10 Benefits of eating Olives

10 BENEFITS OF EATING OLIVES

Sure they’re delicious, salty and fun to eat, but the benefits of olives are that they’re great for your health too.

Not all olives are of the same quality so make sure you’re buying them from a company who sources, processes and manufactures olives with other fresh ingredients, oils and herbs for freshness and increased health benefits. My favourite is Olives Et Al based in Dorset UK.

Here’s 10 health benefits of eating olives and why you should simply eat more olives every day:

1. Antioxidant Food– Free radicals can cause age related illnesses and contribute to strokes, cancer and heart attacks. Yikes! Olives are antioxidant rich food, which means every time you eat them you send an army of good guys into your system to help those bad-guy free radicals chill out.

2. Low Calorie – One olive only has about 7 calories. They have a ‘negative calorie load’, which means you burn more calories digesting an olive that you gain eating one.

3. Good Fat - Despite the common misperception, olives are not fattening. They contain mono-unsaturated fat, the same good fat you find in nuts and avocados. Mono-unsaturated fat in the diet increases good cholesterol.

4. Memory – Olives contain polyphenols, a natural chemical that reduce oxidative stress in the brain. By eating a daily serving of healthy olives you can help improve your memory. Remember that!

5. Beauty – Eating healthy olives helps skin stay soft and healthy since they contain oleic acid. Eat olives = stay good-looking.

6. Appetite control – By eating a few olives before a meal, you can take the edge off your appetite. This is because the monounsaturated fatty acids contained in healthy olives slow down the digestion process and stimulate the hormone cholecystokinin, which sends messages of fullness and satisfaction to the brain.

7. Pain reduction – Olives oil contain oleocanthal, a substance with anti-inflammatory agents that can act as a natural Ibuprofen.

8. Vitamin E – Olives are a great source of vitamin E, which has the ability to neutralise free radicals in body fat. Especially when working with the stable monounsaturated fats found in olives, vitamin E can make cellular processes safer.

9. Fibre – Olives are full of dietary fibre. Your microbiome and the probiotics within it lo-o-o-o-v-e fibrous foods.

10. Immune System Booster - Olives play an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system, especially during oxidative stress and chronic viral diseases.

So reach for some olives the next time you want to brighten up a salad, have a snack or add to your favourite sauce or casserole.

Bx