Here are a few tips on what to look for: Step outside the supermarket. Frank Lipman, M. For Dr. Frank Lipman, health is more than just the absence of disease: it is a total state of Check out Functional Nutrition Coaching. Frank Lipman, health is more than just the absence of disease Jamie Schneider.
Integrative Health. Jason Wachob. Personal Growth. Sarah Regan. Eliza Sullivan. Latest Articles Home. Emma Loewe. Functional Food. Simon Hill. Lindsay Boyers. Previous Next. Folder Name. And here are just a few examples:. As you will soon find out, many of the health benefits attributed to eating olives are linked to their unusually high antioxidant content. Antioxidants play a crucial role in protecting your cells from damage caused by oxidative stress.
Most of the antioxidants in olives come from their rich phytochemical content. They include phenols and flavonoids such as oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleanolic acid, and quercetin.
The impressive list of health benefits associated with those 5 phytonutrients includes the ability to fight inflammation and tumors, and the ability to protect nerve cells, skin, and eyes from oxidative stress. They can also improve cardiovascular health and prevent liver damage. Olives can increase the blood levels of glutathione, one of the most potent antioxidants in your body. Oleuropein and oleic acid from olives play a role in regulating cholesterol levels. They also decrease the oxidation of LDL bad cholesterol.
Well, oxidized LDL cholesterol can cause inflammation of arteries and the development of atherosclerosis, which increases your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Also, research done on animal models indicate that oleuropein can both prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Furthermore, research shows that quercetin, another flavonoid found in olives, may improve blood flow through arteries in people with heart disease. It could also be an effective way to reduce blood pressure and lower levels of bad cholesterol. It is a fact that the rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures in the elderly are lower in Mediterranean countries than in the rest of Europe. This has led researchers to believe that the Mediterranean diet, rich in olives and olive oil, may have positive effects on bone health.
In fact, multiple studies indicate that hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein, phytonutrients found in olives, improve bone density and can help in the prevention of osteoporosis. They can reduce inflammation by neutralizing free radicals released by your body as part of a normal immune response. By keeping free radical levels in check, they help your immune system to fight infections and reduce inflammatory processes.
In contrast to unhealthy saturated and trans fats, monounsaturated fats can be beneficial for your health. For example, monounsaturated fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels, which lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke. Exceeding the recommended daily sodium intake level now and then isn't really a problem.
So if you love olives, feel free to indulge every once in a while. But regularly eating high levels of sodium can have devastating effects on your health. The American Heart Association states that a diet high in sodium is linked to stroke, stomach cancer, heart enlargement, kidney disease, and headaches among other issues. So if you make olives part of your diet, keep an eye on the sodium level to avoid the unhealthy pitfalls of eating too many.
They are low in carbohydrates with around 1. They are a low-fibre food and also a low-protein food with negligible amounts in a 20g serving around 0. Olives are typically high in salt due the fact that they are cured or packaged in brine or salt water, containing about 0. The NHS recommends no more than 6g salt for adults, and between 2g-5g a day for children depending on their age.
Nutritionally, olives are a good source of a few micronutrients including vitamin E, iron, copper and calcium. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect our cells from oxidative damage, and there is evidence that this vitamin may play a role in obesity.
Iron is needed by our red blood cells to move oxygen around the body, and copper plays an important role in heart health, reducing the risk of heart disease. Olives are also high in phytonutrients which each carry their own health benefits, including oleuropein which has has been linked to a reduced cancer risk but also gives olive their bitter taste, tyrosol which may have anti-inflammatory benefits and oleonalic acid for its heart health benefits.
The curing process does remove some of the phytonutrient content of olives, but brine-cured olives are fermented and there is growing research into their positive probiotic actions as a result, which in turn supports good digestive health. Olives are quite versatile and can either be consumed as snack, added to salads or cooking. Always read the label when buying olives, just to make sure there are no added extras such as sugar or artificial flavourings, for example.
Just pay more attention when buying stuffed olives.
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