I was food shopping the other day, reading labels as usual, and I came upon the ingredient palm fruit oil. I kind of assumed that it was the same as palm kernel oil, but I was wrong. Palm fruit oil (also called palm oil) is extracted from the fruit of the oil palm tree while palm kernel oil comes from the palm seed found inside the fruit. Eighty-six percent of the fat in palm kernel oil is saturated (the not so healthy fat), while only 50 percent of the fat from palm fruit oil is saturated, which makes it a healthier choice for your arteries. Even though it's high in saturated fat, some research suggests that the fatty acids in palm oil can actually raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels in your body. I haven't found any substantial medical evidence to prove this though.
So when you're checking labels, be on the lookout for these oils since they're found in margarines and many processed foods. If the saturated fat content is high, you may want to skip out on certain products, especially if you have issues with high cholesterol or your heart.
Dries Van Noten
V.I.K
DKNY
Good to know...
1Yeah, I had no idea...
2Sadly the demand for Palm Oil is leading to the destruction of rainforest in order to build more palm oil plantations. A lot of native species like orangutangs, tigers, and elephants are suffering from having their native habitat destroying in order to produce more and more palm oil.
Be careful what you eat!
3Great post.
4Thanks, I didn't know this!
5I have to say that palm oil, regardless of its positive or negative nutritional effects on humans, is a horrific ingredient due to its origins. The forests of Indonesia and Malaysia are being destroyed at a rate equal to 6 football fields every minute every day. The islands of Borneo and Sumatra are being decimated and every living creature in the forests is feeling the effects. When palm oil companies move into new forest areas, they don't gently remove the animals. They kill them. In the case of orangutans, adult males and females are beaten, shot and often burned alive on sight. Babies are captured alive and sold on the black market into the illegal pet trade.
Orangutans are on the brink of extinction and unless something is done NOW to protect them, they could be gone within 10 years.
Why is this happening??? For Palm Oil. So with all due respect, please don't encourage your readers to eat it or otherwise consume it via cosmetics and soaps. It is a truly evil substance and is cultivated only at the expense of innocent creatures such as orangutans.
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