Palm oil is made from the fruit of the oil palm. And the oil obtained from the seeds of this palm tree is called palm kernel oil. In Russia, palm oil has been used relatively recently. It is ideal for baking, as well as confectionery, especially those intended for long-term storage. Currently, palm oil has become widespread, the benefits and harms of which are still being studied, and disputes around it do not subside.
Application of palm oil
Due to its interesting chemical and physical properties, palm oil has become one of the most widely used vegetable oils in the world. This is also due to the fact that it is easily accessible and very cheap. Palm oil is highly resistant to oxidation, so it can be stored for a long time.
Basically, palm oil is used in the food industry. It is used in the preparation of waffles, biscuit rolls, cakes, creams, semi-finished products are fried on it. Palm oil is part of processed cheese, condensed milk, combined butter, it is added to curd desserts and. Many modern recipes cannot do without palm oil. They also partially replace milk fat. In general, it is easier to list those products that do not contain palm oil than those in which it is present.
Palm oil, whose use is not limited to the food industry, is also used in the manufacture of candles and soap. In cosmetology, it is usually used to care for dry and aging facial skin, as it nourishes, softens and moisturizes the skin.
Palm oil is useful for some diseases. For example, with vision problems: night blindness, blepharitis, glaucoma, conjunctivitis and others. Due to its medicinal properties, palm oil is recommended for the treatment of various diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
The benefits of palm oil
Many are interested in the question: "Is palm oil harmful or beneficial?"
If we talk about its benefits, then first of all it must be emphasized that it contains a large amount of carotenoids, the strongest antioxidants that are of great value to the human body. Carotenoids have a positive effect on weakened hair and skin. Therefore, it is used by many well-known cosmetic companies.
Palm oil holds the record for vitamin E content, which consists of tocotrienols and tocopherol. Tocotrienols are extremely rare in plants and fight free radicals that cause cancer.
Palm oil is rich in triglycerols, which are digested very quickly, and when they enter the liver, they go to produce energy without entering the bloodstream. This oil is especially useful for people who do not digest other fats well, as well as those who follow the figure and athletes.
Also in palm oil there are many unsaturated fats: oleic and linoleic acids, which contribute to. These acids are involved in the structuring of bones, joints and are beneficial for skin health.
Provitamin A ensures the functioning of the vision analyzer, is involved in the production of visual pigment in the retina.
Palm oil. A few numbers...
Harm of palm oil
The main disadvantage of palm oil is its high content of saturated fats. The same fats are present in butter. Many scientists argue that the consumption of large amounts of saturated fat contributes to the occurrence of diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Linoleic acid in palm oil contains only 5%, it is on this indicator that the quality and price of vegetable oils depend. Vegetable oils contain on average 71 - 75% of this acid, and the more it is, the more valuable the type of oil.
Statistics from the World Wildlife Fund says that half of all packaged foods contain palm oil. Companies are increasing the production of this oil and for this purpose wild tropical forests are cut down, and oil palm plantations are planted in their place. As a result of deforestation, rare species of animals die - also indirect, but harmful.
What happens, palm oil is harmful or beneficial? Surprisingly, the benefits and harms of the oil are comparable. For example, because of the saturated fats of the oil, when it is consumed, heart problems occur, but at the same time, it contains vitamins A, E, which make palm oil useful in the prevention of heart disease and cancer. Palm oil is valued for its content of linoleic acid, but at the same time it is much less than in other oils. Some strange combination of harmful and beneficial properties is obtained - maybe the researchers were British scientists or made a mistake somewhere? No, everything is much simpler - palm oil comes in several varieties.
Types of palm oil
The most useful and natural is red palm oil. To obtain it, a sparing technology is used, in which most of the useful substances are preserved. This oil has a red color due to the high content of carotene (it gives orange color and red to tomatoes).
Red palm oil has a sweet taste and smell. The researchers concluded that in the process of refining palm oil, useful substances come out of it. And raw red palm oil contains a huge amount of nutrients. The described beneficial properties of palm oil mainly refer to red palm oil. It has long been eaten by the indigenous people of Central and West Africa, Central America and Brazil. In Africa, red palm oil is popular as an excellent fatty raw material. Some scientists argue that this oil does not differ in its beneficial properties from olive oil, which is so popular among Europeans.
Refined and deodorized palm oil is another product. It is odorless and colorless. This is done specifically for use in the food industry. There is GOST R 53776-2010, which specifies the requirements for edible palm oil. This oil has the same beneficial properties as red palm oil, but in much smaller quantities.
There is another variety of palm oil that is used to make cosmetics, soaps, and more. This oil is five times cheaper than other types of palm oil. It differs from edible oil in its acid-fat composition. Due to the low degree of purification, it contains a lot of harmful oxidized fats. It happens that unscrupulous manufacturers add such oil to products, the use of which in the human body causes the accumulation of free radicals that provoke cancer. Also, the use of such oil leads to the formation of cholesterol plaques.
Experts are sure that some manufacturers use this oil in the production of food products. Speaking about the dangers of palm oil, they basically mean just such a possibility. It is very difficult to bring the case to court, since it is very difficult to identify this oil in products, so there have been no precedents yet.
Four myths about palm oil
- Palm oil is indigestible because it melts at temperatures above human body temperature. This is not so, fats are digested in the human body not under the influence of temperatures.
- Palm oil is banned in developed countries. This is not true, for example, 10% of palm oil produced is consumed by the United States.
- Palm oil can only be used in the metallurgical industry and in soap making. In fact, palm oil has a wider range of uses. It is known that it was even used during World War II to produce napalm. But this does not mean that it absolutely cannot be used for food.
- Palm oil is produced from the trunk of a palm tree. This is not true, it is made from the fleshy part of the oil palm fruit.
The benefits and harms of palm oil are known to many. Palm oil has a number of useful properties, some of which are even unique, but this applies only to red palm oil.
To eat palm oil or not, everyone decides for himself. We have tried to give you some information.
Questions about what palm oil is and whether it is harmful concern many Russians. Many prejudices are based on its ban in most of the developed countries of the world. However, this is absolutely not the case.
It turns out that this product is not as terrible as they say. To understand where is the truth and where is fiction, it is necessary to consider each variety in detail.
Varieties and their differences
Palm oil is obtained from the fruits of special varieties of palm trees. In total, 4 types of this product are distinguished - red (unprocessed), refined, hydrogenated and technical.
Each variety has different properties and a set of components:
- Red oil is the most natural, because it is obtained only through the use of gentle technologies. It has the highest concentration of valuable components - vitamins A and E. Carotenoids - yellow and orange pigments give an unusual color.
The product is distinguished by the presence of a slight sweetness in the taste. It is eaten in its pure form, but in strictly limited quantities.
Due to the high melting point (40°C ) the body cannot fully digest all the components. As a result, some remains in the intestines in the form of waste products;
- Refined deodorized palm oil is used in the production of food products to improve taste characteristics and reduce the cost of products. It is colorless and does not have a pronounced aroma. It has a high concentration of saturated fats. Most valuable elements are removed from the composition using chemical compounds;
- Hydrogenated - in the process of hydrogenation, carbon is "driven" into the mass, as a result of which it turns into a bar;
- Technical oil is the lowest grade type, not suitable for human consumption. It is used in the chemical and cosmetic industries.
Thus, the safest is the red kind. But it can only be consumed in moderation.
Palm oil is notable for its availability, low cost and the ability to not oxidize for a long time. Due to these qualities, it is widely used in various fields - the food industry, cosmetology and medicine.
When added to food, it increases their shelf life, improves presentation and taste characteristics, and reduces the cost. The refined and deodorized variety is included in cakes, condensed milk, and a variety of desserts. It is used for frying semi-finished products. Almost no modern recipe can do without this component.
Hydrogenated oil is used in the production of margarine and cheap margarine mixes for frying.
The technical variety of this product is included in soaps, candles, some medicines, household chemicals and cosmetics. It can have a beneficial effect on the skin - moisturize and soften.
Impact on the body
The harm caused by palm oil to human health depends largely on the type. Negative properties in most cases are due not to the composition, but to the method of chemical processing of raw materials.
Businessmen strive to minimize the cost of manufactured products, therefore low-quality components are often used as additives. For a more complete understanding of the qualities and possible benefits of palm oil, it is worth considering each variety separately.
red oil
This is the most expensive type, which is part of only elite products. Minimal processing preserves the maximum of valuable elements in it. Therefore, it also has useful qualities:
- Protecting the body from the action of free radicals that destroy cells. This is a good prevention of cancer and premature aging;
- Improving the condition of the skin and hair. When applied externally, it has a nourishing and moisturizing effect, and the hair gives shine and strengthens hair follicles;
- Strengthening immunity - vitamins support the body's defenses and allow you to effectively resist viral attacks;
- Lowering cholesterol levels in the blood - this property is endowed with unsaturated fats. They are also to some extent responsible for the proper formation of bones and joint mobility;
- Vision Improvement - Carotenoids, which are part of the product and give a characteristic color, are necessary to maintain the sharpness and health of the eyes.
But you can not abuse this variety. Exceeding the permissible norms leads to a set of extra pounds, provokes the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system and malignant neoplasms.
The presence of palm oil in baby food is controversial. Possible harm is associated with the high melting point of this component. It is poorly digested in the child's digestive system and provokes the appearance of such negative consequences as constipation or intestinal colic. In addition, scientists recently proved that the product prevents the absorption of calcium, which is especially important during the growth period.
But manufacturers do not add it at all to reduce the price. For proper development, the baby needs palimitic acid, which is rich in breast milk. Palm fruits are the only alternative available source.
Refined and deodorized
This variety is much cheaper than the previous one and is most often used in the food industry. Due to processing, it loses all positive qualities and harms the body. The debate about the dangers of palm oil and whether it is harmful has not subsided for many years. With excessive use, it provokes the development of heart ailments. It should not be used by people with diabetes and obesity.
hydrogenated
This type of oil already poses a serious health hazard. In the composition of the products for the manufacture of which it is used, trans fats were found. The body perceives them as foreign substances, and the liver begins to actively produce cholesterol, which, in turn, accumulates on the walls of blood vessels. To avoid food poisoning and other problems, it is better to exclude such products from the diet.
Technical
This type of product should not be eaten. It does not have any beneficial properties, and in some cases leads to the formation of cholesterol plaques and cancerous tumors.
Thus, the positive and negative properties of the product depend on the processing method. In small quantities, it does not cause significant harm. But it is better to include in the diet foods that improve the functioning of the digestive tract, remove toxins and toxins from the intestines.
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If the label says “free of palm oil”, this is taken as a sign of safety. Is the sensational vegetable fat really so harmful, and why is it added to dairy and confectionery products? Let's talk about the benefits of palm oil, the real dangers and areas of application.
What it is
What is palm oil and what type of palm is it made from? The source of raw materials are the fruits of the oil palm, which grows in equatorial West Africa, as well as tropical regions - Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. The fruits are carefully selected and subjected to various pressing techniques. The seeds of the fruit are also used to produce oil: such a product is called palm kernel.
Compound
We take a pure, unrefined cold-pressed product as a basis:
- Most of the fatty acids are saturated and unsaturated: palmitic, lauric, oleic, palmitoleic, linoleic, linolenic, etc.
- There are much fewer vitamins in it than in olive or sunflower, but the composition includes tocopherol acetate (vitamin E) and carotenoids.
- A couple of trace elements are also contained in the oil - these are iron and phosphorus.
The final benefit depends on the degree and method of processing of raw materials. In order not to be mistaken and realistically assess the harm, you need to familiarize yourself with the varieties of palm fruit oil and the scope of each type.
Kinds
The ratio of benefit and harm, as well as the scope of application is determined by the type of oil:
- Red oil is considered the most useful. It is easily recognizable by its characteristic carrot color. This property is explained by the content of carotene. Red oil is produced in the most gentle way and without refining. This allows you to save a maximum of useful vitamins and acids. Other distinctive properties of the product are a sweet smell and taste.
- Unlike the first variety, the refined and deodorized product has no smell, no taste, no color. Such pomace is used in the food industry, but its benefits are much less than in cold-pressed oil.
- Hydrogenated oil in its pure form is very solid and resembles paraffin. Such a product goes to the cosmetic and household industries. It contains a lot of oxidized fats, and vitamins are practically absent. Such oil is the cheapest, and therefore some food manufacturers replace regular refined oil with it in order to save money. Such food leads to the accumulation of free radicals in the body, and this is fraught with oncology! Hence the fear of the palm tree: you never know what kind of palm has been added.
Interesting fact
Red pomace from the fruit of the palm tree is a traditional product of the inhabitants of West and Central Africa. During excavations of burial grounds aged 5 thousand years, a jug with traces of palm oil was found.
Beneficial features
Natural red product is quite healthy:
- vitamin a improves the health of the organs of vision;
- unsaturated fatty acids support the heart and blood vessels, stimulate mental activity;
- oil enhances bile secretion, cleanses the liver and intestines;
- reduces the risk of inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract;
- is an antioxidant;
- saturates the body, satisfies the feeling of hunger, as it is high-calorie - 899 kcal per 100 g;
- in the composition of cosmetics helps to heal, nourish and smooth the skin.
What is harmful: a detailed review
Let's take a look at the chemistry again. The presence of certain substances does not mean unlimited benefits - you need to understand their percentage.
What is harmful pomace of oil palm:
- The main story that warns people against using palm is the high content of saturated fatty acids. Their excess in the diet leads to vascular and heart diseases, in particular, the accumulation of cholesterol and the appearance of plaques. Mortality from cardiovascular diseases is the most common in the world. With a low content of linoleic acid in palm oil, there is a lot of palmitic acid. This fatty acid reaches 44%. It is these fats that lead to the accumulation of bad cholesterol.
- Vegetable oils are classified according to the content of linoleic acid: the more it is, the more valuable the product. So, the average indicators of the pomace we are used to are 71-75%. In palm oil, they do not exceed 5%. Linoleic acid belongs to the group of polyunsaturated fatty acids that lower cholesterol levels and neutralize the effects of saturated fats. Thus, palm fat does not fight cholesterol and does not neutralize the effects of palmitic acid.
- The harm of pomace for humans is not limited to the load on the cardiovascular system. Other organs also suffer: the gastrointestinal tract, nervous, excretory systems. Toxins accumulate in the intestines. Slagging of the body leads to oncology, which is the second cause of death after diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
- With the constant use of palm substance, efficiency decreases, a person is more often exposed to stress. If you ignore these signs, one day serious malfunctions in the body will be detected.
Contraindications for use:
- age up to 18 years;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- gastrointestinal problems during exacerbation;
- osteoporosis, osteopenia;
- pregnancy or lactation;
- age 50 and over.
Signs of individual intolerance: swelling, difficulty breathing, coughing, skin rashes.
Palm oil and ecology
Wildlife advocates should be outraged by the fact that hectares of tropical forests are cut down to grow oil palm. So, for the sake of the benefit of producers of cheap stuff, the planet loses its "lungs", because it is evergreen forests that ensure the stability of the atmosphere. Rare species of animals are dying, whose home was cut down forests, and this threatens their final extermination.
Beware: palm oil in baby food
The Polzateevo magazine draws attention: who really should not eat palm fats is children. However, the substance is included in infant formulas. Such a component reduces the absorption of calcium by almost 2 times. These are serious figures for a growing organism: calcium, as a building element for the skeletal system, is especially necessary for babies.
Palm oil in baby food interferes with the absorption of other substances. Consequence - indigestion, constipation, poor health of the child, slow development.
Where applicable
Palm oil is one of the most widely used vegetable fats in the world. This is a very cheap and affordable raw material, while it has interesting chemical and physical properties. For example, it is resistant to oxidation, which means it is stored for a long time.
The main purpose of adding to food products is to replace animal fat and extend shelf life. In some cheeses and sour cream, especially from the low price segment, there is not a drop of milk fat.
What foods contain palm oil?
- It is added to baked goods. It allows you to extend the shelf life, as it is a natural preservative. The palm tree is listed in the composition of rolls, waffles, cookies, cakes.
- Semi-finished products, chips, deep-fried chicken wings, french fries and other fast food are fried on it.
- Milk fat is partly replaced by palm oil. Often the product is included in products based on milk: sour cream, cottage cheese, cottage cheese desserts, condensed milk, cheeses.
- It is a component in cosmetic products for skin and hair.
- Based on the technical type, soap and candles are prepared.
It is easier to say where palm oil is not used than to list all its uses. According to some reports, up to half of all products contain refined palm fats.
We determine the palm oil in the composition
How do I know if a product contains harmful palm pomace? There are four warning signs:
- We read the label: some manufacturers conscientiously indicate that the product contains a palm tree, but not everyone does this. Palm oil hides behind the label "vegetable" or "vegetable fat", as well as "palm olein". This last disguise needs to be carefully monitored in baby food products.
- The next sign of adding cheap fat is the name of the product. According to the law, it is called "milk-containing product", "curd product", "condensed milk", "butter", etc. There is a clear difference from the traditional names "milk", "cottage cheese".
- Look at the cost. If the price is suspiciously low, the probability of palm content is very high, and the product was not of the best quality.
- Best before date. If yogurt can stand on a refrigerator shelf for up to 6 months, it is not a natural product.
Advice! Please note: in the composition of palm oil is sometimes referred to as palmoil.
Product myths, funny and not so funny
Palm oil, which has recently appeared on our market, has already acquired many myths about harm and benefit. What is true and what can only be laughed at:
- "Palm oil is very healthy due to the content of carotene, vitamin E and other valuable compounds." Yes, if we are talking about a cold-pressed red substance, which is used in a strict dosage. It should be understood that such a product is very expensive. And the palm tree is more useful for those who live in the places of its distribution and whose ancestors ate it from generation to generation. Residents of the northern regions are more useful for other vegetable fats, for example, from sunflower.
- "Palm oil is banned in developed countries." This is not true. Pay attention to the production statistics: the world share of oil produced is in the USA. Residents of Europe, where a strict ban on the palm is allegedly introduced, argue the opposite: it is difficult to find a product with a "clean" composition.
- "Palm oil is only good for making soap." Yes and no. It all depends on the type of product. Red cold-pressed oil is an example of this: it is included in the food of the inhabitants of some countries.
- "It is not digested in the human body." This is another myth based on the melting point. Up to 90% of the product is successfully digested.
- But how to explain the fact that the inhabitants of Africa and Indonesia have been eating palm fruits since ancient times, and have not died out? Quite simply: refining and hydrogenation technologies have appeared relatively recently. It turns out that the ancients used the most useful type of oil - red.
Palm oil is a controversial food product. The harm of a refined and even more technical type is undeniable. What about the red kind? Can it be considered an elixir for health? This expensive pomace is rare in our markets.
Even if you find such a bottle, you still should not abuse the substance: this will lead to complications in the work of the cardiovascular system, obesity, and cancer. Daily rate - no more than 2 tsp. per day.
You can protect yourself from palm vegetable fats by carefully studying the labels. Give preference to goods marked with GOST and with a familiar name that does not arouse suspicion.
There has been a lot of controversy over the use of palm oil in the food industry in recent years. There are supporters of a complete rejection of the use of this product, proving that the harm of palm oil is undeniable, and, conversely, their opponents, who claim that it is not so harmful, and all talk about its harm is a trick of the interested. You can understand this issue by analyzing all the available information.
What exactly is palm oil? This is one of the types of vegetable oil, which is obtained from the fruits of the oil palm, or rather, from their fleshy part. The largest producers are Malaysia and Indonesia, they import the lion's share of palm oil. In fact, palm oil is not oil at all, but fat, the same as beef, for example. And the appetizing name "oil" - so as not to "frighten us, consumers."
Palm oil has received wide distribution, as it has the ability to improve the taste and appearance of the product, as well as significantly increase the shelf life.
Palm oil has a pleasant taste and aroma of milk cream, and therefore makes the products to which it is added tastier.
In addition, its addition to food reduces their cost.
One of the key properties of palm oil is its high melting point - 38-40 degrees. Of course, it is beneficial for manufacturers to add it to their products. After all, it’s good when there are neat cakes and cakes on the window that don’t flow and don’t lose their shape even in hot weather, or cheese that is beautiful and tasty, but at the same time much cheaper than its dairy counterpart or which has never seen milk.
It has also become indispensable in cooking. Other vegetable fats (for example, sunflower oil familiar to us) have a very low "smoking" temperature - this is the name of the process when, during heating, oxidation products of unsaturated fatty acids harmful to the human body begin to actively form in the oil. In turn, palm oil, due to the high content of saturated fats, can be heated to a higher temperature without forming carcinogens. French fries and other fast food products (such as hamburger patties, cheeseburgers, and the like, as well as potato chips) are most often fried in palm oil.
It would seem wonderful - carcinogens are not formed. Where is the harm of palm oil? However, heat resistance has a downside - once in the human body, palm fat cannot be processed, since the temperature of the human body is lower than the melting point of the oil. It acquires the consistency of plasticine, which greatly complicates its processing by the body, and, as a result, “settles” on the walls of blood vessels.
What are the disadvantages of palm oil?
Due to the high content of saturated fatty acids in palm oil (which is 50%), it significantly increases the level of cholesterol in the blood. For comparison, in olive and sunflower oil, these figures are 10% and 14%, respectively. Without harm to health, the use of foods containing saturated fatty acids should not exceed 10% of the total calorie content of the menu.
Palm oil is especially harmful in combination with carbohydrates, that is, in sweets.
In 2005, the World Health Organization thought about the dangers of palm oil and officially recommended reducing its use as one of the ways.
In addition, palm oil is also harmful because it can significantly enhance the taste of the product to which it is added. A cake or candy with "participation" of palm oil will seem unusually tasty to you, you will want to eat them again and again, which is fraught with overeating, and, as a result, obesity.
Among other things, the body will receive a dose of saturated fatty acids above the permissible norm, and this is already an accumulation.
Another cautionary factor for eating foods containing unhealthy palm oil is that, in the pursuit of profit, manufacturers add too much palm oil to their food. After that, it keeps longer and looks more appetizing, for example, like some of the ready-made muffins and rolls that have become so popular. And you, again, get a loading dose of a product that promotes the accumulation of cholesterol. Therefore, be careful, read the composition on the label. If a manufacturing company has nothing to hide, it will not hide behind the broad concept of "vegetable fats", but will indicate which of them were used. And it is up to you to decide whether to buy such a product or not.
Harm of palm oil for children
Is palm oil used in baby food? The answer is unequivocal - yes, they do. And all because natural cow's milk is significantly different from human breast milk and it is not always possible to give it to a baby. To avoid allergic reactions, manufacturers replace animal fats in mixtures with a combination of vegetable oils - sunflower, corn, soybean, including palm. However, palmitic acid, which is found in palm oil, is poorly absorbed by the children's body.
Human milk also contains palmic acid, but it also has other ingredients that help your baby process it.
This is again due to its high melting point: the child's body is simply not able, so to speak, to "melt" palm oil, and even more so to extract useful substances from it. In addition, such mixtures have a significantly enhanced pleasant taste, and therefore, dependence is formed on the product with palm oil. He likes it more, it seems much tastier, and the baby will simply begin to refuse more healthy and natural types of food in favor of products with harmful palm oil. As a result, you will be forced to buy a certain product, increasing the profit of the manufacturing company. And it’s not a pity to increase her profit, if at the same time the child’s health did not suffer ...
What foods are most likely to contain palm oil?
Unfortunately, palm oil can be used in almost all food preparations. It is used as an alternative to milk fat, and primarily it can be found in vegetable butter, margarine, spreads, condensed milk, dried cream, sour cream, ice cream, cheese, and other dairy products.
In addition, due to its use as a cheaper alternative to animal fats in the confectionery and bakery industries, palm oil is added to a variety of baked goods - buns, cookies, crackers, salty and sweet crackers, muffins, rolls, pastries and cakes, and so on. Also in the "risk zone" are various sweet pastes - chocolate, nut, vanilla and the like, chocolate itself, as well as icing, chocolate and waffle bars are no exception. Chips and french fries have already been mentioned.
How to minimize the harm of palm oil
Of course, try not to buy products containing it. This is difficult, given that palm oil has captivated the hearts of domestic manufacturers. However, it's worth at least trying.
- First of all, read the label - sometimes the presence of palm oil is stipulated.
- The presence of unnamed "vegetable fats" in the composition should alert.
- Buy products made according to GOST, not according to TU.
- Do not buy confectionery products with a long shelf life (months).
- Give up fast foods - it will benefit in any case.
- Ideally, buy dairy products from friends in the village, and bake buns and cakes at home - that's how they taste better.
Once upon a time, in a program about the dangers of palm oil and vegetable fats in general, they told a simple way to check chocolate for the presence of palm oil in it - hold a piece of chocolate in your hands. If it does not melt in the hands (and often in the mouth) - a sure sign of the presence of palm oil.
Of course, it is difficult in the city to provide yourself with high-quality home-made products, but by being attentive to purchases, you can try to protect yourself from the “general” and so harmful palm oil.
About the benefits of palm oil
Is there anything useful in palm oil? In fairness, it should be said that palm oil contains a large amount of vitamin A, which is responsible for good vision, strengthens bones, is an antioxidant, improves the condition of hair, skin, and nails. For comparison, the content of keratinoids in palm oil is more than 15 times! However, in order for the human body to absorb this useful substance, it is necessary to be able to process the product containing it. As mentioned earlier, palm oil is poorly absorbed due to its high melting point, and therefore it is difficult to extract beneficial properties from it for the body.
There is a way out of this situation - the processing of palm oil, during which its "liquid" oleic component is separated from the "solid" stearic component. Palm oil from its oleic component is more useful, it is well absorbed by the body, and is also used for medicinal purposes. However, it also costs many times more. And certainly not such oil is added to food products, but ordinary, without processing, otherwise the cost of such products was extremely high.
Unfortunately, there is no escape from palm oil and the harm it causes. Kids won't stop eating chocolate and ice cream, and we can't imagine a morning without a butter and cheese sandwich. However, we should try to reduce its amount in our diet as much as possible.
Why is palm oil harmful to humans? This question is being asked by a huge number of people in stores today. How else? When this ingredient is indicated even on cups with baby yogurt. In fact, everything is not so scary. And palm oil is not harmful. It even has a use. Another thing is that he has no place in dairy products.
What is palm oil and what is it made from?
What palm oil is made of is of interest to many. Let's figure it out.
This type of oil is produced from fresh fruits of tropical trees. Elaeis guineensis and Elais oleifera. The second type of palm is used less frequently, as it is difficult to cultivate. But often a hybrid of these two species is used.
Motherland Elaeisguineensis is West, South West Africa. Elais oleifera grows in South America. In these regions of the world, palm oil has been used as food for more than 5,000 years.
Today, the main industrial production of palm oil is in Southeast Asia. Mainly Malaysia and Indonesia.
There are two types of palm oil:
- fruit pulp oil;
- seed oil.
The second kind is more useful. But also more expensive. It is used much less frequently than "usual".
Due to the high content of carotenoids, natural palm oil has a red color.
However, many manufacturers refine it and deprive it not only of its red color, but also of many useful properties.
Compound
One tablespoon of oil contains:
- 114 kcal;
- 7 g saturated fatty acids;
- 5 g monounsaturated;
- 1.5 g polyunsaturated;
- 11% of the daily value of vitamin E;
- and many carotenoids, especially beta-carotene and lycopene.
The amount of carotenoids in unrefined palm oil is 15 times higher than in carrots and 300 times higher than in lycopene-rich tomatoes.
In addition to carotenoids and vitamin E, palm oil also contains other antioxidants. For example, vitamin K, as well as coenzyme Q10.
When the oil is refined, all additional useful components are removed from it. In this case, the product becomes less useful, but it does not become harmful either.
50% of the fat in palm oil is saturated fat. Mainly palmitic acid.
This is what real palm oil looks like.
The oil becomes solid at room temperature. And this is good, as it is more suitable for cooking.
At the same time, fractionated oil is not always refined. The refined version is light. Natural red. Fractionated palm oil can remain red but still be solid. This is the most useful version of the product.
In this video you can see the entire procedure for the traditional production of oil from palm fruits.
Beneficial features
Do they exist?
Yes. And not a few.
Palm oil is often demonized. The phrase "it's cooked in palm oil" has become virtually synonymous with "it's poison."
But this is not true.
Palm oil is a healthy food product. This is the fat you can cook with. Unlike many other vegetable oils, which are considered useful, but which do more harm to the body than good. Such “healthy” oils include sunflower, soybean or corn.
Real palm oil is useful if it is not refined. But even in a refined form, it is not dangerous.
Another thing is that today "palm oil" is called God knows what. Something incomprehensible that looks more like oil products than natural vegetable fat, which is palm oil.
So, let's try to list the main beneficial qualities of palm oil.
Protection of the heart and blood vessels
Unrefined palm oil contains many antioxidants that protect the walls of blood vessels from free radical oxidation.
The refined version of the product lacks such properties. However, it is also good for the heart.
It has been proven that regular consumption of palm oil (including refined) instead of harmful vegetable fats makes it possible to increase the level of high-density lipoprotein ("good" cholesterol) and reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein - LDL).
- The oil of palm berries is extremely low in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are oxidized during heat treatment. And in their oxidized version, they cause enormous harm to the body. Palm oil is a saturated vegetable oil that is stable when heated. And this is useful.
- This oil does not contain omega-6 fatty acids. Therefore, its use does not lead to an imbalance of omega-3:omega-6 acids, which is harmful to health, including the cardiovascular system.
In this article, you can read about how it occurs and what negative health consequences it leads to.
Prevention of diseases of the central nervous system
Just as the antioxidants in unrefined palm oil protect blood vessels, they also protect the nervous system from the effects of free radicals on it, and, therefore, from the occurrence of many neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Refined oil does not have such properties, but it is also good for the brain. Since it keeps the vessels intact, that is, it prevents diseases such as vascular dementia in the elderly.
Maintaining Adequate Vitamin A Levels
Only an unrefined product can boast of this useful property, since only it contains carotenoids that turn into the active form of vitamin A in the body.
Red palm oil is an excellent source of carotenoids, not only because it contains a lot of these substances. But also because carotenoids enter the body along with fat. That is, just in the form in which they can be converted by enzymes into vitamin A.
You can read more about how the active form of vitamin A is formed.
What is harmful?
Palm oil, even refined, does not have any particular harm. There is a potential risk to the cardiovascular system that has not yet been proven.
The fact is that not all LDL, but only small sticky particles, pose a threat to the state of the cardiovascular system. You can read more about this in .
Palm oil reduces LDL levels. But how does this change the ratio of different classes of low-density lipoproteins? What is becoming more - large light harmless or small sticky dangerous?
Not yet known. Some studies say the same. Others are just the opposite.
But anyway. Changes in the ratio of different classes of LDL are insignificant. Therefore, they cannot be reliably identified. Therefore, most likely, they do not have any significant effect on health.
So there is no particular harm in palm oil.
Another thing is that today unscrupulous manufacturers, primarily dairy products, put palm oil in their products instead of milk fat, which is one of the most beneficial for humans. Palm oil is even added to infant formula.
The main harm of palm oil is not related to its properties, but to the fact that fats of animal origin necessary for a person are withdrawn from the diet. And even children grow up not on natural milk, but on vegetable oil. which is detrimental to their development. As well as on the health of adults who, instead of natural cottage cheese, are forced to eat a fatty vegetable product, which is not as dangerous in itself as the fact that it replaces other important components of a healthy diet.
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