Canola oil is a mild-tasting oil made from rapeseeds, and it can be used for sauteing, frying and baking. The typical serving of canola oil is 1 tablespoon, which contains 14 grams of fat. If you need to use a 1/4 cup, it's probably for a recipe, and this amount of oil contains far more fat than that. The good news is that most of the fat in canola oil is unsaturated, but it still contains 124 calories per tablespoon. That means it's fine to use the oil in small amounts, but you certainly wouldn't want to consume a 1/4-cup serving at one time.
Fat in Canola Oil
A 1/4 cup of canola oil contains 54.5 grams of fat, of which 4 grams are unhealthy saturated fat. Of those 54.5 grams of total fat, about 34.5 grams are monounsaturated fat and about 15 grams are polyunsaturated fat.
Function and Dangers of Fat
Fat has a bad reputation, but you actually need it to help you absorb nutrients and fuel your body. Saturated fat is unhealthy, and you should limit it to 10 percent of less of your total caloric intake. A diet that contains too much saturated fat can lead to heart disease, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. Because most of the fat in canola oil is unsaturated, it actually has a place in your healthy eating plan. Unsaturated fats help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, which can reduce your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Canola oil doesn't contain much in the way of vitamins and minerals, but it does supply two key nutrients. A more realistic serving of canola oil is a tablespoon rather than a 1/4 cup. A tablespoon of canola oil contains 2.44 milligrams of vitamin E, which is 16 percent of the 15 milligrams you need each day. Vitamin E protects your cells from the type of damage that increases your risk of heart disease and cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health. The same tablespoon of canola oil also contains about 10 micrograms of vitamin K. That's 11 percent of the 90 micrograms women should include daily as part of a healthy diet and 8 percent of the 120 micrograms men need each day.
Using Canola Oil
You're highly unlikely to consume an entire 1/4 cup of canola oil at one time, but that much might go into a recipe for baked goods or meat marinades. Because it's so low in saturated fat, canola oil is a wise choice for everyday cooking and baking. Use the oil in place of butter in muffins, breads, pancakes and waffles. Saute foods in canola oil instead of butter. You'll take in less saturated fat and get a similar flavor. Despite the health benefits of canola oil, you should still limit it to 5 or 6 teaspoons per day, according to ChooseMyPlate.gov. That's equal to about 2 tablespoons. This small amount of oil is plenty to get the benefits without consuming more calories than you should.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Oil, Canola
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out With the Bad, In With the Good
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin K
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin E
- ChooseMyPlate.gov: How Much is My Allowance for Oils?