Smart Fuel: Palm Oil
Of the tropical oils, coconut gets the most attention, while palm oil gets mostly ignored. The virgin coconut oil has a fairly distinct flavor, but it’s one most people are familiar with, and it lends itself well to both sweet and savory dishes. Palm oil, especially the virgin red variety that gets all the attention for its positive health effects, also has a distinct flavor, but it’s one many people seem to dislike, probably because it’s so unfamiliar (in the US, at least; worldwide, palm oil is the most widely used cooking oil) to our palates. Scott Kustes had a guest post awhile back discussing the tropical oils, but I thought it would be good to give a short, comprehensive primer on the multiple varieties of palm oil.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is extracted from the flesh of the plum-sized palm fruit. In the better brands, the processing that goes into the extraction isn’t overly invasive, and people have been doing it in roughly the same manner (the scale of operations has changed, of course). The main steps, for both small and large operations:
- Separation of individual fruits (palm fruits grow in bunches).
- Softening up the flesh.
- The pressing of the fruit.
- The purification of the resultant oil.
Now, step four is where everything changes. If you want to make an ultra-refined product for shipping to the masses, you subject the raw oil to a purification process that renders the oil white and nearly flavorless. This highly-refined palm oil, as long as it hasn’t been hydrogenated (partially or otherwise), is a great choice for relatively high heat stir frying, but you will be losing some nutritional value (see Red Palm Oil below). Refined palm oil is about 50% saturated fat, 39% monounsaturated fat, and only around 11% polyunsaturated fat, making it stable for cooking (and storage) and semisolid at room temperature. Feel free to use this as a primary cooking oil.
Palm Kernel Oil
Palm kernel oil comes from the same fruit and the same tree, only this time the oil’s coming from the seeds of the plant – or the kernel. Health officials are quick to warn against excess consumption of palm kernel oil owing to its much higher saturated fat levels, which is usually our cue to do the exact opposite. Palm kernel oil is highly saturated (around 80% SFA, 15% MUFA, and 2.5% PUFA), making it fantastic for high heat cooking. It’s very similar to coconut oil. I haven’t tried it myself, and I can’t get word either way about the flavor, so I’m unclear as to how it differs from normal refined palm oil beyond the fatty acid profile. Anyone know?
Red Palm Oil
This is the virgin, unrefined stuff. Palm oil is naturally reddish, and it comes chock full of vitamins and antioxidants. When palm oil is highly refined, though, it loses its color and taste right along with the inarguably beneficial effects. Vitamin E (may help prevent LDL oxidation), betacarotenes (many more than carrots or tomatoes), and co-enzyme Q10 (a major participant in cellular respiration) are all in red palm oil. Furthermore, the vitamin E in red palm oil is made up of both tocotrienols and tocopherols; the vitamin E in most foods is mainly tocopherol, which may be less effective than the tocotrienols abounding in red palm oil. Red palm oil does have a strong taste – according to one Portuguese explorer, “It smells of violets, tastes like olives and has a colour that blends foods together like saffron, but even all this can’t sufficiently describe its special qualities.” A bit of hyperbole? Perhaps. But the point is that you don’t want to be mixing this stuff with just anything; you might, for example, try this West African dish employing red palm oil.
Most health food stores should carry palm oil, both refined and red, and I know that Whole Foods definitely carries both. If there’s no Whole Foods in your area, check out any local co-ops or the smaller health food shops. On the online front, Tropical Traditions makes a great virgin red palm oil that can be ordered.
I think red palm oil is worth having around. For regular sautéing (eggs, for example), butter would probably work just fine, but certain cuisines use a lot of palm oil, and it’s great having options. Plus, it’s an extremely shelf stable fat. Use liberally and with great gusto!
Lon&Queta Flickr Photo (CC)
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
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Thanks for this post.
The only reason I hadn’t bought any was the huge price tag. This post pushed me over the fence
Mark – I like your breakdowns of SFA / MUFA / PUFAs… any idea on the breakdown of the virgin Red Palm Oil?
I bought red palm oil cheaply on Ebay. They advertise it for parrots but its the same stuff and I am on my second liter now. I do all my saute cooking in it. Tocotrienols are usually derived from it and they will regrow hair in balding spots, among other health benefits.
Gordon,
I am going through a crisis now, where I lost half of my hair because of a combination of stress, and a mix of low carb, low fat diet. I know I was worng, and I am suffering the consequences. But your post said this red palm oi can regorw hair. My hair loss was all over, and I am still shedding. I am taking a mix of multi vitamins, biotin, flax seed oil now..but wouldn’t mind trying anything else that is recommended. I don’t have thyroid problems, I checked. My blood test showed than my health is optimum besides the very low cholestrol levels, both good and bad. I am a female and had an amazing shoulder length hair. Now my hair is litterally less than half. This started two months ago, and it slowed down a bit, but hasn;t stopped yet. I am trying not to stress about it, but I am really devastated. I am 5.6, I was 138 lbs, and now I am 128 lbs. That was my goal and am happy with my weight now, but not hair. Please elaborate a little on red palm oil helping hair regrowth if you any more info, or anyone else on this forum. Thanks.
Renee,
I red about tocotreinols regrowing hair on another site. They are abundant in red palm oil and it is used to supplement parrot’s diets to help them keep and restore feathers.
I use a derivative called Toco Sorb from red palm oil and I believe it has filled in a balding patch on my head . I know that Mark has tocotreinols in his Damage Control Master Formula as well.
Good Luck.
Gordon,
Thanks for your reply. I will dig more on the Damage Control Master Formula, as I haven’t seen it yet.
Unfortunately, the Whole foods in my area haven’t carried palm oil in months =(. Lots of coconut, but no palm. I’ve wanted to try it for a long time too.
In other news, I got TPB in the mail one day late for an annual convention I host, and spoke at about exercise and nutrition. I still spoke highly of Primal Blueprint in my speech (my number one recommendation for proper nutrition) but I didn’t have it in hand to show on camera! Oh well. Perhaps you would be interested in speaking next year Mark?
thanks
-Anthony
Details for the convention? Let me know and maybe we can work something out for next year. Thanks, Anthony.
Mark, I know corn (as in popcorn) is a grain and is not part of the PB. However, I love popcorn and have every once in a while. What’s the best oil to use? I never eat microwave popcorn!
LG, cook your popcorn in the microwave with no oil! All you need is popcorn kernels, paper lunch bag, and a staple if your microwave is metal proof or a piece of tape if it’s not.
You’ll need between 1/4-1/3 cup of kernels, put them in the lunch bag, fix the top, microwave as you would for pre-packaged microwave popcorn.
Although palm oil may seem a nice new thing to try, im affraid it is the main reason for the extinction of orang-utans, dont believe me? http://ran.org/the_problem_with_palm_oil/
Coconut oil, hands down, makes the BEST popcorn. Ever.
This may not be true – and so I would appreciate it if someone would correct my potential error – but my understanding is that palm oil extraction/farming is directly responsible for destruction of orangutan habitats.
If true, then it is something worthy of consideration, IMO.
Palm fruit has been planted in Asia to the detriment of wildlife but originally red palm fruit were from West Africa and I buy mine from there. It is easy to discern. The West African Palm oil is not processed.
This is my understanding also. The devastation caused rainforest habitats for palm oil production is revolting. But like a lot of things in life it’s cheaper for corporation to produce in foriegn climates regardless of such farming practices impacts on the forest, it’s endangerd wildlife and in turn on our planet in general. To make matters worse once deforestation has occurred, the nutrients left in the soil are slim to none. Farm this land for a couple of years and it’s completely dead. How can the rainforest then be reestablished if it was the forest and it’s inhabitan that fed nutrients into the earth in the first place?
It’s about making informed choices. Much like the choice as to whether to buy local or imported food stuffs, we all know local is the better choice and should do so as much as we can. Palm oil may hold health benefits but at what price? Grok surely didn’t have plam oil? And I’m sure we can live without it!
I’ve listed a good website as a starting point for those who are intersted in the social, environmental and moral impact of palm oil production and the products that use it. It’s a Australian website, with regards to palm oils use in American products you may want to conduct you own search.
Hope this helps.
Apologies, here is the website: http://www.palmoilaction.org.au/index.html
I probably rely to heavily on coconut oil and ghee in my diet and never really considered palm oil. Thanks for the info!
I use the white palm oil for quite a while now and I can’t say anything bad about it, although it can be pricey…
Russell – It is true and probably why it is sometimes hard to find:
http://redapes.org/learn-about-the-palm-oil-threat/
Be well, Carla aka OneHealthyGirl.com
I had a bottle of spicy red palm/macadamia oil – I wish I could remember the name of the company that made it- so good. It was great for curries and West African/ Carribean inspired dishes. Will get more after reading this- nice to have a variety of cooking fats on hand.
@LG
Ironically I believe tropical oils were the original popcorn topping, until the saturated fat is evil/”vegetable” oil propaganda non sense started a few decades ago.
So, I would go with coconut oil red palm kernel oil. I’ve used coconut oil myself on the rare occasion I eat any organic popcorn. I imagine melted grassfed butter would be a decent option as well.
@Mark
The convention is almost exactly 1 year away. My e-mail is Dream at The21Convention.com
Shoot me an e-mail sometime, I would love to have you there! As for quick details, the third year of the event just wrapped up, over 100 people showed over the course of 4 days. The main demographic is college guys, but there are men in there 30’s and even 40’s at the event, as well as a few women.
The main focus has always been dating and relationship advice for men, but I am always expanding the topics covered at the event, since as the host- and IMO- you can’t succeed in one area of your life and ignore others (health as a prime example!).
A few of our speakers have been seen on national TV, including CNN, and most recently The Tyra Banks Show.
Also, all footage of the event is in true HD, and released free TED style on our main site each year. Each speaker also has the option of releasing their footage on their own and using it however they wish.
talk to you soon (actually I won’t have internet for the next day or 2, but soon enough)
thanks
-Anthony
Thanks Anthony, sounds great!
LG
I noticed some people commenting on the relationship between palm oil and orangutan habitat, so I’d lke to clarify. Please keep in mind that 90% of the global supply comes from Indonesia and Malaysia.
The palm oil industry is guilty of the most heinous ecological atrocities imaginable, including the systematic genocide of orangutans.
The forests of Borneo and Sumatra are the only place where these gentle, intelligent creatures live, and the cultivation of palm oil has directly led to the brutal deaths of thousands of individuals as the industry has expanded into previously undisturbed areas of rainforest.
When the forest is cleared, adult orangutans are typically shot on sight. These peaceful, sentient beings are beaten, burned, mutilated, tortured and often eaten. Babies are torn off their dying mothers so they can be sold on the black market as illegal pets to wealthy families who see them as status symbols of their own power and prestige. I’m not writing this to shock anyone. It has been documented time and again.
Some of the luckier orangutans are confiscated and brought to sanctuaries such as the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue Center, which is home to around 650 orphaned and displaced orangutans in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Many of these orangutans are only several weeks old when they arrive, and all of them are psychologically traumatized and desperate for their mothers– who were slaughtered right before their eyes.
To learn more about the crisis facing wild orangutans because of palm oil and see how YOU can help protect them, please visit the Orangutan Outreach website: http://redapes.org
Thank you for your time!
Richard Zimmerman
Director, Orangutan Outreach
Reach out and save the orangutans!
Adopt an orangutan today!
Thank you for your comment, Richard. Of course, the environmental impact of our food choices is an important part of the equation for me and, I think, many MDA readers. Thanks for the info. I’ll be looking into it a little closer and I suggest readers do, too.
And this is why I keep coming back to MDA…if the community is concerned or disagrees with something, dissent is welcomed, discussed, and encouraged.
I’m going to keep away from Palm Oil, but I’ll be keeping with MDA!
I’m with Richard on this one, having seen both the orangs and the *massive* palm oil plantations in Malaysia & Indonesia up close.
As it’s difficult to differentiate between sustainably harvested and ecologically damaging palm oil, I avoid it entirely. (You’d be amazed at the number of non-food products employing some chemically tortured version of palm oil.)
The idea of a sustainable source in Africa is intriguing, but I’m always wary about “sustainability” — it’s too easy to print up a pretty label to cover abuses 99.9% of your customers will never see.
Coconut oil’s just fine for me!
great discusion. Thanks for the info!
As in a previous post I advocate buying red palm oil from West Africa, where it originated, and where it supports the economic development of native peoples. This is the red palm oil one should buy and not processed oils at all.
Some microwave popcorns do come with palm oil…just read the packages.
Being naturally saturated, palm oil gets a bad rap. Manufacturers make use of it in “natural” peanut butter to keep it from separating.
This is a new source. This what they say. “Red palm oil is free of cholesterol and trans-fatty acids. Rich source of phytonutrients such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, vitamin E tocotrienols, lycopene, which act as a super-antioxidant.These carotenoids are responsible for the striking red colour of the oil.”
site is at:
http://www.rainforestredpalmoil.com
I bought some red palm oil a while ago in the supermarket, but it is actually a blend of palm oil and canola oil. I’m not sure if I should use it now as I don’t hear anything good about canola.
I’d kill an Orangutan in exchange for some red palm oil. Does anyone know where I can find an Orangutan in Toronto, Canada apart from the zoo? I would really like to try some red palm oil!
you can substitute seal blubber and its quite cheap in the Northern territories.
Original, orgainic “Paradise Oil” is my absolute favorite! The company, Jungle Products, makes about six different oils, and 3 of them are unique blends like Vanilla or African Spice… the original is a blend of macadamia, coconut, and red palm oils. It is expensive, so I don’t cook with it like I do my organic bacon fat and coconut oils, but instead use it for making salad dressing because it is liquid at room temperature.
Unique fat makeup(grabbed a bottle from my kitchen and looked at the back):
-14 g total (in 1 tbs)
-7 g Saturated
-8 g monounsaturated
-O g polyunsaturated?
I use red palm oil all the time. Along with pastured butter, it’s one of the most nutrient-dense fats. It does have a strong savory flavor, so I think of it as a combination of a fat and a flavoring. It goes really well in some dishes.
I’m the lucky guy here, my wife’s from Gabon and prepares some dishes with the red palm oil (poulet nyembue or kassava leaves nyembue). At first I found the taste strange, but the more I it goes, the better it gets. The first time I tasted it, it was in Gabon and it was elefant trunc that was prepared with it. That was not so good, as the elefant trunc is quite special.
My wife also brought unrefined palm kernel oil, which is not consumed as food but as a natural wound treatement (it has imho antiseptic and antiparasitic properties).
As 90% of all palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia it is extremely likley that any palm oil bought is directly linked to rainforest destruction and the death and cruetly of orangutans and numerous other species of animal.
This website has more information and (warning) some graphic images.
http://www.born-to-be-wild.org/html/palm_oil.html
As consumers we must ask the companies if they know where their palm oil comes from and what they can do to ensure their supply is sustainable.
Orangutans share 97% of our DNA and they have an estimated 10 years left in the wild.
I know Grok probably did not read but most of us CAN..and can pick up a jar and determone country of origin and know whether it came from Brazil, Africa, or somewhere else. Besides which the plantation oils are preocessed for cheao usage and not the kind we want.
I only buy red palm oil that originates from West Africa. I have found only one such company that offers certified organic red palm oil from sustainable agriculture. From what I understand it is Fair Trade certified as well. No Orangutan problems in West Africa nor destruction of the rainforest. The organic certification is under Ecocert which is the European standard that is more stringent than the USDA standard.
Some websites offer red palm oil from South America or African palm oil that has been traditionally produced but from what I have experienced and been educated on they are sub par tasting oils. You will either get a bland tasting oil that smells funny or a badly produced and dirty red palm oil. So far the best red palm oil is from http://www.rainforestredpalmoil.com
Their oil is phenomenal. Very tasty! I use it in various recipes as a substitute for oil but I have always consumed it as a health supplement. One tablespoon a day is all you need. It gives you a natural boost of energy. I have also been cold/flu free for more than 3 years. Research states that it has the highest content of vitamin A in natures, vitamin E, and super antioxidants. I have asked my local Whole Foods to contact them as well.
I know I’m a little late with my comment, but I’m wondering why they use palm oil a lot in fast food chains if its that expensive.
Do they use an other kind than the healthy one recommended here?
(BTW, my info about fast food chains using palm oil comes from a documentary on palm oil available on Youtube).
Sebastien,
the cheap stuff is not palm oil but palm kernel oil. Even if it is a bit more expensive than shortening (hydrogenated oil) it has it advantages, it’s more stable so it can be used longer, less oil changes, less labour cost. But I suppose it depends more on the company than anything else, AFAIK in Europe McDonalds uses rapeseed oil (canola). In Belgium the real “friteries” use beef tallow. So it depends.
Been using palm oil for a while… and it sure can get pricey. But worth every penny IMO.