Rainforest Organic African Red Palm Oil Diet

A NEW DIETARY OIL FOR THE NEW MILLENIUM - RED PALM OIL

With America becoming even more health conscious, now there’s another choice in cooking oil. Red palm oil is a cholesterol-free, trans-free, non-genetically modified, tasty alternative for cooking, baking and food preparation. In comparison with several other vegetable oils, red palm oil comes out on top in terms of its phytonutrient content and its frying qualities.

Red palm oil is derived from the fruit of the palm tree (the red color is due to the same compounds that are found in tomatoes). It has been used for thousands of years, as a healthy cooking oil throughout the world. As a savvy consumer you may ask, "Why palm oil? What makes red palm oil different from other cooking oils?" There are several reasons to choose red palm oil. Most importantly, it doesn’t just taste good, it’s good for you. An oil that’s good for you? Yes! Red palm oil a non-GMO (genetically modified), cholesterol-free, trans-free oil that’s loaded with phytonutrients such as: betacarotene, alpha-carotene, vitamin E tocotrienols (a powerful antioxidant), lycopene, and other carotenoids.

A daily dose of vitamins from a cooking oil? One of the great things about cooking with red palm oil is when heated, it does not lose its valuable phytonutrients. Red palm oil is naturally rich in carotenoids. It is fifteen times richer in carotenes then carrots, and fifty times richer then tomatoes! It is also the richest natural source of a powerful form of vitamin E called tocotrienols. Tocotrienols have been studied for years and the research demonstrates that it prevents arteriosclerosis and lowers cholesterol. The bioavailability of its nutrients is excellent as these fat soluble vitamins are embedded in the oil medium. One tablespoon of red palm oil exceeds the U.S. recommended daily allowance of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E.

What are tocotrienols?

Tocotrienols are a super antioxidant of the vitamin E family. Current research suggests that antioxidants fight heart disease, cancer and may even slow the aging process. There are two antioxidants in the vitamin E family, tocopherols and tocotrienols. While all vegetable oils have tocopherols, red palm oils have tocotrienols in abundance. In fact among vegetable oils, red palm oil is the only rich source of tocotrienols. Recently palm tocotrienols have been found to have several medical uses. Studies have found that tocotrienols may combat heart disease, lower bad cholesterol levels, neutralize free radicals, and even fight cancer.

A heart healthy diet.

The studies conducted on palm tocotrienols all had one thing in common: the beneficial results. Palm tocotrienols were found to decrease arteriosclerosis2. Arteriosclerosis is the hardening of arteries which can ultimately lead to heart disease. This miracle antioxidant also acts as an anti-thrombotic by reducing unhealthy blood clotting. A diet rich in palm tocotrienols can assist in dilating blood vessels and inhibiting human platelets from "sticking" to one another, thereby potentially lowering the risk of a stroke or heart attack.

Dr. Paul Sylvester of the University of Louisiana says, "Unfortunately many people do not understand the benefits that palm tocotrienols can offer. Therefore, often they have an inadequate amount of this powerful antioxidant in their diet." He goes on to say, "I encourage everyone to consider adding red palm oil to their diet."

Palm oil and cancer prevention.

Palm tocotrienols may play a major role in cancer prevention and treatment. Only second to heart disease, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women today. Most women are not aware of preventive measures they can take. Preliminary research completed at the University of Louisiana and University of Wisconsin in the United States, University of Readings in the United Kingdom and the University of Western Ontario in Canada, suggests palm tocotrienols to be a chemopreventive agent, inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cells. Another study found palm tocotrienols to be just as effective as Tamoxifen, the drug used to treat breast cancer patients. And when used in combination with tocotrienols, Tamoxifen was 45 percent more potent.

Palm oil and palm kernel oil.

"But isn't palm oil full of saturated fat?" No, unfortunately palm oil has been confused with palm kernel oil. Palm oil is derived from the fleshy portion of the palm fruit, while palm kernel oil is derived from the seed or the kernel. Palm oil however, is used worldwide (more than 100 countries) for cooking and other food preparations. Palm oil is currently the number two edible oil in the world.

A non-genetically modified, trans-free oil.

Sounds too good too be true? Well, thanks to palm oil’s natural consistency it does not need to go through the hydrogenation process. One great benefit of not requiring hydrogenation is the cooking odor, or lack there-of. Where other oils would smoke or scorch, palm oil leaves no unpleasant odor. In some food preparations, most vegetable oils require hydrogenation because it offers a longer shelf life by changing the consistency to semi-solid. During hydrogenation oil is heated with gaseous hydrogen and nickel to create the desired consistency. Palm oil is naturally semi-solid so hydrogenation is unnecessary.

The hardening of oils through hydrogenation creates trans-fatty acids. These have been shown to lower the good cholesterol and raise the bad. Because of this the FDA will in the future, require food manufacturers to list the trans-fatty acid content on food labels. Palm oil is trans-free i.e. has no trans-fatty acids.

Research on palm tocotrienols is giving women and men many good reasons to include palm oil in their diet. Most Americans don’t understand the devastating effect a vitamin E deficiency can have on their bodies. Now, people are beginning to understand how vitamin E in palm tocotrienol form can help their day-to-day health, and increase their longevity.

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