---
title: Is is Good to Use Canola Oil in A Glorious One-Pot Meal?
date: 2013-11-11T21:43:23Z
modified: 2013-11-11T21:43:23Z
permalink: "https://elizabethyarnell.com/is-is-good-to-use-canola-oil-in-a-glorious-one-pot-meal/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 3625
categories:
  - Glorious One-Pot Meals
tags:
  - canola oil
  - Glorious One-Pot Meals
  - gmo
  - is canola healthy
author: Elizabeth
---

_Reader question: Hi Elizabeth, I attended your 3rd breakout session at the NMO conference in LA last Wednesday 11/6. My name is Lora, I was sitting in the front row with my pregnant sister (she asked you about pesticides after the presentation…). Anyway, all of your books had been taken by the time I attended your session, so I bought one on Amazon. I was surprised that some of recipes called for Canola Oil. I might’ve misunderstood, but I thought you mentioned that Canola Oil was created by a chemical company (the name Canola even resembled the company’s name?). Can you please clarify for me? I was telling a friend at work that Canola Oil was bad, but then when your book was delivered to me over the weekend I saw it in your recipes. As a side note, I made my first ever all-organic shopping trip with my husband over the weekend and am committed to making-over our meals! Thanks for your insight. ~ Lora E., Phoenix, AZ[![Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook](http://elizabethyarnell.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/glorious-one-pot-meals-new.jpg)

](http://elizabethyarnell.com/WP/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/glorious-one-pot-meals-new.jpg)_

Hi Lora. You’re right: there is a disconnect there. I wrote the cookbook in 2000 and I’ve learned a lot about healthy eating since then that has changed my mind about things like canola oil. During my cooking demonstrations I usually mention something to this effect, that I used to cook with [canola oil](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2012/11/whats-so-bad-about-canola-oil/ "is canola oil healthy?") but no longer believe it is good for human consumption.

The copy of the cookbook you are holding was published by Clarkson-Potter in January, 2009, which means I finished the actual writing of that version in late 2007. It is still in print (more than 50,000 copies sold) which means that until I’m otherwise notified by the publisher, I cannot make any changes to the current text.

Aaahhh… the frustrations of the printed page! It’s much easier to publish e-books because you can change text at will; once the plates are pulled for a print run of a book the text is set in stone.

So, the long and the short of it is that I used to cook with canola oil but I no longer think it is a good choice because it is a [GMO grain](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2013/03/genetically-modified-foods-and-your-health/ "GMO and your health"). Here’s a [blog post I wrote about my disillusionment with canola oil.](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2012/11/whats-so-bad-about-canola-oil/ "canola oil is bad")

Let me know if you have any troubles as you prepare [Glorious One-Pot Meal](http://www.gloriousonepotmeals.com "glorious one pot meals")s and remember that your oven needs to be fully preheated to 450 F before putting the pot inside. There are [video cooking demonstrations](http://www.gloriousonepotmeals.com/recipes/index.htm "video cooking demonstrations") here to help get you started.

Thanks for writing and happy cooking!