Green olives are a Mediterranean delight, bringing a touch of flavor to many dishes, salads and summer snacks. It is considered an “eternally fruitful tree,” and its fruits are an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, which promotes a relaxing lifestyle, healthy food based on seasonal produce, and it is full of essential micronutrients.
Some of the benefits of eating green olives are:
- Green olives are high in fat, but the fat in the composition, that is linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid are as beneficial as fighting LDL cholesterol. Recent research has brought forth the ability of linoleic acid to lower blood pressure.
- The nutritional content of the olives is impressive; they have numerous antioxidant compounds such as flavones, anthocyanidins, flavonols, quercetin, Gallic acid, caffeic acid etc. This unique nutritional cocktail brings many benefits to the body: strengthens the immune system, fight free radicals and support cardiovascular health.
- They have an anti-inflammatory effect. Green olive extract has an antihistamine effect, helping to alleviate allergies, irritation and chronic inflammation.
- They are an excellent source of vitamin E. Called “beauty vitamin”; it helps to maintain healthy skin and hair. Vitamin E in combination with linoleic acid in the composition decreases the risk of colon cancer.
- They have in their composition of a relevant amount of fiber: a cup of olives contain 17% of a person’s necessary daily fiber intake. Thus, they maintain a healthy digestive system and food are beneficial to those suffering from gastritis.