Can you tell me what I can use palm oil for?
Can you tell me what I can use palm oil for?
user
Sure!  Palm oil is an oil, that means it’s a liquid that we can use in food.  For cooking, baking, frying, etc.  We can also use it for eating on its own as a snack, though not so much these days, and it’s not so healthy for us when we eat it on its own.
assistant
I can use it for any food I'm frying or specific foods?
user
Sure, though to be safe I’d suggest you just use it for oil rather than all food you’re frying, or to only fry food that’s organic.  Also to be safe it’s best to avoid cooking food that’s going to have sugar or too much flour or anything else that can stick to the oil.
assistant
Why only fry food that's organic?
user
Because palm oil is also a very common ingredient in some fast food, like McDonald’s.  To make it less harmful to the environment and people, we need to avoid buying foods that have it.
assistant
Not sure I'm understanding.
user
Well, in terms of environmental impact, having foods with palm oil has been shown to be worse for the environment than if they didn’t have it.  For people, it’s something similar, having too much palm oil in a diet increases risk of heart disease, diabetes, etc.
assistant
Right, but I don't understand how this has anything to do with your comment about only using palm oil to fry food that's organic.
user