3 little known health benefits of eating olives

Are olives good for you? If you are a fan of green or black olives, or any of the many other olive varieties, you’ll be happy to hear that these delicious morsels have many health benefits. Let us take a look at some of the top health benefits of olives so you can feel good about treating yourself to a bowl of tasty Kalamata olives and sprinkling olives on your salad.

• Olives are a good source of vitamin E Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that is essential for immune health and metabolism. Along with vegetable oils and nuts, olives are an excellent source of this fat-soluble vitamin. Olives are rich in antioxidants. In addition to vitamin E, olives also contain many lesser-known antioxidants, such as oleuropin, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleonalic acid and quercetin. These antioxidants work together to combat the harmful effects of free radicals in the body. Some research suggests that free radicals contribute to the development of serious diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Therefore, eating foods high in antioxidants, like olives, can help protect your health.
• The typical olive contains between 11 and 15 percent fat. The rest of the olive is mainly fiber and water. Although some types of fat have a bad reputation for causing health problems such as heart disease, the unsaturated fats found in olives may actually reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and other serious diseases. Studies have linked oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid that makes up nearly three-quarters of the fat content in olives, to a lower tendency for inflammation in the body.
• Olives are fruit. If you have trouble getting enough fruits and vegetables into your daily diet, eating olives might be a good way to increase your daily consumption. Is an olive a fruit or a vegetable? Technically, olives are the fruit of the olive tree .Olives are low in calories.Although they contain fat, olives are an ideal snack for a calorie-conscious diet. A serving of 10 average-sized black olives contains only 59 calories. That’s fewer calories than a banana!