Is Palm Oil Bad for You? Here’s What to Know About This Food Ingredient

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If you ate packaged food today - like cookies, frozen pizza, or crackers - you may have had some palm oil. In fact, about half of all packaged goods sold in grocery stores contain palm oil.

Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree. Another type of palm oil is palm kernel oil, which comes from the fruit's pit. They're often called "tropical oils" because they're mostly grown in tropical climates.

Palm oil has become more common in the processed foods we buy. It became widely used after the FDA banned partially hydrogenated oils in food. Palm oil is a versatile oil, and it doesn't spoil as quickly as most other oils.

Since it's becoming so common in pre-packaged food, you may be wondering how it affects your health. Let's take a closer look.

Is palm oil bad for you?

Palm oil isn't considered a healthy oil, but it's not that clear how bad it is for you. There are a few reasons why many experts believe it may not be good for your health.

It's high in saturated fats

Palm oils are high insaturated fat, a type of fat that has been linked to high cholesterol levels. Saturated fat occurs naturally in animal products like meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Palm oil contains about 50% saturated fat, and palm kernel oil has about 80% saturated fat. For comparison, corn oil,olive oil, andsoybean oil have about 15% saturated fat.

Studies suggest that eating higher levels of saturated fat can raise cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Some evidence has found that people who reduce the amount of saturated fat they eat may lower their risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

Some experts, though, don't think saturated fat is that bad for you. A few studies suggest that the evidence on the risks of saturated fats is inconclusive.

Still, most dietary guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat to 10% or less of your total daily calories.

It may raise your cholesterol levels

Studies on palm oil suggest that it raises total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. LDL is the "bad cholesterol" that can clog arteries. High LDL is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Palm oil is thought to raise LDL because of its high levels of saturated fat.

Is eating palm oil bad for the environment?

Environmental groups have been concerned about palm oil production. That's because its widespread use around the world has led to deforestation. Cutting down forests to create palm tree farms contributes to greenhouse gasses and threatens endangered species.

In recent years, environmental groups and food manufacturers created a partnership to encourage sustainable growing practices. These efforts have led to a decline in deforestation from palm oil farms.

What foods contain palm oil?

Palm oil and palm kernel oil are often found in ultra-processed foods. These are manufactured foods that have been highly altered from their natural states.

Ultra-processed foods that are likely to contain palm oils include:

• Cookies

• Ice cream

• Chocolate

• Margarine

• Instant noodles and ramen

• Packaged bread

• Breakfast cereal

• Fresh and frozen pizza dough

How to eat less palm oil

Here are some tips that can help reduce palm oil in your daily diet.

Choose packaged food with less palm oil

Since palm oil has made its way into so much of the food supply, it's hard to avoid completely. But some pre-packaged foods have less palm oil than others. Here's how to find them.

First, scan the package's ingredient list for palm oil or palm kernel oil or any of these spin-offs:

• Palm olein

• Palm stearin

• Palm kernel olein

• Palm kernel stearin

Then check the level of saturated fats:

• If the amount of saturated fat in a food is low, then the amount of palm oils is also low.

• Look for "saturated fat" on the nutrition facts label and its percent daily value (%DV). A daily value of 5% or less is considered low.

Choose more foods made with unsaturated fats

You can swap foods higher in saturated fat for those made with unsaturated fat. This is considered a healthier fat.

Most vegetable oils - like olive, corn, and canola oil - contain high levels of unsaturated fat.

Choose whole foods when you can

Whole foods are foods that are closer to their natural state. They're not highly processed. And they're likely to contain low levels of palm oils or none at all. They can be fresh, frozen, or canned.

Some examples of whole foods include:

• Whole grains (wheat, oats, rice)

• Fruits and vegetables

• Legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils)

• Nuts and seeds

• Unprocessed animal protein (meat, fish, and poultry)

• Eggs

It's not always easy or possible to eat whole foods. Pre-packaged meals are often easier and faster to prepare. But aim for making a regular meal or two mostly with whole ingredients. And for snacks: You can alternate by choosing fruits and nuts instead of chips and cookies.

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