The first thing that comes in our mind after listening to Palm Oil is “its a bad oil for our health’. Have you ever feel that too, if yes then you need to clear your facts about palm oil.
Recently, I attended an event about Palm Oil which is organized by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and represented by Bhavna Shah, Country Head (India & Sri Lanka) MPOC.
Bhavna Shah, Country Head (India & Sri Lanka) MPOC
Before this event, I never realised that we’re actually consuming palm oil indirectly via so many other food & beverages. And This event cleared many myths and facts about palm oil.
What is Palm Oil:
It’s an edible vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of palm oil trees, the scientific name is Elaeis guineensis. Two types of oil can be produced; crude palm oil comes from squeezing the fleshy fruit, and palm kernel oil which comes from crushing the kernel (Seed) in the middle of the fruit. Palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil on the planet, found in many products i.e. Frozen Desserts, Cookies, Instant Noodles, lipstick, soaps, detergents, Shampoo and even in ice cream. Palm oil is in nearly everywhere – it’s in close to 50% of products then why there is a fuss about it. The simple answer to this is “People are not aware about it” less awareness leads to myths & misconceptions. So Let’s check some interesting facts and myths of palm oil people don’t know about.Myths & Facts About Palm Oil
- It is not good for health: In actual, Palm oil has many health benefits, including protecting brain function, reducing heart disease risk factors and also improving vitamin A status.
- Palm oil is harmful to the environment: The fact that the entire country of Malaysia, one of the world’s leading palm oil producers, is a net carbon sink meaning that it does not contribute to greenhouse gases. Malaysian palm oil has been produced sustainably and responsibly for more than 100 years, and its forest cover is actually increasing.
- Palm oil is unhealthy because it is high in saturated fat: Palm oil has higher levels of saturated fat compared with other plant oils such as olive oil and sunflower oil. Saturated fat is commonly found in animal fats and excessive consumption can raise total blood cholesterol levels, which can raise the risk of heart disease. However, it also contains mono-unsaturated fats and small amounts of polyunsaturated fats, which are generally considered “good” fats that can help improve blood cholesterol levels and decrease our risk of heart disease.