Extra Virgin Red Palm Oil

[heywood]

Has anybody had a lot of experience with this?

I know many more people will know about EV Coconut Oil, but apparently EVRPO has more tocotrienols than any other food oil by far (tocopherols & tocotrienols are both members of the vitamin E family, and tocotrienols are purportedly 40-60x more powerful as an antioxidant than the more common tocopherols). Just for the record, this stuff has nothing in common with palm kernel oil, which is the stuff that's used for hydrogenated oil. This stuff has much more in common with olive oil.

I used to volunteer at a community kitchen that was into traditional diets and a lot of what they did is really sound science. Eventually I was considering ordering some of this stuff, it's also supposed to be great for your skin and hair.

More substantive data on this stuff will be upcoming. I've eaten it in stews and tomato-based rice dishes and it tasted great.

 

[heywood]

This is not a quotable study, but more common knowledge about EVRPO:

Why is red palm oil so healthy?
Red palm oil is particularly healthy because it contains the above-mentioned carotenoids and a special form of vitamin E. Most people are not aware of the fact that many different kinds of vitamin E occur in nature and that some forms of vitamin E are more beneficial than others. Red palm oil contains vitamin E tocotrienols, a powerful form of vitamin E, which acts as a super-antioxidant.

The carotenoids in red palm oil also act as antioxidants and one of these carotenoids, namely lycopene, is associated with a reduced risk of certain types of cancer.

Our bodies need antioxidants to counteract so-called 'free radicals'. When we are exposed to pollutants in cigarette smoke, industrial pollution, stress, unbalanced diets, pesticide and insecticide residues in food and water, and many other negative environmental influences, we are also exposed to free radicals.

A build-up of free radicals in the body is associated with degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer, as well as general ageing. It is, therefore, in our own best interest to ensure that we eat a diet rich in antioxidants that will prevent the damage that is done to our bodies by free radicals.

What about heating?
Most people are aware of the fact that important nutrients can be broken down or destroyed when food is cooked. Research has shown that red palm oil can be heated during cooking without destroying its rich phytonutrient content.

What are tocotrienols?
Tocotrienols are super-antioxidants that belong to the vitamin E family. Red palm oil is particularly rich in these tocotrienols and is the only vegetable oil that has an abundant tocotrienol content.

Research results
Scientific studies conducted at the Universities of Louisiana and Wisconsin in the USA, the University of Reading in the UK, and the University of Western Ontario in Canada, have identified the following health benefits of red palm oil:

* a reduction in the incidence of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries which can result in heart disease);
* a reduction in blood cholesterol levels;
* a reduction in blood clotting, combined with blood vessel dilation, thus preventing heart attacks and strokes;
* inhibition of the growth of breast cancer cells, which suggests that red palm oil may act as a chemopreventive agent;
* a 45% enhancement of the efficiency of breast cancer drugs such as Tamoxifen.

These research results are good news indeed and may herald a new chapter in the prevention of heart disease and various types of cancer.

The difference between red palm oil and palm kernel oil
Right now, you might be saying, "But palm oil is supposed to be just as harmful as animal fat because it is loaded with saturated fats!" No, there is a vital difference between palm kernel oil and red palm oil.

Palm kernel oil is produced from the seed of the palm kernel and is high in saturated fats. Foods made with palm kernel oil should be avoided as they are potentially harmful.

Red palm oil, on the other hand, is produced from the flesh of the palm fruit, and is very healthy.

Luckily, palm oil has a red colour that will help you make the correct choice.

Interesting comparisons
The following table illustrates the nutritional benefits of red palm oil:

Nutrient Red palm oil Sunflower oil Safflower oil Maize oil Olive oil
Vitamin E (mg) 80 39 27,4 20,7 7,6
Carotene (mg) 50 0 0 0 0

It is evident that the vitamin E and carotene contents of red palm oil are superior to those of the above-mentioned cooking and salad oils.

If you see red palm oil for sale in South Africa, don't be put off by its red colour - the red colour advertises that this oil is extremely healthy and rich in carotenes. Red palm oil is a 'food of the future' and you will be doing your health a favour if you use it as part of your daily diet. – (Dr Ingrid van Heerden, DietDoc)

Now, I'm not saying this stuff is better than EVCO, just that it is a good companion. The flavor of EVRPO is more pronounced, but good for certain food: Chili anyone? :tongue2:

 

[EasyEJL]

hmm i need to find some of this

 

[heywood]

I think this is the best link I've found so far, the stuff is hard to find in stores but if you do please share where you found it:

(I'm not allowed to post links yet) www*dot*wildernessfamilynaturals*dot*com/natural_palm_oil*dot*htm

These guys also sell huge quantities of EVCO, 5 gal drumz wut wut!

 

[heywood]

More info, now I'll stop posting extra data

I know, most of the info is the same but quite important details...

More About Natural Red Palm Oil

(How to read this chart: C12:0 means this fatty acid is a chain of 12 carbon atoms with no double bonds. C16:1 means this fatty acid is a chain of 16 carbon atoms with 1 double bond)

No double bonds means this is a saturated fatty acid, one double bond means it is a mono-unsaturated fat, and 2 or 3 double bonds means it is a polyunsaturated fat.

(there's a table I want to post here but need to look into how to do that)

For many years most of the food people ate, whether it was raw or cooked, came from natural, unprocessed food. Sometimes it was fermented, such as with wine and vinegar or as in breads that use leavening to rise. Nuts and seeds were often times pressed for oils. In Mediterranean countries, the pulp of the olive was used to make precious oil long before the time of Christ. And just like the olive in the Italy, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries, for centuries African palm trees supplied many basic foods from the dates of the date palm in dry, North Africa, to oils from the oil palm in tropical, rainy Africa. For millennia these oil palms have supplied precious, deeply orange oil from the pulp of their fruit.

Our Natural Red Palm Oil comes from Malaysia. Just as the Philippines is considered the "Coconut Capital of the World," Malaysia is considered the "Palm Oil Capital of the World". This oil is rich in natural carotenoids (vitamin A), is a good source of tocopherols (natural vitamin E) and contains tocotrienols, as well.

Natural Red Palm oil is a liquid at room temperature, and has a rich bright red color. When solid, it is a lighter orange-red color. This rich red color is due to the high content of natural carotenoids. The carotene content is above 500 mg/kg! These carotenoids are mainly beta carotene (275mg/kg) and alpha carotene (175 mg/kg). Natural carotenes are also found in other orange foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. Tocopherols and tocotrienols are related fat soluable antioxidants in the vitamin E family.

Tocotrienols are not found in other vegetable oils such as soy bean oil, canola oil, rape seed oil and sunflower oil. However, tocotrienols can be found naturally occurring, but in much lesser quantities, in rice bran, barley, wheat germ and oats.

What are Tocotrienols?

(there's a photo graph that came here, but can't really post here, gotta go set up a flickr account to host these images).

Tocotrienols are members of the Vitamin E family. This family is comprised of both Tocotrienols and Tocopherols. Tocotrienols differ from the Tocopherols in that they contain three double bonds in the side-chain. In total, there are four types of Tocopherols namely alpha, beta, gamma and delta and four corresponding types of Tocotrienols isomers.

Alpha Tocotrienol is 40-60 times more potent than normal tocopherols making it an important fat-soluble anti oxidant . The palm oil based Tocotrienol complex contains all 4 tocotrienol isomers D-Alpha-Tocopherol, D-Alpha-Tocotrienol, D-Gamma-Tocotrienol and D-Delta-Tocotrienol. While most natural vitamin E sources contain primarily tocopherols, Natural Red Palm oil, by contrast, contains mostly tocotrienols and only 15% of the daily value of natural tocopherols.

 

[EasyEJL]

mountainroseherbs.com is about half the price

 

[heywood]

Good work! That seems like a great price, but way too much oil for most people to use in 18 months but I could be wrong.

 

[Beau]

mountainroseherbs.com is about half the price

Great place to buy from. Great selection and pricing, indeed.