Palm Oil- Only Misinterpretation Not The Culprit

Palm Oil- Only Misinterpretation Not The Culprit

Palm Oil Gourmet Delight Event

Delhi

Palm Oil or the saturated fats has always been considered the culprit for giving rise to coronary heart disease resulting to mortality rate, however, latest advances on the subject through meta-analysis are indicating that saturated fats consumption are not the reason. Although there are still debates going on about it due to the difference in opinions, nevertheless consumption of palm oil is no more considered a risk to the heart.Recently Delhi witnessed a Palm Oil Gourmet Delight Event which was hosted by Malaysian Palm Oil Council at Ardor 2.1. There were several activities at the event like food tasting session, food hunt and a healthy lunch. There was comprehensive information session by Dr .Bhawna Shah, the Country Representative-India and Srilanka of #MPOC, about the Palm oil which is mostly produced in Indonesia and Malaysia along with Thailand, Columbia, and Nigeria. She enlightened us about the many health benefits with the use Palm oil. It is mostly found in many food products available in the market like biscuits, chocolates, ice-cream, or peanut butter. We really enjoyed the food hunt fun activities and food tasting session with delicacies that were a delight to our taste buds.

Food hunt:Groups were divided and each group was given a clue card to locate the destination and do activities there. Our first clue card led us to Pandey Paan that offered us paan with palm oil used in preparation. Our second clue card led us to My Bar Headquarters where we participated in salad making activity using palm oil for dressing, which was judged by Dr.Bhawna. Our third clue card led us to Punjabi By Nature where we filled up a questionnaire based on the presentation we had witnessed earlier.

Blind food tasting activity:After the food hunt activity, we came back to Ardor 2.1 for a blind food tasting session where we were offered to taste delicious food and guess the ingredients of the dishes that were cooked using palm oil.

Rich nutrients in Palm Oil:Palm oil has Vitamin E Tocotrienols and other phytonutrients that are great for your heart, brain, and skin. It is Non-GMO oil that is free of trans-fat and ideal for cooking at high temperatures. There are many benefits associated with the nutrients in the oil like it enhances the hair growth and reduces wrinkles while increasing the skin moisture and elasticity. Palm oil reduces cholesterol levels and prevents gastric ulcers while treating non-alcoholic fatty liver. It is also known to offer protection against osteoporosis and avoids the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Palm oil is used in a lot of things in our day-to-day life like our toothpaste, cereals, ice-cream, pizzas, shower gel, shampoos, cosmetics, inks, detergents, etc. It is one of the most used oil consumed by the food industry in India and worldwide. Palm oil production requires lesser land, pesticides, and fertilizers providing economic and environmental stability.

Extraction of Palm Oil:Palm oil is fruit oil which is extracted from the flesh of fruit and palm kernel oil is extracted from the kernel or oil palm seed. There is a difference in the properties of both Palm oil and palm kernel oil which is why they are used in different products like food and non-food. Palm oil is further fractionated in palm olein which is the cooking oil used in various regions of the world. Palm stearin is a solid fraction of palm fruit oil which is used in confectionary and bakery and is free of trans-fat. Palm kernel oil is used as cocoa butter substitutes and as confectionary fats.

Palm oil is healthy oil indeed:Palm oil is nutrition rich edible oil which is not unhealthy at all. It is composed of balanced fatty acids and has a large content of Vitamin E tocotrienols and tocopherols. Red palm oil and crude oil are also rich in Pro-Vitamin A carotenoids. Palmitic acid is the primary saturated fatty acid which is found in our body and in human breast-milk in abundance. Palm Oil is quite popularly used throughout Asia for cooking and it has been found in many latest studies that consuming palm oil has a neutral effect on the cholesterol level and they increase the HDL cholesterol levels in human beings, which is the good cholesterol. Palm oil provides similar effects like olive and canola oil on the cholesterol levels which is why consuming palm oil is not a threat and does not impose a risk of coronary heart disease.

Avoid trans-fat with Palm oil:The foods that impose a threat to the heart are the sugary foods, processed foods, and foodstuff including trans-fat. We all need to pay attention to reducing trans-fat and sugar in our diet as our daily diet does not give us with optimum nutrition. Reducing these factors in your diet can give you good health, healthy heart, and a healthy mind. Palm oil is an amazing replacement to hydrogenated vegetable oil that consists of trans-fatty acids and is unsaturated.

Malaysian and Indonesian Palm oil is manufactured in a sustainable way and is great for your health, so I would suggest that you must include palm oil in your diet and enjoy the health benefits that come with the saturated oil.

Disclaimer: The content posted here is for informational purpose only and we do not take any responsibility whatsoever in case of any difference in opinions.