I was asked, in reference to my post on Sunday, what religion does not allow canola oil. To clarify, there is no religion I am aware of, that prohibits the use of canola oil.
What I meant in that post, is that people eat for a lot of reasons other than to obtain nutrients. Some people make food choices because of ethics--like vegans. Others choose to eat raw. Still others prefer paleo. These choices are equally as important, if not more important, than eating to be nutritionally complete.
Similarly, a lot of people in the business of giving nutrition and fitness advice, are health"evangelists". Their goal is to create a following for themselves, and most of the advice they are giving is about how you can be just like them. It may be good, it may not be good. Degrees and certifications do not separate out the good advice from the evangelists. I have seen some really horrible people with all kinds of degrees and certifications who I have felt did not deserve to be in business, and some of the best advice out there comes from people without all of the degrees.
When there are food choices in a person's lifestyle that do not have a scientific nutritional basis, dietitians often can jump to arguing about the validity of those beliefs. In the process, they alienate their clients before they have an opportunity to engage and help them.
I don't want to do that. I want to help you. The best way to do that is to empower you. If I know what your"food religion" is, I can live with that. All I care about is if you eat paleo, vegan, raw…that within the choices you make, you are getting enough vitamin A, protein, etc., and that the balance of all of the foods you eat, points you in an anti-inflammatory direction.
I mentioned canola and food religion in the same sentence because there are many people in the world who do not believe in eating canola oil. I respect that, and I can live with that. All I care about, is if you choose not to eat canola oil, that you know which oil alternatives are available to you to help reduce your overall omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. I did not want what I said to be interpreted by people who do not like canola oil, as a personal attack on their philosophy. The discussions that would have ensued would quite possibly have been counterproductive and I would have distracted them from learning some things about dietary fat that could have been beneficial within their world dietary view.
I have no need to have a tribe of people following me. I just share what I know and what I think, and for those who find it valuable, I am happy to have provided the service.
I hope that clarifies things!