Originally from Africa, where there are now still numerous wild plantations of palm trees, and this type of oil has been used for over 5000 years for food, palm oil is the third in world consumption of oils. But is palm oil a healthy oil? Palm oil is obtained from the flesh that surrounds the seed by crushing and pressing it. Pits are separated, and after being broken and peeled, it can be processed in turn, resulting in oil palm kernels, which represents about 10% of total production obtained from palm oil.



Essence oil is processed separately because the composition and use are different. The oil can be used for the preparing various food products and nowadays it seems like palm oil will replace sunflower oil. Why? Because palm oil is resistant to very high temperatures - 230 degrees Celsius, it does not smell and it also does not make smoke when cooking.  Research in the U.S. has shown that palm oil is rich in vitamins A and E, characteristic that makes palm oil a healthy oil.



These vitamins are powerful antioxidants and have an important role in preventing early aging. But according to nutritionists, palm oil's main asset is the strength of the toast. Palm oil does not degrade during roasting and does not form toxic substances, as is it happens in the case of other oils. You should not encourage the consumption of fried food, but if you do, however, it is recommended to use a high temperature resistant oil. Unrefined palm oil can resist at temperatures up to 230 degrees Celsius, while olive oil - 180 degrees and sunflower oil just 160 degrees.

Palm oil has major advantages over other vegetable oils: it is not absorbed in food, it doesn’t smell, it doesn’t make smoke and it maintains its color. Sunflower oil, though, is very sensitive to roasting. Therefore, it is safe to assume that palm oil should be used than for frying more often than sunflower oil.

Palm oil contains 40% - mono unsaturated fatty acids, 10% - 50% polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids in a smaller percentage. The first two categories of acids - the unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids - remain liquid at the room temperature, while those saturated at the same temperature are solidifying. This explains the fact that palm oil is solid at room temperature.

Many people say that palm oil promotes atherosclerosis’ development, due to the high amount of saturated fatty acids, but it was found that palm oil does not increase the level of blood fats, although rich in saturated fatty acids. As evidence, think about the situation in Asia, where palm oil is commonly used for cooking, the incidence of cardiovascular disease is very low. You should keep in mind that during roasting, the food is releasing a substance that affects the central nervous system and promotes cancer.



Acrylamide appears especially during roasting of non-fat potatoes at high temperatures: sunflower oil, margarine, butter. During roasting foods high in protein - meat, fish - are generated smaller quantities than in those rich in carbohydrates: potatoes, bread. But even if we use only palm oil, specialists advise us to limit consumption of fried foods. Large amounts of acrylamide found in fried commercial products: peanuts, almonds, cereal, chips are in any way recommended for our healthy. As a conclusion, I hope I have managed to present a few of the benefits of using palm oil in your daily meals and also I believe I have answered the question “Is palm oil a healthy oil?”.