Palm oil: the king of oils

[Oderah]

Our grandparents were definitely on the right track

Advantages of Cooking with Red Palm Oil

Palm Oil is Rich in Antioxidants!
Red palm oil is a minimally processed palm oil that naturally contains tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E), and carotenoids (vitamin A)—which gives the oil its red color. It comes from the fruit of the tropical palm tree Elaeis guineensis, and has been used as a nutritious source of oil for thousands of years in Asia and Africa.1

These natural antioxidants act as scavengers of oxygen free radicals and are believed to play a protective role in cellular aging, atherosclerosis, cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease.2-5

The Richest Source of Carotenoids
Red palm oil has a higher bioavailability of antioxidant nutrients (proportion of nutrients that are usable by the body) than other vegetable sources6 and is a particularly important dietary oil for people who are not taking an excellent vitamin E supplement, with tocopherols and tocotrienols, and full-spectrum carotenoid nutritional supplement. It is considered the richest natural source of carotenoids with concentrations of 700-1000 ppm. That’s 30 times more than is contained in carrots!

There are over 600 different naturally-occurring carotenoids—the red, orange, and yellow plant pigments that give fruits and vegetables their vivid colors. Most fruits and vegetables contain varying concentrations of carotenoids, but their colors are often covered up by green chlorophyll contained in the plant.

Red palm oil contains high concentrations of beta- and alpha-carotene, which make up approximately 90% of its total carotenoid content. Importantly, red palm oil is one of the few excellent dietary sources of alpha-carotene, which has been shown to have even more powerful anticancer effects than beta-carotene.

Cooking with red palm oil is an easy way to make sure you’re getting several different carotenoids. Red palm oil contains alpha- and beta-carotene, lycopene, phytoene and zeacarotene carotenoids.




The Power of Vitamin E to Improve Blood Lipids
Vitamin E has been shown over and over again to help reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, raise "good" HDL cholesterol, reduce risk of heart attack, rev up the immune system, fight cancer, and lower

risk the of developing cataracts. It is one of the most important phytonutrients in edible oils. But while most people think vitamin E is just a simple vitamin, it’s actually much more. In fact, vitamin E isn’t one compound, but rather a series of related compounds that have vitamin E activity including four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta).



Red palm oil is not hydrogenated, not processed with toxic solvents such as hexane, and contains no trans-fatty acids. Moreover, it is well recognized We’ve been hearing a lot lately about the dangers of trans-fatty acids—how they raise LDL (bad cholesterol) and other blood lipids, lower HDL (good cholesterol), and increase the risk of diabetes. .

Trans-Fatty Acids: Why Are They So Bad?
Unfortunately, trans-fats and the foods that contain them make up the bulk of fat consumption in our Western diet. They’re found in margarine, fast food, deep-fried foods—including French fries and potato chips, baked goods, processed convenience foods, candies, cured and aged foods such as sausages, luncheon meats, and some cheeses. Stay away from these kinds of foods. Stick with fresh, wholesome foods, and cook with red palm oil!

Most supermarket oils are processed, oxidized, hydrogenated, deodorized, bleached, de-gummed or otherwise altered. These unhealthy fats contain trans-fatty acids that are created by heat, as in deep frying, and by hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation extends the shelf life of food products and makes liquid fats solidify so they’re easy to spread on bread and crackers, etc. A good example is oil and vegetable shortening. Oil is a liquid at room temperature; it is hydrogenated to produce solid vegetable shortening. The process of hydrogenation also increases the saturated fat content. Unfortunately, this process produces trans-fatty acids, which your body doesn’t like, and which plays a major role in disease.23

This, of course, increases the risk of atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and a weakened immune system. Even so-called "healthy" margarines and those marked "cholesterol-free" contain trans-fatty acids that should be avoided. Whenever you see "hydrogenated" or "partial hydrogenated" on a food label, there is trans-fat in the product.


More than 50% of the world’s consumption of fats and oils is in the form of solid fats. The use of solid fats is a necessity especially in the making of biscuits, breads, buns, cakes, and pastries. Invariably, the food industry hydrogenates liquid oils to convert it to solid fats. In the process, trans-fatty acids are formed. Solid fats made from red palm oil however do not require hydrogenation, and thus palm fats are trans-free.

Contains Fats That Are Beneficial to Health
The fatty acid composition of palm oil is similar to that of the fat tissue in most people on an ordinary diet. It contains a healthy mixture of all the types of fatty acids: 10% polyunsaturated, 40% monounsaturated and 50% saturated fatty acids. The saturated fatty acids are made up of 44% palmitic acid and 5% stearic acid. The unsaturated fatty acids consist of 39% oleic acid (monounsaturates) and 10% linoleic acid (polyunsaturates).

Palmitic acid, a 16-carbon-chain saturated fat, makes up almost half of the fatty acids in red palm oil. That means it’s good for supplying energy that is easy to digest and does not cause a rise in blood sugar or insulin. You have to eat, and if you aren’t getting energy from fat it will have to be from either protein or carbohydrates. Red palm oil is a good source of easy-to-digest calories without putting a burden on insulin production. It won’t cause syndrome X and it won’t raise your triglycerides or LDLs. Furthermore, it actually raises HDL levels relative to LDLs. (Note: Blood lipids are made worse by excessive dietary fat, but to put that in perspective, it is trans-fats that are the worst, refined sugar runs a close second, and then some, but not all, saturated fats. Palmitic acid, the main saturated fat in palm oil, actually improves blood lipid profiles.)

Remains Stable Even When Cooked at High Temperatures
Most oils become rancid from exposure to heat, light, and oxygen. Red palm oil is naturally protected by its high levels of vitamin E antioxidants, and has a natural resistance to oxidation and rancidity. It can be safely used for cooking, and in fact, a study examining the cooking of red palm oil at high temperatures showed that it does not have an adverse effect on blood lipids.26 It also contains a very low concentration of linolenic acid and only a moderate proportion of linoleic acid, the most readily oxidized components of oils, making it even more resistant to rancidity. For an oil that contains esstntial fatty acids, palm is surprisingly stable in cooking applications.

How Does Red Palm Oil Compare to Other Oils?

Red palm oil contains more antioxidants and vitamin E than any other oil.

No other oil contains a significant amount of carotenes.

It contains a healthy balance of all types of fat: 10% polyunsaturated, 40% monounsaturated and 50% saturated fatty acids, similar to that of the fat tissue in most people on an ordinary diet.

Remains stable when used for cooking.

It is not hydrogenated, is not processed with heat or solvents such as hexane, and does not contain any trans-fatty acids

On the other hand, olive oil which has typically been considered the healthiest cooking oil, is low in polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E, high in monunsaturated fatty acids, and does not remain stable when used for cooking.


Scientific research has shown the health benefits of red palm oil, which could easily replace the tremendous amounts of trans-fats used in the production of pastries and breads, without the negative health effects. Also, red palm oil presents the most sustainable option among edible oils due to its high yields, providing work to thousands of people throughout Southeast Asia. It is quite possible that red palm oil could satisfy the world’s demands for healthy oils and fats without straining the earth’s limited land and energy resources … and it’s an excellent, multi-purpose oil that will be a healthy addition to your pantry.

The benefits of Red Palm Oil include:
• Rich in antioxidants (carotenes and tocopherols)
• Natural: not hydrogenated, not processed with heat or solvents such as hexane
• Contains no trans-fatty acids
• Contains the omega-6 essential fatty acid - linoleic acid
• Improves blood lipids and raises HDL cholesterol
• Remains stable when used for cooking
• Easy to digest and absorbs


http://safarimkt.com/palm%20oil%20benefit.html

To think that for years palm oil got such a bad rap from from western scientists.