Monday 16 December 2019

All You Should Know About Palm Oil, Health Benefits & Food Security

Palm oil comes from the fleshy fruit of Oil Palm.
The main source of palm oil is the Elaeis guineensis tree which is a native of South West Africa.
In recent years palm oil production has increased in countries like Malaysia & Indonesia.

Unrefined Palm oil is also called as Red Palm oil because of its reddish-orange color.

Palm oil is one of the least expensive and most popular oil worldwide.



Health & Nutrition Benefits of Palm Oil 
Palm oil contains both saturated and unsaturated fats, Vitamin E and antioxidants which our body can convert into Vitamin A.

Benefits :
* Reduces the risk of heart diseases.
* Lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol in the body.
* Good for the brain as is rich in antioxidants.
* Rich in Vitamin A & E.
* Improves skin and hair health
* Also helps to increase absorption of Vitamin A in people suffering from Cystic Fibrosis ( who has difficulty in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins)
* Helps to increase metabolism and thus helps in weight management.
* It's purely Vegan.
* Good to prepare Desserts as it does not have any specific flavor so it retain the flavor of the dish.
* It is stable at high temperatures so good for deep frying.

14 gms of palm oil contains 114 calories.

How palm oil helps in food Security :
Production of palm oil needs less land, fewer fertilizers, fewer pesticide.
So more oil is produced in less land.
Palm oil needs only 5% of land to produce 38 % of the cooking oil worldwide.
With the increasing demand for cooking oil worldwide palm oil is a good option.
And it's affordable too.

Palm oil also generates revenue worth billions of dollars and is estimated to employ 6 million people globally which is too good.

Image result for images of palm oil


Palm Oil and Its Many Uses :
There are various uses of palm oil :

* Consumer retail food and snack manufacturer.

Since palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature it gives baked goods creamy texture.
It is added to both frozen and fresh pizza dough to stop it from sticking together and to enhance texture. So Palm oil is used in the manufacture of Cookies and other bakery products.

* Personal care and cosmetics ( for this palm kernel oil is used)

Palm oil is used as a conditioning agent that helps to restore natural oils of hair that are stripped away by most of the shampoos.
Palm oil is also used in Lipsticks as it holds the color well. Doesn't melts at high temperature and has a smooth application.

* Animal feed ( for this palm kernel expeller is used)

Palm oil and its derivatives play a significant role in animal nutrition.
Palm oil and Palm kernel oil can be used to replace butterfat in milk replacers for feeding young animals. Palm oil Fats are also used in the diet of dogs, cats, and horses.

* Pharmaceutical

Palm oil is used in preventing or treating of lack of Vitamin A ( deficiency of Vitamin A)
It is also used to treat high blood pressure, high Cholesterol, dementia.

* BioFuel & Energy

Palm oil can be used to prepare Bio-Oil and Bio Diesel.

Is Palm success it's greatest enemy?
Since palm is more affordable than many other oils, its competitors raise a question on its goodness, health benefits or problems, etc.
The Malaysian Palm oil industry is a highly regulated industry and has adhered to more than 15 laws and regulations regarding Palm oil Industry. The industry and it's R&D arm is continuously working to improve the industries' environmental performance.
Various approaches and technologies aimed to reduce the impact of the industry on the environment have been converted to successful practices in palm oil plantations, mills, refineries, etc.

The palm tree is unique in the way that they have a higher leaf area index which allows them to have better photosynthesis which means more oxygen, which is good for the environment.

One can check this site to know more details about Palm oil  mpc.org.in 

( Image Source: Google)

Do share your views on this topic in the comments section below.

Love
Ghazala


14 comments:

Unknown said...

This is so interesting thanks for writing and letting us know

Unknown said...

Many things I was not aware of...but got clear by reading your blog

Pallavi Jain said...

Wow... amazing information which I didn't knew..
I only know about cooking food oil ..but you wrote very informative post..

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing about this oil,didn't know about it,such informative post๐Ÿ˜Š

Sandy N Vyjay said...

Palm Oil is indeed a very healthy alternative to traditional cooking oils like groundnut oil etc.. This is really a very informative piece and highlights the health benefits and nutrient value of Palm oil very well.

Makeup N Me said...

Palm oil is really very good for health. I will also try to use this oil in preparing my food.

Asfa said...

Hearing alot about palm and it's benefits, looking forward to try it especially in frying.

AmritKaur_Amy said...

Palm oil has good benefits for our body and health. We have started using it in our daily cooking.

Siddhi said...

Great to see a blog on palm oil. It has been a staple since bachpan. And it is absolutely beneficial.

rohini said...

Palm oil has always been a beneficial oil. Every oil does have its disadvantages but Palm oil's advantage makes up.

Reubenna Dutta said...

No wonder why palm oil is the most widely produced oil in the world today. Its great to know that it is so good for health

Shub said...

I haven't use Palm oil yet for food . This post has piqued my interest and would lobe to explore more about it.

Shub said...

^love

Anita Singh said...

Myth suna tha ki palm oil health k liye accha nahi hau, husband heart patient hain to risk bhi nahi liya
Per ab sab clear ho gaya to isko cooking k liye buy karungi ๐Ÿ˜Š