Dear TEAM: A TEAM Resources response to S.L. of Edenwold, Sask. (March 28 issue) stated that “like all vegetable oils” canola oil is cholesterol free.
It’s always been my understanding that palm and palm kernel oils, which are inexpensive, are loaded with cholesterol, and that if a label on a product such as margarine mentions only “vegetable oils” one can be sure it contains only these inexpensive tropical oils that are undesirable from a health point of view.
For this reason we always look for 100 percent canola oil. – N.C., Turtleford, Sask.
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Dear N.C.: The March 28 column was correct in stating that “like all vegetable oils” canola oil is cholesterol free. The confusion arises because there are two types of cholesterol, dietary and blood.
Dietary cholesterol is found in foods and is only in animal products such as lard, dairy products, egg yolks and meats. It is not in fruits, vegetables, cereals, grains, nuts, seeds, coconut, palm or palm kernel oil as they are all plant based.
Blood cholesterol is a white, waxy substance which occurs naturally in our bodies. It is produced by our liver and is necessary for our bodies to function properly. Even if we didn’t eat any cholesterol, our body would manufacture cholesterol every day, some bad and some good. Coconut, palm kernel and palm oils do not contain cholesterol but they are high in saturated fat, the kind of fat that increases the “bad” cholesterol in our bodies. Bad cholesterol clings to artery walls and may cause health problems such as heart disease. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated are other kinds of fats. They are more desirable from a health point of view.
As you can see in the chart, only animal fats have cholesterol and the percentage of saturated fat varies a great deal.
Cholesterol
Dietary fat Percentage of
mg/tablespoon saturated fat
Canola oil 0 7%
Safflower oil 0 10
Corn oil 0 13
Olive oil 0 15
Soybean oil 0 15
Peanut oil 0 19
Cottonseed oil 0 27
Lard 12 43
Beef tallow 14 48
Palm oil 0 51
Butterfat 33 68
Coconut oil 0 91
Source: POS Pilot Plant Corporation, Saskatoon, Sask., June 1994.
A label that says “only vegetable oils” may or may not contain inexpensive tropical oils. Factors such as availability, color and flavor determine what is used. However, cost is likely the most influential factor. I was told soybean oil is often used because of cost.
In Canada, nutrition labeling is entirely voluntary, with few exceptions. Almost 50 percent of our food products now have nutrition labels, put on by manufacturers.
In line with Health Canada guidelines, they list the amounts of carbohydrates, proteins and the different fats, in grams per serving and also state the serving size. The fat content includes the amount of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. If the nutrition label is present, it is a good place to look for information about the types of fat in a particular food.
Be aware that “cholesterol free” may not mean that it is “good for the heart.” Labeling guidelines stipulate that products claiming to be “cholesterol free” must also be low in saturated fats. However, manufacturers often replace saturates with other unhealthy fats such as trans fatty acids.
For example, in the process used to make liquid oils into hard and spreadable margarines and shortenings, the oil structure is changed, forming trans fatty acids. Research now suggests trans fatty acids may have similar effects as saturated fats on raising “bad” cholesterol levels. Many think they too should be listed on the labels.
To lower blood cholesterol:
- Reduce total fat intake to 30 percent of total calories per day. One teaspoon, or four grams, of all types of fat, liquid or solid = 36 calories.
- Reduce saturated fats.
- Reduce cholesterol intake.
What to choose:
- For cooking and baking – a liquid non-tropical vegetable oil because it is lower in saturated fats and trans fatty acids.
- For spreading – a soft margarine, the kind that comes in a plastic container rather than wrapped in parchment or foil, because it has not been hydrogenated.
The Canola Information Service, A5A – 116 – 103rd St. East, Saskatoon, Sask., S7N 1Y7, 306-664-7117, fax 306-664-4404, has produced an educational resource called Working Your Way Through The Fat Maze.
Oxfam layettes, dust mites
Dear TEAM: In those days when I had no free time, senior ladies were knitting layettes for Oxfam. Are layettes still accepted, and what items constitute a layette for this organization, and furthermore, to where can these items be mailed or delivered?
I have become asthmatic and household dust, moulds and mildews are just part of the problem. How can I better launder bedclothes? Mites, invisible to the eye, are as present in my house as anywhere else, and I would like to know how to reduce their presence. – C.F., Raymore, Sask.
Dear C.F.: Oxfam Canada does not accept layettes, as they do not have stores here. In the British Isles, the charity group has stores that probably accept handmade items. If you want to pursue it further, write to: Oxfam U.K., 274 Banbury Road, Oxford, U.K., 0X2 7D7.
According to the Allergy Foundation of Canada, weekly laundering of bedding should be sufficient. Disinfectants are not necessary. The best protection is to cover the mattress and pillows, for the following reasons:
- Dust mites are insect-like creatures about as big as the width of a human hair and only visible under a microscope. They thrive in humid places, feed on human dead skin scales and live primarily in soft materials such as mattresses, carpets and upholstered furniture. The bedroom mattress provides the best conditions of warmth, humidity and food for their growth. While in bed the friction of a sleeping person against their night clothes and sheets sends skin flakes through the threads to hungry mites in the mattress below.
- The mite excretes up to 10 times its body weight each day in fecal pellets which easily become airborne, especially when bedding is disturbed. The waste product particles produced by these mites are the main substances in house dust to which allergic people react. They continue to cause allergic symptoms even after the mite which has produced them has died. Unlike pollen allergens, they can be present all year long.
- Female mites can lay 25 to 50 eggs. With a new generation produced every three weeks and a life cycle of 60 days, it is easy to see why mattresses contain large numbers of living and dead dust mites.
In controlling dust mites, emphasis is placed on the bedroom, since people spend one-third of their time there, and because it is the room with the greatest number of dust mites.
- Encase pillows and mattress in a barrier of plastic or other such material. Western Allergy Services Ltd. in Richmond, B.C. is one company that sells protective mattress and pillow covers. Phone toll free: 1-800-663-0972.
- Wash comforters, blankets and curtains frequently.
- Substitute hard materials for soft where possible: Wooden or plastic furniture; tiles, wood or sheet flooring instead of carpets; window shades instead of cloth curtains.
- Avoid wall pennants, macrame hangings and other dust collectors.
- Because mites grow best at 75 to 80 percent humidity and cannot live at under 50 percent humidity, keep humidity under 50 percent.
For more information, contact the Allergy Foundation of Canada in your area.
