diseases, metabolic syndrome, and almost all inflammatory
diseases that end with “-itis”. If we use the evolutionary
model exclusively, then vegetable oils should constitute only
a minimal part of contemporary Paleo diets.
If this is the case, then why not completely do away with
all vegetable oils? I still believe that certain oils may be
used in cooking and to add flavor to condiments,
dressings, and marinades. Simply stated, there are at least
four oils—flaxseed, walnut, olive, and avocado—that
promote health and assist in getting the correct balance of
good fats back into your diet.
Since the publication of the first edition of The Paleo
Diet in 2002, I have reversed my position on canola oil and
can no longer endorse its consumption. Canola oil comes
from the seeds of the rape plant (Brassica rapa or
Brassica campestris), which is a relative of the broccoli,
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale family. Undoubtedly,
humans have eaten cabbage and its relatives since before
historical times, and I still strongly support the consumption
of these health-promoting vegetables. Nevertheless, the
concentrated oil from Brassica seeds is another story.
In its original form, rape plants produced a seed oil that
contained elevated levels (20 to 50 percent) of erucic acid
(a monounsaturated fatty acid labeled 22:1n9). Erucic acid
is toxic and causes tissue damage in many organs of
laboratory animals. In the early 1970s, Canadian plant
breeders developed a strain of rape plant that yielded a