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Healthy Oils Like Canola Key Sources of Fat in American Diet
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Nutrition
Healthy Oils Like Canola Key Sources of Fat in American Diet
U.S. Canola Association
A Golden Opportunity for Our Nation's Health
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Guidelines) released yesterday differentiate between healthy unsaturated fats and unhealthy trans and saturated fats and call for the majority of fats consumed to be healthy ones. The U.S. Canola Association (USCA), which called for such recommendations, applauds them in the revised Guidelines.
The USCA also lauds the recommendation for a minimum fat intake (20-35% of calories) coming mainly from sources of poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs and MUFAs, respectively) that are low in saturated and/or trans fats. Consumers are wisely advised by the Guidelines to keep intake of saturated fat at less than 10 percent of calories, cholesterol less than 300 mg/day, and trans fat as low as possible. Like all liquid oils at room temperature, canola oil contains zero cholesterol and negligible levels of trans fat. It is the lowest in saturated fat (5-7%) of any standard vegetable oil.
Healthy oils like canola are key sources of fat in the diet and can help get and keep Americans healthy, noted USCA President Paul Tyler.
The 2005 Guidelines also specify Dietary Reference Intakes for the essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid ( ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) both PUFAs found in canola oil. But as ALA is less prevalent than LA in the American diet, consumption of foods containing this omega-3 fatty acid is important.
Canola oil, compared to other standard vegetable oils, has the highest ALA content, Tyler said. It can therefore help Americans increase their intake of ALA and other healthy fats with little saturated fat. Standard and high stability canola oils are also promising as replacements for trans fat in food products and food service applications.
In addition to PUFAs, canola oil is rich in MUFAs and a good source of vitamin E, which is often under-consumed by Americans, according to the Guidelines. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, the USDA Food Guide recommends daily 24 grams of MUFAs, 20 grams PUFAs, 1.7 grams ALA, and 9.5 milligrams vitamin E. One tablespoon of standard canola oil provides 9 grams of MUFAs, 4 grams PUFAs, about 1 gram of ALA, and nearly 1 mg vitamin E.
Getting Americans to eat the right kinds of fats in moderation can make a hug e difference in the nations health, Tyler concluded.
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Canola Oil: A Golden Opportunity for the Nations Health
