?

Why Is Canola Oil Bad For Gout?

Good question, thanks for asking.  There are number of different reasons (IMO) that we as gout killers should avoid Canola oil.

The first reason is, there is no “canola” plant out there that canola seeds come from.  The second is because Canola oil comes from the rapeseed plant and it is a heavily genetically engineer product.  i.e, another Frankenfood.  The third reason is because the Canadian government is allegedly involved in some sort of payoff to the US FDA to have it recognized as “GRAS” – generally recognized as safe.  That is where Canola oil gets it’s name:  Canadian Oil Low Acid.

I could go on and on but instead of reinventing the wheel, I would rather give you this link to Mike White, The Breathing Coach’s website, Breathing.com.  In his article, “Canola Oil – Danger!!!???” he does a great job on digging up the dirt on Canola oil and all the suspicions and dubious facts about.  Mike and his team will paint the picture for you about what the deal is with gout and Canola oil and why you should avoid it.

More To Come About Gout and Canola Oil

What got me started on looking further into whether Canola oil is bad for gout or not, is an email I got from a fellow gout killer.  He is absolutely sure that Canola oil is the reason he was getting gout, and when he was careful about avoiding Canola oil, the gout stopped.  Pretty cool huh?  I think so.

I won’t mention his name right now but he is working on some kind of documentation about his whole experience and when it’s ready, if he wants me to, I will help him promote it in anyway I can.  From the sound of what he told me so far, I think he will have some very valuable information about this Canola oil/gout connection that may help us all avoid gout in the future.

Here’s Why I Think Canola Oil Is Bad For Gout:

To my way of  thinking, Canola oil is synonymous to low quality, nutrient devoid, cheap ass, processed food.  Canola oil is in SO many processed foods!  I don’t care what the Canadian government says or what the FDA says (in fact if they say it, all the more reason I doubt it).

When it comes right down to it, oil is a processed food no matter what, even under the best of conditions.  For you and I to have olive oil, it has to be processed.  To have coconut oil, it has to be processed.  To have walnut oil, it has to be processed.  Why not just eat olives, and coconuts and walnuts?  I certainly am not going to eat the processed oil from a genetically modified plant!  On purpose anyway. How could it NOT contribute to messing up your body chemistry and make getting a gout attack possible!

Bottom-line:
Avoid processed foods like Canola Oil!