Olives Nutrition and Health Benefits
You should eat olives every day, in your salads, in cooked dishes or on their own in breakfast with cheese and tomatoes. Whether they are black, violet or green, olives, and olive oil offer plenty of health benefits, being rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients.
There are more than 500 types of fragrant and tasty olives and they’re all great for health and will help keep your body healthy and in good shape. By integrating olives into your daily diet you’ll help boost your health in different ways. But please try and go for the fresh and organic olives rather than the canned olives with added chemicals.
Most of us already know that olive oil is good for you because of being rich in good fats like oleic acids which make up the 3/4 of the total content. Oleic acids are mono-unsaturated fatty acids that have a positive impact on your cholesterol levels and help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. And you’ll find that olives are low cholesterol type of food with only about 0.2mg out of 100g.
They are also reported to glutathione protein production in the blood which helps produce energy. Olives, despite being high in fat are low in calories and there are only 150 calories in 100 grams of olives which is up to four times less than some sweet or salty snacks. And it is not that easy to eat 100g of olives in one go when you think about it, as they are also rather filling.
So olives can actually help you lose weight and keep in good shape despite their high-fat content as monounsaturated fats are linked to better insulin sensitivity, better digestion, better satiety and a loss of abdominal fat. Iron, which is an important mineral for producing the red blood cells and oxygenating your body is plenty available in olives as 100g of black olives will give you almost half of your recommended daily intake for iron and this will help stimulate your immune system.
Olives are also rich in vitamin E content that protects against the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun, helps reduce the wrinkles and enhances the skin microcirculation and helps to fight against aging, keeping the elasticity and suppleness of the skin intact. With a high Vitamin A content olives help fight glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration, protect the cornea and maintain great eye health.
Olives contain polyphenols which have the antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As a hypoglycemic food, olives can be rather beneficial for diabetic patients, with the insulin resistance index measured to be much lower in those that consume olives and olive oil regularly. They can protect against chronic constipation by lubricating your colon and making the bowel evacuation easier. This way, olives help clean the digestive tract nicely and improves your internal hygiene.
* Olives have a low glycemic index value of 15. For 3.5 ounces of olives, you have 3 grams of carbs and 2 grams of dietary fiber, which ends in just 1 g of carbs to be broken down into sugar.
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