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Is Palm Oil the New Trans Fat?

FitSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:00:17 -0700

Partially hydrogenated oil is a type of trans fat that has gotten a lot of flak, and rightfully so. This chemically altered fat is known to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and increase your chance of developing coronary heart disease. Many companies are replacing hydrogenated oil with palm oil, saying that's it's a healthier option.

On nutritional labels you might see this ingredient listed as palm-fruit oil, since it's extracted from the fruit of the oil palm tree. This is not to be confused with palm kernel oil, which comes from the palm seed found inside the fruit. Eighty-six percent of the fat in palm kernel oil is saturated (the unhealthy fat), and 50 percent of the fat from palm-fruit oil is saturated, so it's the better choice of the two, but is palm oil considered healthy? To find out read more.

Palm oil is high in saturated fat, and so are butter, whole milk, ground beef, and skin from chicken. These fats should be limited just like trans fats; they clog your arteries and can lead to heart problems. Small amounts of palm oil are seen as safe, but I wouldn't go out of your way to eat foods containing it, and would instead look for foods made with canola or olive oils.

Palm oil has also been in the news over the past couple years for environmental reasons. The palm fruit is found in rain forests, and the production of palm oil is leading to deforestation, which is in turn driving orangutans to near extinction. So if you're concerned about your health and the well-being of the planet, I'm sure you'll be diligently label reading the next time you hit the grocery store.

Do You Use Other Cooking Oils?

partysugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:15:35 -0700

Casa Quickie: Put Your Veggie Oil to Work

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:00:02 -0700

If your vegetable oil thinks it can get away with only working in the kitchen, you better tell it to think again. Veggie oil isn't only good for cooking: you can also use it to remove adhesive left from sticky labels (or the stickers themeselves) on anything around the house. Just drop a bit of oil onto a paper towel or a tea towel and give the adhesive a good rub. If the item you're working on is washable, rinse it with a bit of soap and water. If not, just dampen a tea towel and use a drop of dish soap, then wipe away the oil and adhesive with the cloth. Bye-bye sticky stuff!
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Disneyland Trains Now Running on Frying Oil

partysugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:15:43 -0800

Can you imagine a land where you would go to McDonald's to purchase fuel for your car? Well that world might not be too far off. As of last week, all of the trains at Disneyland's Los Angeles theme park run on a biodiesel oil made from discarded cooking oil. Not only is the park saving money by reusing already purchased oil, but they are demonstrating how large corporations can make an effort to go green. Disneyland's five railroad trains are ridden by an estimated 6.6 million people each year using up about 200,000 gallons of fuel. The resort will generate enough cooking oil to provide half of this fuel. Disney's executive chef, Chris Hustesen, loves the idea and hopes the switch will "make more guests hungry for our fries."

Considering that I always reuse my cooking oil, I admire Disneyland's resourcefulness and commitment to being eco-friendly. I can't help but wonder if other companies will follow their lead. What do you think of the news? Do you recycle old frying oil?

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Connecticut First State to Tackle Counterfeit Olive Oil

YumSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:00:47 -0800

Everyone from health experts to Rachael Ray has touted the benefits of olive oil. As demand for expensive, higher-quality olive oil has grown, however, so has the problem of fraud. Last year, Connecticut officials discovered that some of that state's olive oil was a little too slick. As a result, beginning next month, the state will be the first in the country to set quality standards for olive oil. The state's new regulations prohibit additives and define virgin olive oil as "obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means . . . which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decanting, centrifuging and filtration." California and New York have expressed interest in enacting similar standards because counterfeit olive oil poses a potential health risk to consumers. Some people experience adverse reactions from unscrupulous olive oil, possibly as a result of food allergies to soybeans, tree nuts, and peanuts.

Often, when I'm buying cooking olive oil, I look for bargain prices. Now I'll take more interest in the brands that I choose. Will you do the same? Does this type of criminal activity surprise you?

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Briefing Book! Obama Goes Back on First Campaign Promise?

LibertySugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:30:41 -0800

Obama: How does it make you feel? Obama breaks promise to tax oil company windfall profits. - 23/6
GOP: The comeback party? RNC chair discloses comeback plan that helped Chambliss win. - Politico
Spitzer: The sheriff of Wall Street is back? Fallen Governor Spitzer writes his first column in Slate all about the bailouts. - Slate
Media: Time for a print media bailout? A number of local New England newspapers may get government help, calling into question the meaning of "free press." - Good

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Cooking Oil Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Being a curious creature, I like to compare things. Recently, I decided to focus on cooking oil. I tend to use canola and olive oil when cooking since they're healthy oils, but as I peruse the shelves of oils at the grocery store, there are so many more to choose from. For easy comparison, I created this breakdown. The oils are fairly similar calorie-wise, but take a look at the saturated fat content. This is the fat you want to limit in your diet, so that's why coconut and palm kernel oil should be used or eaten sparingly. Since some of you may prefer to cook or bake with butter or margarine, I included those at the bottom of the list, just for comparison. I also included oils that you wouldn't necessarily cook with, but that you may find in a list of ingredients on pre-packaged foods.

To see the breakdown, read more.

Here's the nutritional info for one tablespoon of oil.

Oil	Calories	Total (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
Almond oil	120	14	1
Avocado oil	124	14	1.6
Canola oil	120	14	1
Coconut oil	117	13.6	11.8
Corn oil	120	14	2
Cottonseed oil	119	14	3
Extra virgin olive oil	120	14	2
Flaxseed oil	120	13.6	1.3
Grapeseed oil	120	13.6	1.3
Hemp seed oil	126	14	1.5
Macadamia nut oil	120	14	2
Olive oil	119	13.5	1.9
Palm oil	120	13.6	6.7
Palm kernel oil	116	14	11
Peanut oil	119	13.5	2.3
Safflower oil	120	13.6	.8
Sesame oil	120	13.6	1.9
Soybean oil	120	13.6	2
Sunflower oil	120	13.6	1.8
Vegetable oil	124	14	.9
Walnut oil	120	14	1.5
Wheatgerm oil	120	13.6	2.6
Butter	102	11.5	7.3
Smart Balance Margarine	80	9	2.5

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US Department of the Interior: Sex, Drugs, and Oil

LibertySugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

The Interior Department, which controls oil and gas collected from US taxpayer-owned coastal waters, has been plagued with shocking ethical abuses, according to a government investigation. Violations range from giving contracts to a retired employee instead of allowing for competitive bidding to substance abuse and promiscuity.

The report states that officials “frequently consumed alcohol at (oil) industry functions, used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.” Officials also allegedly accepted gifts from energy companies that exceed ethics rules, such as golf, meals and drinks, and tickets to a Toby Keith concert. In addition, oil companies were allowed to purchase oil and gas at a lowered price, after they had won contracts.

The alleged ethics mayhem took place in the Mineral Management Service (MMS) and Royalty In Kind Programs. The MMS brings in $10 billion for the federal government each year. It's the second biggest revenue maker after taxes. To find out what the investigation recommends now, read more.

The investigation strongly recommends that the Bush Administration either fire those who accepted gifts, or ban them from certain positions. Many have been transferred to other government jobs. The high-ranking officials retired during the investigation. Thus they could only face consequences if the Justice Department pursued suggested charges, which it has declined to do.

Since the department in charge of taxpayer oil seems to be a free for all, do you think we should hold off putting more oil and money in their hands through increased offshore drilling, or is this just the immoral and illegal behavior by a few bad apples?

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Front Page: McCain Set to Announce Palin as VP, Iraq Signs $3 Billion Oil Deal, Mexico's Court Upholds Abortion

CitizenSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:05:56 -0700

McCain Set to Pick Palin as VP: According to sources close to the campaign, John McCain has picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. A formal announcement is expected shortly at a campaign rally in Ohio. A 44-year-old mom, Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, thought to be awaiting her formal introduction.

Mexico's Court Upholds Abortion:
Mexico's Supreme Court has voted to uphold legal abortion in Mexico City, keeping the city one of only a few places in Latin America that allow abortion without limitations in the first trimester. The Roman Catholic church blasted the 8-3 decision announcing that they will redouble their fight against it.

Iraq Signs $3 Billion Oil Deal:
Iraq has signed a $3 billion oil deal with China, its first oil deal with a foreign country since 2003. The contract is pending approval by the Iraqi cabinet, but if passed work could begin on the oil field in a few months. The 22-year contract is a new version of a 1997 contract with China began under Saddam Hussein.

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Iraq Has $79 Billion Surplus - What's the US Deficit Again?

LibertySugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:15:00 -0700

Thanks to rising oil prices, Iraq will enjoy a $79 billion surplus by the end of the year, according to a report requested by a bipartisan group of senators. While the US has spent $48 billion in American taxpayer money on Iraq's reconstruction since 2005, Iraq has spent only a fraction of its oil revenue on reconstruction projects. And, Iraq spent only 1 percent of its 2005-2007 budget to maintain existing projects already funded by Americans or Iraqis. Thus, preinvasion promises that Iraqi oil money would finance the rebuilding of Iraq have gone unfulfilled.

The Central Bank of Iraq cites a lack of expertise in Iraqi ministries along with security problems as reasons for the lack of spending. There seems to be a vicious cycle: Iraq can't use its money to increase security because there's not enough security.

Congressional Democrats have already called for Iraq to spend its own money on reconstruction. Since the US just predicted a record $489 billion deficit for 2009, hopefully Iraq's windfall surplus will be put to use soon. Should Americans struggling with rising oil prices be frustrated that Iraq is sitting on oil profits while America pays for the reconstruction?

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