While popular thought holds that winter is the time when Americans pack on the pounds, summer can be fraught with food dangers as well. Chow down on one (or 10) too many ballpark hot dogs, burgers or ice cream cones and all the water skiing in the world won’t burn the calories you’ve consumed.

Summer can be a good time to adopt some wholesome culinary habits – like incorporating fresh fruits and veggies into your daily diet, and replacing trans-fat laden oils with more healthful alternatives. With cities across the country requiring restaurants to eliminate trans fats from their foods, American restaurateurs and consumers alike are discovering an alternative oil widely used by the rest of the world – red palm oil.

“Palm oil is great for summer cooking,” says Emily Mattison, president of Jungle Products, which sells red palm oil and other natural products both online and in specialty stores such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats. “Palm oil is a ‘light’ oil – light in mouth feel but rich in flavor. Grilled fish, chicken or veggies will have a unique, pleasant, earthy and caramelized flavor.”

Palm oil is a healthful, flavorful enhancement to summer cooking, providing:

* High nutrient content without the trans fats found in the hydrogenated vegetable oils commonly used for frying, grilling and marinades.

* Better cooking medium. Other healthful oils like olive and canola are not good for deep frying or grilling because they smoke at high heat. Palm oil is stable enough to stand up to the high heat of flash grilling or searing without smoking.

* Rich in all the oil-soluble vitamins vital to health, palm oil also provides the most vitamin E, beta-carotene and tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E thought to prevent free radical damage) of any natural source. According to the American Palm Oil Council, palm oil and its solid form, palm olein, surpass other alternative oils for nutritional value because they contain many potent antioxidants.

* Easily available at most health, organic and natural food stores, many supermarkets and online at www.junglepi.com. Mattison discovered palm oil and its numerous health benefits years ago while searching for a way to help her sons, both afflicted with spinal muscular atrophy, to meet their unique nutritional needs. At that time, palm oil could only be purchased in the United States in 55-gallon drums.

Now the entire Mattison family enjoys incorporating palm oil into their summer diet. Here are a few of their favorite summer recipes:

Ryan’s Grilled Yams

Ingredients:

Two large yams
Palm oil (enough to brush on yams)
Brown sugar (to taste)
Sea salt (to taste)
Cinnamon (to taste)

Preparation:

Peel the yams, cut off the tips and slice lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick spears. Brush with palm oil. Sprinkle with brown sugar, sea salt and cinnamon. Grill on the low heat side of the grill for about 20 minutes until tender.

Chicken in Red Palm Oil

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut up for frying
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/4 cup Red Palm Oil

Preparation:

In a large cast iron or frying skillet, melt the Red Palm Oil. Heat the oil over high heat until you notice the typical “burn off” that is the result of not filtering the oil. You will notice a small amount of smoke followed by the oil darkening several shades. Reduce heat to medium.

In a small bowl, mix the salt and spices. Dust the chicken with the spice mixture. Place the chicken in the skillet and cover with a lid. Cook each side of the chicken until it is well browned and thoroughly cooked. Drain and serve with BBQ Red Palm Oil Veggies.

Serves four to six people.

BBQ Red Palm Oil Veggies

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus or 2 zucchini or other squash, sliced
1/2 cup Red Palm Oil

Sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Sprinkle the squash or asparagus with the sea salt and coat in Red Palm Oil. Grill the vegetables on both sides until tender. Serves three to four people.

To learn more about the benefits and uses of palm oil, visit www.AmericanPalmOil.com. For more recipes, healthful products and palm oil, go to www.junglepi.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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