Why are Table Olives Good for Your Health?
Olive is one of the oldest foods that humankind consumes. Either as olive oil or as table olives or even as bare fruit, it is consumed in large quantities with an increasing trend day by day. The health benefits of table olives are well recognized by the world.
It was well-known that hunter and gatherer populations are believed to be consuming the ripened olives directly from the tree without any treatment. Of course, the war table olives’ taste is very bitter, however, considering the conditions of that era, the super bitter taste of the olive did not stop people from consuming it as bare fruit.
This basically shows that consuming olive and olive oil has placed in the gens of the people living in areas where the olive trees are naturally grown.
We well know that today, the olive fruit has full of health benefits even in its very natural form with bitter taste without any treatment included.
When we come to the Mediterranean region, we see that olives are one of the most essential foods in the diet of the people living in this region. This simple diet of consuming olives is providing all the necessary nutrition a human body would need including a rich set of antioxidants that keep the body cells safe and sound.
The olive fruit includes monounsaturated and essential polyunsaturated fats, beneficial protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, polyphenols, carotenoids, phytosterols, triterpenic acids, squalene,
There are different types of table olives and each specific one has its own flavor/aroma. When we say table olives, it includes all the olive types such as green olives, black olives, and Kalamata olives with their subcategories of preparations and styles. Therefore, here we are talking about a vast pyramid of nutrition system.
First, the preparation type that needs to be referred to as the highest nutritional value olives are called “natural olives”. This type of preparation means that the olives are Green olives, olives turning color or black olives placed directly in brine in which they undergo complete or partial fermentation, preserved or not by the addition of acidifying agents:
- Natural green olives.
- Natural olives turning color.
- Natural black olives.
As you can see, we always refer to natural olives as they have compounds that are including healthy compounds.
Moreover, according to Olive Wellness Institute, “Table olives contribute to the omega-3 fat pool in the Mediterranean diet supplied by seeds, fish, and nuts. Overall omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory whereby reduce the risk of heart disease whereas omega-6 fats help lower LDL cholesterol. The ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fats is around a favorable level 8:1”.
The most basic benefit of table olives is their support to the Cardiovascular system of the body. Coronary artery related problems are the main reasons behind most heart attack cases.
In such cases, some of the coronary arteries are blocked by the cholesterol-containing compounds that are basically called plaque. These cause a narrowing artery, therefore, blocked, or difficult blood flow through the veins up until the heart.
The antioxidants present in table olives prevent plaque accumulation; therefore, it has a high possibility of reducing the risk of a heart attack in people.
Another highly important subject is skin and hair health. Table olives consist of a very high portion of olive oil in it. This oil, when the olive is consumed, is comes out and affects to all cells in the body.
Hair and skin are the parts of the body that are affected positively by the consumed healthy fats such as olive oil. Therefore, a table olive due to its rich content of health-friendly liquid fat (olive oil) is a great food that helps the overall health of the skin and hair.
Not only the olive oil in it but also the vitamin E content of table olives is very beneficial for skin and hair.
Table olives are great sources of iron elements. This means that people who lack iron in their blood may increase their overall iron level by consuming table olives. At this point, especially Turkish olive oils are known to be one of the best sources of iron.
Iron is the element that helps the red blood cells to carry oxygen within the body. Therefore, consuming high iron content food is very important for the overall health of people.
As a result, there are still undiscovered points in the overall benefits and healthy compounds of table olives. However, that is for sure that table olives are one of the healthiest foods available on earth.
