Canola Oil or Applesauce - Which is Healthier?

I made apple muffins this morning for the kids. We make apple muffins a lot. We use whole grain wheat flour, reduced sugar, farm fresh eggs, milk, baking powder, salt, and canola oil.

"Oh," says a mother, "Have you tried applesauce muffins?"

"With applesauce?" say I, because we use fresh chopped apples in our apple muffins.

"Yes, but you substitute the fat part of the recipe and use applesauce," says the parent.

"Why would I want to do that?" question I.

"Because it's healthier for your child," insists the parent.

"Really? Are you sure?" quiz I. What are you adding and subtracting to make that statement true? Few people know; they just go along with the latest pap. And, some people are determined to believe myths. So I've gathered some information so that our readers can make their own minds up about applesauce or oil.

Here is the nutrition breakdown for applesauce:

Sugar: 36 grams to a cup which is 12 teaspoons
Carbs: 43 grams

"theGood" This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium.

"The Bad" A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

Now read what an applesauce replaced recipe is losing: Health benefits of canola oil

Canola oil has distinct health benefits than many other vegetable edible oils. It is fast emerging as healthiest oils in tandem with olive oil. Distinct flavor and unlike many other oils which are derived from nuts and seeds, olive oil is obtained from fruits and hence contains large amounts of plant derived anti-oxidants, phyto-sterols and vitamins. It is very low in saturated fats. It contains essential fatty acids at 2:1 making it as one of the healthiest cooking oils at a ratio even better than olive oil.

It has highest levels of plant sterols, especially. The FDA has approved the following claim for phytosterols: "Foods containing at least 0.4 gram per serving of plant sterols, eaten twice a day with meals for a daily total intake of at least 0.8 gram, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease." Phyto-sterols competitively inhibit cholesterol absorption in the gut and thereby can reduce cholesterol levels by 10% to 15%.

Canola oil is high in calories. However, its high calorie content comes from better fats. It is especially rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) like oleic acid (18:1) which constitutes about 61% of total fats that help to lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol" in the blood. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids helps to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile.

The oil contains valuable amounts of anti-oxidant particularly gamma-tocopherol. 100 g fresh oil has 27.34 mcg of a-tocopherol and 17.46 mcg of alpha-tocopherol. Vitamin E is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant, required for maintaining the integrity of cell membrane of mucus membranes and skin by protecting it from harmful oxygen free radicals.Being a vegetable source, it has very high levels of plant sterols, especially.

The FDA has approved the following claim for phytosterols: "Foods containing at least 0.4 gram per serving of plant sterols, eaten twice a day with meals for a daily total intake of at least 0.8 gram, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease." Phyto-sterols competitively inhibit cholesterol absorption in the gut and thereby can reduce cholesterol levels by 10% to 15%.

Canola oil has highest smoke point oil is also an ideal choice for deep frying because it can be heated to a higher temperature (smoke point -450 °F). This results in lower oil retention in the fried foods.

So, when I'm baking, I'll stick to canola oil and the fresh apples. And while I'm staying with my "heart healthy" recipe, I'll enjoy a light, flavorful fun muffin rather than a heavy, lifeless gluepod. But then, I'm a terrible kitchen snob....lol...