Palm oil is an edible oil from the fruits of the palm tree the use of palm oil in our diet dates back to thousands of years traditionally, palm oil was used as a cooking oil in West Africa, SouthEast Asia and Brazil.
Today palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world palm oil has a unique and balanced composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.
More specifically, palm oil contains 44% palmitic acid, 5% strearic acid, 40% oleic acid and 10% linoleic acid, Like all refined fats and oils.
Palm oil contains less than 2% trans fatty acids, two to its unique composition. Palm oil is widely used to replace fatty acids in products.
It has contributed to the almost complete disappearance of industrial trans fats, specifically in Western Europe.
Like all fats and oils, palm oil is a source of energy for our body. One gram of fat provides 9 calories. While carbohydrates and proteins provide 4 calories per gram.
Fats are structural components of cell membranes and hormones. Fat also cushions our organs during movement insulated the body and helps maintain a normal body temperature.
Some types of vitamins (A, D, E, and K) rely on fat for absorption and storage. Palm oil is a good source of natural vitamin E constituents, 70% of vitamin E in palm oil occurs as tocotrienols.
Current research suggest unique biological properties of tocotrienols and warrants further investigation.
A lot of fruits and vegetables, a balanced carbohydrate, fat and protein intake and avoiding high sugar, saturated fats and trans fats.
Video by European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA)
