10 Benefits of Olives
Olives have become increasingly popular in the West in recent years. They are an important part of Italian foods such as pizza and various pasta dishes, and they have become even more popular as a result of the introduction of the Mediterranean diet. Mediterranean or not, there’s no doubt that olives are great for your health. Olives are a part of a group of fruits that are referred to as stone fruits, sometimes also known as drupes. These fruits are related to other things like mangoes, cherries, and almonds. Olives are high in fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamin E, and they’re also loaded with antioxidants. This means that they can help us improve the health of our heart as well as helping to ward off conditions like osteoporosis and cancer.
As you would probably guess, olive oil is extracted from olives. Olive oil is a very healthy oil as it retains some of the nutrients from the original olives. If you’re going down this route, make sure that you choose extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil because this is processed the least and thus retains the most nutrients. Many unripe olives are green; they tend to become black as they get ripe. There are some species of olive that stay green when they’re ripe, but many of the green and black olives available at the supermarket are the same type unless otherwise labeled.
Regardless, olives are quite healthy. In this article we’re going to discuss ten of the most prominent health benefits that you can expect to experience if you begin including olives or olive oil in your diet.
Benefit #1: Fights Oxidation
Olives are a rich source of antioxidants, which are compounds known to help prevent damage from free radicals in the body. Free radicals are atoms that are missing an electron. They tend to compensate by stealing an electron from a nearby atom, which upsets the balance of the body’s structure.
Antioxidants, on the other hand, have an extra electron. They are able to offset damage from free radicals by providing them with an extra electron so they can be neutralized. Antioxidants are useful for helping to prevent chronic diseases and illnesses, as well as mental health deterioration, caused by oxidation.
Benefit #2: Enhances Heart Health
There are a number of reasons that olives can be useful for helping to manage the health of the heart. They do this by providing the body with oleic acid, one of the most important fatty acids found in the fruit.
This nutrient is known to help the body regulate its cholesterol levels as well as helping to prevent LDL (bad) cholesterol from oxidizing, which can contribute to serious health problems.
Benefit #3: Enhances Bone Health
Another thing that olives are known to do is enhance the health of the bones, particularly by helping to improve upon or prevent people from developing a condition known as osteoporosis. This is a condition that results in problems with bone mass and can make people more likely to experience fractures.
Osteoporosis is much less common of a problem in Mediterranean countries where they are known to eat large amounts of olives. This isn’t just speculation, though. Many studies have revealed that some of the nutrients found in olives and olive oil are useful for helping to enhance the strength of our bones.
Benefit #4: Helps Fight Cancer
Cancer is another disease that is far less prevalent in Mediterranean regions. This is at least partly a result of the nutrients that are provided by olives, which are eaten in abundance in these regions.
One of the reasons for this is because olives are really high in antioxidants. Oxidation is one of the leading causes of cancer. Oleic acid, one of the omega-3 fatty acids that we mentioned earlier, has also been shown to help reduce the frequency of developing cancer.
Benefit #5: Helps Reduce Weight
Olives are rich in nutrients that are useful for helping to improve the body’s metabolism. They can be useful for helping ensure that we get the most out of the nutrients that we consume.
Furthermore, olives are a very low-calorie snack. In fact, their low calorie count—containing only 7 calories a pop—means that they’re actually a negative calorie food. The body actually expends more calories digesting an olive than it consumes.
Benefit #6: Enhances Memory
Olives are rich in a particular class of nutrient known as polyphenols. These are compounds found in many different fruits and vegetables that are known to be useful for helping fight oxidation in the brain.
Something as simple as eating olives a few times a week can help provide the body with enough polyphenols to reduce the development of age-related memory loss.
Benefit #7: Enhances Skin Health
Another thing that olives are useful for is helping to enhance the health of your skin. This is because they are rich in vitamin E, a fat-soluble nutrient that is very important for helping the skin.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and is known to directly help reduce oxidation and oxidative damage in the skin. By eating olives, or using olive oil on a regular basis, you can supply your skin with the necessary nutrition for helping to restore or prevent damage to the skin.
Benefit #8: Fights Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural bodily response. When the body detects an invader or a pathogen it creates inflammation so the immune system knows where to send T-cells to fight the invasion.
However, when people begin experiencing chronic inflammation when they are not sick, problems can arise. This is one of the reasons that anti-inflammatory compounds—like the oleocanthal found in olives—can be so useful for helping to maintain overall health.
Benefit #9: Reduces Appetite
One of the best ways to help curb your appetite is to eat a handful of olives before you sit down for dinner. Olives contain a lot of unsaturated fatty acids that are useful for helping to slow down your digestive system.
These fatty acids also help the body produce cholecystokinin. This is a hormone that’s responsible for transferring the message to your brain that you’re full.
Benefit #10: Improves Digestion
Olives are rich in fiber, a nutrient that’s very important for helping to improve your overall digestion.
In addition to helping the body excrete bile, a substance that takes toxins out of the digestive tract, fiber is important for helping to improve the digestion and absorption of nutrients.
