How to choose high-quality palm oil product?

A friend of mine recently asked me about palm oil. Is it good or bad? He was obviously referring to the high saturated fats content in palm oil. I guess the 'saturated fat and cholesterol phobia' is still haunting and bothering most people who live on this planet earth at present day. Should I consume coconut oil or palm oil? Is it safe? Which brands to choose? 

Well, I won't mention any particular brand, as I don't have any financial tie with these companies. But I will explain the reasons why high quality palm oil are beneficial to the body and health, and both coconut and palm oil are primarily MCT (medium chain triglycerides). First of all, let me clear the confusion of saturated fats. It is NOT harmful nor does it store or accumulate body fat upon ingestion. Please remember and write it on a sticky pad and put it on your refrigerator or kitchen. 

Just like coconut oil, not all products are manufactured the same methods or level of processing. I've personally purchased products which has an unpleasant smell or taste (chemical smell?). I boycott those brands and never invest my money ever again for those manufacturers. Just the same with palm oil, you would want to look for below criteria to ensure high quality, and as minimal processing involved as possible, and of course, preferably organically grown. 

Some of you might wonder, how about the palm oil (olein) products sold in supermarkets or grocery stores? Is it safe to use for cooking with high temperature? Basically, a high quality palm oil product would be slightly more expensive then coconut oil. I have to admit that it would be a bit more difficult to find reliable high quality organic palm oil products (especially in my country). The commercial palm oil products sold in supermarkets and perhaps also in health foods stores are basically highly processed, low quality, refined and most likely oxidized. Selling at couple of dollars a bottle would explain why it is so cheap for a so called 'palm oil' product. Well, if you have tasted a real high quality unrefined red palm oil, you will know exactly what I'm saying here. So, avoid commercial 'palm oil' if you need to use it for cooking, it would be much better to use animal fats, ghee, organic butter or coconut oil for high smoke point meal preparation. 

What to look for in palm oil product?

- Organic

- Unrefined

- Red Palm Fruit

- Non-hydrogenated

- No Hexane

- Non-GMO

- Gluten-free