Trying to Live Palm Oil Free

By now, we all know that palm oil is bad. But what can we do about it?

One way to start is by writing to your favorite brands that use palm oil and asking them why they use it. Also, let them know that you would feel more comfortable buying their product if it did not contain palm oil and that you will be looking to buy similar products that are palm oil free. While this may seem trivial, it will show the company that consumers are concerned about palm oil being used in the products they buy.

It may be difficult to write emails to the companies, but that is far from the most challenging part about trying to live palm oil free for me. The most challenging part is trying to buy and support products that are palm oil free.

Even though I have known about and been trying to avoid palm oil since fall 2015, it is still a struggle to find products that do not contain palm oil. I want to pass along some of the tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way so that you can try to make more sustainable purchases!

1. Take baby steps – Changing any type of habit isn’t easy; changing your buying habits can seem almost impossible. We are so accustomed to walking down the grocery store aisles and picking up the same products we always buy without taking the time to read the ingredients or even really consider our options. Instead of becoming overwhelmed at the idea of having to go cold-turkey on palm oil, pick one or two products to replace at first. The first thing that I changed was my peanut butter. Between using it on toast, apples, bananas, celery, oatmeal, and sandwiches, I eat a lot of peanut butter. The first time I looked for palm oil in peanut butter, I was on the condiment aisle reading labels for about 10 minutes. However, I was able to find an affordable replacement so I could keep getting my peanut fix. Fellow Walmart shoppers might want to try their Great Value Brand Creamy Peanut Butter – it has a red lid and contains no palm oil!

2. Learn Key Words – Knowing how palm oil is listed on most products will help speed up your shopping process! Palm oil can be labeled as over 200 different things. I know that sounds intimidating, but there are a few names that are used most often: palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmitate, palmate, vegetable oil, and any other variation of words containing “palm” in the ingredient list. The tricky one to watch out for is vegetable oil. Some companies that use vegetable oil list out exactly what type of vegetable oil they use. For example, their label might say “Vegetable oil (sunflower and soybean).” Some companies are using this as a way to better inform their consumers and also distance themselves from palm oil. If a label says “vegetable oil” but does not specify which type, it is highly likely it contains palm oil due to the frequency of its use and companies wanting to disguise their use of palm oil. Now, this might not always be true, but it is something to pay attention to when checking for palm oil.

3. Don’t Get Overwhelmed – Be proud of yourself for trying to make more sustainable purchases and try not to get too bogged down when you don’t succeed. Some products simply don’t exist without palm oil. Some palm oil free products are $5 higher than those that do contain palm oil. Sometimes you just really crave that snack made with palm oil, and that’s ok. Even making small changes in the amount of palm oil products you consume can compile into long term decreases in palm oil use. I’ve been working at this for almost two years. While I have greatly decreased the amount of palm oil products I buy, it’s unrealistic to assume I will ever live 100% palm oil free. My favorite sweet treat is made with palm oil (Haribo Gold Bears) and the only shampoo that truly calms and smooths my frizzy hair contains it too (Garnier Whole Blends Honey Treasures Repairing Shampoo and Conditioner – they label it as “Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil” which is the scientific name for palm oil).

Making the choice to use less palm oil is time consuming and can feel overwhelming. However, just replacing one or two items can have major impacts for rainforests, workers, and endangered species over time. Keep working at it and before long you will be instinctively reading labels and identifying products made with palm oil in just a matter of seconds!