answer:Hearts of Palm are actually my favorite food. As far as killing a whole tree goes, it really depends what kind of heart of palm you are eating. If you live in the US, then you are probably eating heart of palm from a peach palm which has several stalks as opposed to the single stalk in the coconut palm. The peach palms are cultivated in Costa Rica, so check the can you are eating them from and make sure they are from Costa Rica, and therefore more ecologically sound. FYI A salad containing hearts of palm is also known as a "millionaires salad"