Call for switch to palm oil in India

Bengaluru: In order to highlight the health benefits of palm oil and efforts taken by Malaysia towards sustainability and sustainable palm oil, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) organised a series of engaging consumer interactions which were chaired by eminent personalities from the fields of health and nutrition. The events were held consecutively from November 16 to 18, 2021 in Vizag, Vijayawada and Bengaluru. The interactions were attended by a variety of target consumers ranging from homemakers to chefs, entrepreneurs and fitness enthusiasts. Experts and specialists shared their knowledge on palm oil, its benefits and its application in our daily life, especially in food.

Ketan Mehta, a practicing cardiopulmonologist and diabetologist at trusted hospitals across Mumbai, shared his experiences with his perspective on how small changes in diet can make a huge difference. He opined that palm oil is rich in Vitamin E and the absence of trans fat makes it a viable and appropriate choice for cooking in India where lifestyle diseases are on the rise. According to him, it's rare for any other cooking oil to provide the nutritional balance that palm oil provides. Through her presentations, Dr Meena Mehta, associate retired professor in food science and nutrition and a senior nutritionist. cautioned that urban India's diet was showing an emerging unhealthy trend and it is the likely link between the rise in cases of cardiovascular and other diseases. She also engaged actively with participants on how food plays a major role in alleviating other lifestyle disorders and hence advocated for a healthy switch to alternatives such as palm oil.