In India there has been a preconceived notion among many users that palm oil is not a healthy option for cooking. This notion is mainly developed due to the propaganda of few NGOs and the advertising of other vegetable oil brands which claim that they are superior health options. The authenticity of these claims and information has always been a matter of debate.
Very recently I was invited to a blogger’s meet held in Bangalore organized by Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) in association with Six Sigma to spread the awareness of Palm oil and also to clarify on some myths about palm oil. I decided to be part of this event just to have more information about the oil.
The gathering was welcomed by a speech from the host Ms. Priyanka Patel from Six Sigma, followed by the address speeches from Ms. Bhavna Shah, MPOC’s Regional Head for India & SriLanka, and Dr. Meena Mehta, Vice President of Indian Dietetic Association of India. Post the address there were few games and to top it all good food for all .
Ms. Bhavna Shah explained in detail the trends and developments in Palm Oil industry and also the efforts taken by the Malaysian production houses to meet the environmental policies while producing palm oil.
The 5 highlight points that I could take from her address include:
- The myth that palm oil is unhealthy is not true. It is in fact no different from the other vegetable oil available in the market and is the world’s first certified sustainable vegetable oil.
- Palm oil has good resistance to oxidation and highly heat stable hence it is ideal for deep frying than frying with polyunsaturated oils.
- Palm oil is the highest yielding oil crop and hence will be able to address the growing demand of increasing world population.
- Palm oil is also used in the production of soaps, shampoos, toothpaste and in pharmaceutical companies for tablets and other medicines. We all are consuming Palm Oil in some form or the other without being aware of it
- The false campaigns and allegations about palm oil production in Malaysia by deforesting rain-forests and destroying wildlife are not true. The Malaysian Government is highly committed to protect forest land and wildlife. In fact , Malaysia has a no-burn policy, so, each part of the tree is used in some form or the other . Biodiesel, which is known as the green fuel of the future is also produced from Palm tree .
Dr. Meena Mehta, explained us how we could incorporate palm oil into our diet to make it healthy. As per her, palm oil when used in moderation is beneficial for our health and it is always better to alternate the cooking oils and just not stick to one type of vegetable oil.
To sum it up, the meet was very informative .A lot of facts were shared about Palm Oil, its history, the positives, few misconceptions and their clarifications.
If you are interested and want to know more details about palm oil, you can visit MPOC’s official site by clicking the following link to get further information
This is interesting, many unknown facts about Palm oil. Thanks for sharing…