Cool… Refreshing… Canola Oil!

While guzzling a can of cheap, Randall’s-brand Slim-Fast Optima this morning, it suddenly occurred to me that I’d never once glanced at the ingredients label, even though I’ve been drinking the foul but useful things on and off since college.  Sure, I always give the nutrition lable a once-over, with self-satisfied thoughts of, “Hey! I’m getting 50% of my daily calcium intake in this wonder-product!  Take that, osteoporosis!” or “Manganese?  I don’t even know what that is, but I’m totally stocked up on it now!” even though I take two multi-vitamins a day on top of the shakes.

But the ingredients label never caught my eye until today, and how I wish that it hadn’t.

Apparently, after water and non-fat milk, the third main ingredient in my breakfast this morning was canola oil.  Holy hell.  I mean….eeeeew.  A thousand times eeeeew.

I’m sorry, okay?  I know that canola oil is supposed to be this fantastic ingredient with all of these health benefits (high in monounsaturaed fats and omega-3 oils, among other things), but I don’t know how comfortable I am with it being the third ingredient in what is, essentially, a beverage.  I can’t imagine waking up, throwing together a fruit smoothie and thinking, “Y’know what would be delicious with these bananas and strawberries?  Canola oil.  Let me just tip some in there…“

Canola oil is great for seasoning a cast-iron skillet.  It’s great for sweating onions.  It’s great for adding to muffins in lieu of butter (although I hate to do that).  But I really don’t want to drink the stuff.

I guess I’m back to plain coffee in the morning, folks.