Green olives benefits and harm to the body. For the cardiovascular system

Most meals mediterranean cuisine uses olives in its composition - the benefits and excellent taste of these fruits make it possible to add them to many recipes. European olive is recommended for both men and women due to its healing effects.

Where do olives grow

European olive, the fruits of which are olives, is a heat-loving plant growing in southern countries. Most often it is found in the Mediterranean states: Greece and Turkey, Israel, Italy and Spain. Spain is the main supplier of olives on the world market, not inferior to superiority for many years.

In addition to the main habitat, olive trees are grown in Iraq and Iran, Turkmenistan, India, Peru and Mexico. AT Soviet times the European olive was grown on the Black Sea coast and in the Crimea, as well as in Abkhazia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Are olives a fruit, vegetable or berry?

Olives are often referred to as berries and fruits: it is a small seed fruit that resembles cherries or plums. From the point of view of botany, they belong to the group of drupes: these are fruits that have only one stone and are not considered berries.

Olives belong to the group of drupes

Olives are like berries in size, like fruits in structure, like vegetables palatability. But at the same time, they do not belong to any of these groups: the fruits of the olive are allocated to a separate family "Olive". The genus of this plant is "Olive", and the species is "European Olive".

Why are olives black and olives green?

Olives and black olives are the fruits of the same tree, which is called the European Olive. The difference between them lies in the degree of maturity: green color indicates immaturity, and dark color indicates the full ripeness of the fruit.

Olives, known as “black olives” in Europe, are not actually black in color: their rich dark hue is closer to purple or brown tones. One side of olives is often darker than the other, and the stone is not removed from them.

Olives and black olives grow on the same tree

On sale, you can often find olives of a uniform blue-black color without pits. This shade is obtained artificially by adding chemical preservatives to unripe green olives. After such processing, no useful properties remain in pseudo-olives.

The chemical composition of olives and BJU

The beneficial effect of olive fruits on the body is due to the components in their composition.

A table with the composition of black and green fruits, which takes into account calories, BJU, the amount of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.

	green olives	Black olives (black olives)
calories	145 kcal	115 kcal
Squirrels	1 g	0.84 g
Fats	15.3 g	10.68 g
Carbohydrates	3.8 g	6.26 g
Cellulose	3.3 g	3.2 g
vitamins
Vitamin A	0.019 mg	0.02 mg
beta carotene	0.231 mg	0.237 mg
Beta cryptoxanthin	0.009 mg	0.009 mg
Lutein + Zeaxanthin	0.51 mg	0.51 mg
Vitamin B1	0.021 mg	0.003 mg
Vitamin B2	0.007 mg	—
Vitamin B4	14.2 mg	10.3 mg
Vitamin B5	0.023 mg	0.015 mg
Vitamin B6	0.031 mg	0.012 mg
Vitamin B9	0.003 mg	—
Vitamin C	—	1.5 mg
Vitamin E	3.81 mg	1.65 mg
Vitamin K	0.001 mg	0.001 mg
Vitamin PP	0.237 mg	0.037 mg
Minerals
Potassium	42 mg	9 mg
Calcium	52 mg	94 mg
Magnesium	11 mg	4 mg
Sodium	1566 mg	735 mg
Phosphorus	4 mg	3 mg
Iron	0.49 mg	3.32 mg
Manganese	—	0.02 mg
Copper	0.12 mg	0.25 mg
Selenium	0.001 mg	0.001 mg
Zinc	0.04 mg	0.22 mg
Fatty acid
Omega 3 fatty acid	0.092 g	0.065 g
Omega 6 fatty acids	1.215 g	0.847 g
palmitic	1.691 g	1.179 g
Stearic	0.338	0.236 g
Palmitoleic	0.123 g	0.086 g
Oleic	11.144 g	7.77 g
Gadoleic	0.146 g	0.032 g
Linoleic	1.215 g	0.847 g
Linolenic	0.092 g	0.064 g

The chemical composition depends on the particular variety of fruit and on the method of their processing. Canned, pickled and salted olives contain fewer nutrients than fresh ones.

Useful properties of olives

The benefits of olive fruits for the human body are invaluable.

Due to the composition, saturated with fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, they are indispensable for many diseases:

In atherosclerosis: vitamin PP and fiber regulate the amount of cholesterol in the blood, helping to cope with its excess.
In cardiovascular diseases: high content of potassium, vitamins B6 and PP lowers blood pressure, strengthens the vascular walls.
In case of metabolic disorders: it contains little sugar, a lot of fatty acids, as well as vitamins B6, C and E, which reduce blood sugar levels and speed up metabolism.
For disorders nervous system: normalize cerebral circulation and have a slight sedative effect, improve the functioning of the central nervous system and PNS.
With anemia: black fruits contain a lot of iron and vitamin C, which improves its absorption and increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
With arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis and gout: phosphorus and calcium in the composition strengthen bones and joints.
For digestive problems: fiber improves the digestion and absorption of food, helps with constipation and other gastrointestinal disorders.
When losing weight: low calorie product, as well as vitamins B6 and C in its composition, which regulate metabolism, allow you to quickly get rid of excess weight.
In infectious diseases: vitamins C and E increase activity immune system providing preventive and therapeutic effect with colds.

Also, olives are very useful for children and adolescents: fatty acids have beneficial effect to a growing body.

For men

The benefits of olives for men are as follows:

Vitamin E improves blood circulation and sperm quality, and also prevents the destruction of testosterone by insulin.
Fatty acids cleanse blood vessels, improve blood flow to all parts of the body - including the genitals.
Vitamin B9 prevents early baldness and stimulates new hair growth.
Vitamin B6 strengthens the walls of blood vessels, eliminating circulatory insufficiency.
Zinc increases the level of testosterone in the blood.

To achieve the best effect in the fight against erectile dysfunction, men should consume 10-15 fruits per day.

Olives cleanse the blood vessels

For women

Benefits of olive fruit for women's health due to the following:

Vitamins C, E and selenium prevent the spread of free radicals, slowing down aging and reducing the risk of developing cancer.
Vitamins A and B improve the condition of hair and skin: hide wrinkles and inflammation, strengthen hair, accelerate its growth and give it shine.
Calcium and phosphorus strengthen the nail plates and teeth.
Monounsaturated fats, vitamins A and E promote fertility and increase the chances of conceiving a child.
Vitamin B6 thins the blood and strengthens blood vessels, prevents varicose veins and thrombosis during pregnancy.
Low calorie content allows you to use the fruit on a diet.

Olives for women are useful not only when taken orally: the fruits and oil from them can be used externally as part of homemade masks for the face, hair and body.

Olives prevent thrombosis

The benefits of different forms

Regardless of the form in which olives are sold, they provide beneficial effect on the body.

Each storage method has its own advantages:

Fresh olives: contain the maximum amount of nutrients, but are unsuitable for food. Fresh fruits are strongly bitter, have an astringent property.
Cured: Prepared by drying in the sun. Unlike pickled and salted fruits, they do not contain salt and potentially harmful preservatives, and retain the most large quantity vitamins and minerals.
Pickled: less healthy than fresh or dried fruits, but with the right cooking technique, they retain most of the beneficial properties. Canned and salted fruits last longer, taste better, and often contain healthy spices.
Olive oil: used internally both on its own and as part of various dishes. It is also used in face and hair masks, creams and scrubs, for wiping and cleansing the skin, as part of cleansing enemas.
Olive leaves: used in cooking as a seasoning, also brewed as a tea. They relieve tension and anxiety, prevent cardiovascular diseases, tone up and strengthen the immune system.

Olive leaf tea is good for of cardio-vascular system

Application methods

Olive fruit is the most common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, found in almost every recipe. Their uses are unlimited: olives are used in recipes for pizza, pasta and focaccia, in many salads and soups, in pesto and a variety of meat and fish dishes, fried or oven baked.

Olive fruits are often used as a decorative element for hot dishes - they look aesthetically pleasing and do not interrupt the taste of the dish. They also decorate alcoholic cocktails: if you eat alcohol with olives, they will begin to resist toxins and reduce hangovers.

Olives resist alcohol toxins

Another use of olives is as a snack. They can be present in canapés or used independently: in canned, dried or salted form. It is permissible to eat 7-10 fruits per day.

Harm of olives

Black olives in a jar can harm the body. If these are not real olives, but artificially colored fruits, they contain harmful additives. These are caustic soda, in the solution of which the olives are kept for a week, and ferrous glutonate, which gives the blackened pseudo-olives a stable color.

Both of these additives can cause allergies in the consumer, in addition, after prolonged treatment with them, the beneficial properties of olives disappear. If a color stabilizing additive E579 is present in the composition of the canned product, it should not be purchased.

Also, the excessively salty brine in which they are stored can harm the body.

Contraindications

Due to the choleretic properties of olives, you can not use:

with pancreatitis;
with cholecystitis;
with exacerbation of gallstone disease.

Also canned olives containing a large number of salt, you can not eat with hyperacid gastritis, children under 3 years old and women with breastfeeding.

Olives should not be consumed if there are stones in the bile ducts

Question answer

Which olives are healthier - green or black?

Black olives, or olives, contain vitamin C and manganese, which are absent in green fruits. Also, olives are less caloric, and they have more copper, zinc, calcium and vitamin A. Otherwise, green olives are superior to black fruits: they contain more vitamins, macro- and microelements, and various fatty acids.

It is preferable to eat both types of olive fruits: this way the body will receive the greatest amount of useful elements.

Why do you want olives?

Cravings for certain foods can occur due to disease and nutritional deficiencies. The desire to eat olives appears as a result of a lack of sodium salts in the body.

It may also indicate a dysfunction of the thyroid gland.

A strong desire to eat olives may indicate disorders in the thyroid gland.

Can you eat olives with pits?

Olive pits are considered very useful product: they contain no less useful substances than the fruit itself. Due to their large size, they are inconvenient to swallow, and they are poorly digested, so most often the bones are consumed internally after grinding with a blender or coffee grinder.

Olive pits are rich in useful elements

Black and green olives useful fruits that have a beneficial effect on the body. They positively influence his work, have great taste and fit perfectly into a variety of dishes.

The olive is the fruit of an olive tree or evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia. It is an oval drupe of a green, black or purple hue up to 3-4 cm in length. What are olives made of? The benefits and harms to the body were appreciated by the ancient Greeks, who cultivated the plant.

Many people wonder if olives and olives belong to different cultures or are they the same thing? Olives - black fruits olive tree, which are in biological maturity, and olives - in technical. Such a division is characteristic only of Russia.

Olives and black olives are fruits of the same olive tree or bush.

Another interest Ask: Are olives a berry or a fruit? Experts did not come to the same opinion. Growing like a berry, having a stone inside like a fruit, the olive is used as a vegetable.

Olives: chemical composition

Olives and black olives are the fruits of the olive tree.

The calorie content of olives per 100 grams is 112 kcal. The calorie content of canned pitted olives is somewhat different, it is 145 kcal. High-calorie or not olives? Them the energy value even higher, 165 kcal.

Nutritional value of 100 g of olives (bju):

proteins 1 g;
fats 11 g;
carbohydrates 5 g.

The composition of canned olives is similar, may vary depending on the stuffing. How many carbohydrates are in them? 4 g, the vast majority of them are fiber.

What are the fruits of the olive tree rich in? They contain vitamins B, A (retinol), C, E, amino acids, phytosterols, oleic acid. The mineral composition includes sodium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper, chlorine, iodine.

Olives: useful properties and contraindications

Why are olives unique? The benefits and harm to the body that they can cause have been known since the time of the ancient Greeks, who appreciated this tree.

The beneficial properties of olives are high due to the content of monounsaturated fats in them, which can reduce the presence of cholesterol, have a positive effect on blood vessels, the heart, and the circulatory system. The product has a therapeutic effect in atherosclerosis, thrombosis.

Olives strengthen the musculoskeletal system, are effective for osteochondrosis, gout, arthritis.

What are the benefits of olives for the digestive tract? Possessing a choleretic and enveloping property, the oils contained in them lower the pH of gastric juice and normalize bowel function. The use of olives for gastritis has proven its healing effect.

Do olive fruits weaken or strengthen? They have a mild laxative effect.

Olive oil and fruits have a pronounced preventive and curative effect on cancerous diseases.

Goat milk also helps in the fight against cancer

Skin lesions, incl. and burns, effectively lubricate with olive oil for speedy healing.

Studies by doctors have shown that regular consumption of oil reduces the likelihood of diabetes by 20%. The low glycemic index (only 15 units) makes it possible to claim their help in stabilizing sugar levels when consumed regularly in diabetes.

Olives for weight loss

People who adhere proper nutrition and those who count calories are often worried about questions: is it possible to eat olives on a diet? Is it possible to eat olives while losing weight?

Of course you can. Thanks to the content of healthy fats, eating just a few berries will dull the feeling of hunger for a long time, filling the body with energy, useful substances and vitamins. However, you should not abuse the fruits: in this case, they will contribute to weight gain.

Popular about olives and olives, see the video:

Olives: benefits for men

Unique chemical composition important for men's health, in the first place - for potency. In the second - as a salvation from a hangover.

Olives: benefits for women

How useful are these small fruits for women? Their greatest contribution is in cosmetology, because olive oil- a common additive in all care products. Its benefits for hair, nails, skin are invaluable. This oil is used both internally and externally.

Can pregnant women eat canned olives? Olives during pregnancy are not contraindicated, because they do not contain dangerous or harmful substances. In addition, the oil, when applied externally and consumed internally during this period, will prevent the appearance of stretch marks on the abdomen, brittleness and cross-section of hair and nails.

The benefits of canned olives for women is that they prevent the occurrence of breast cancer.

Can this product be used while breastfeeding? The female body in this critical period is prone to a deficiency of many minerals, vitamins, acids, and olives can help cope with this problem. Olive oil is an element of milk mixtures used for artificial children.

Can children have olives? In very limited quantities and only good quality. For children, olive oil will be more beneficial than the fruits themselves.

Contraindications

In the presence of allergies, as well as individual intolerance, the use of drupes should be stopped.

With caution, products are used in retinol therapy due to the risk of developing hypervitaminosis.

Is it possible to eat with pancreatitis? People suffering from pancreatitis or cholecystitis should not eat olives due to their ability to increase bile production.

How many olives can be eaten per day without being abused or harmful? 5-10 pieces or 1 tbsp. oil will suffice.

Pickled olives: benefits and harms

Meet in stores fresh fruits- it is practically impossible, because they are too bitter to taste. Transportation will be expensive and impractical due to large losses. Therefore, in countries where fruits are grown, they are immediately processed: pickled fruits and olive oil are produced.

Are canned olives healthy? Their composition at right technology(excluding the addition of chemicals, dyes, preservatives) in its usefulness is in no way inferior to fresh drupes. By the way, can you eat olives with pits? It turns out you can, because. the bone is successfully digested. However, this will not bring benefits and can only be practiced by people without problems with the gastrointestinal tract. It is forbidden to eat bones and children.

How useful is pickled ginger and what are the features of its use? right now!

Olives in jars will be useful for adults and children when added to salads (for example, Greek), soups (various hodgepodges); They are also good as an independent snack.

Often in stock canned food meet stuffed fruits- cheese, lemon and other ingredients are used: the taste becomes more piquant, however, the quality of such additives may suffer.

Fruits in sliced form are used in the preparation of sandwiches, in a state crushed by a blender - in the form of a pate.

Bread with drupes has bright taste and aroma. The buns with olives and are especially delicious.

They are good for any product: meat, fish, mushrooms, pasta,.

Salads are seasoned with olive oil, it is added when baking and frying.

Benefits in cosmetology

An important property of olive oil is that it does not leave a greasy sheen, does not close pores, allowing the skin to breathe. Its rejuvenating property has been proven, one of the effects is the normalization of the skin's water balance. Elasticity and elasticity increase, the face is tightened.

About the use of olive oil in cosmetology - the following video:

The oil gives the greatest effect when applied to dry and damaged skin; permanent application to oily skin may worsen her condition.

Rescues oil from stretch marks, used in anti-cellulite massages.

Periodic application of masks with oil will make the hair obedient, with a lively shine, prevent brittleness, and restore the secretion of the sebaceous glands. Egg mixture, 2 tbsp. oils and st.l. honey evenly apply on the hair and head for 20 minutes, then rinse. This mask will nourish the hair with vitamins, help to quickly restore them.

The product is also suitable for sensitive skin around the eyes: daily apply a small portion of oil to this area with massaging light movements. Leave for half an hour, remove the remnants with a napkin. Small wrinkles are visibly smoothed out even after the first application.

It is also used to remove makeup. And by adding a few drops to a jar of cream, you will get daily dosed care.

A mixture of olive oil also has a beneficial effect on nails: you can use the product as a reusable bath, or apply, massaging gently, until completely absorbed.

Thus, a very useful and valuable product, but only on one condition: the fruits must be of good quality. How to choose olives? The berries should be elastic, not loose, the stone is easily separated from the pulp. Coal-black fruits the size of grapes without a stone inside, but with iron gluconate in the composition, are highly undesirable for use, because. will do more harm. It is better to give preference to an unstuffed olive with a stone, so the content of harmful substances will be lower.

Which olives are healthier?

Before you buy canned olives, you should make sure that it is a fresh and high-quality product.

Today on sale you can find more than a dozen various kinds canned olives, they are harvested with and without pits, stuffed with paprika, anchovies and other fillers. With such an abundance, it is not easy to figure out which olives are the most useful, and whether there is a difference between black and green canned fruits. It turns out that the benefits of olives directly depend on the way they are preserved.

Black olives (black olives)

To begin with, I would like to deal with black olives, which we usually call black olives. The fact is that fruits that are fully ripe on a tree are never such a rich black color as we see them in jars. Their color can be brown, brown, dark purple, but not completely black. Coal black olives acquire in the process of conservation.

These black olives can be produced at any level of maturity, which is why many growers use green olives without waiting for them to ripen. They are placed in a solution of caustic soda, where they are saturated with oxygen, then soaked in water for several days, after which the resulting black color of the olives is fixed with ferrous gluconate. This method of production is the fastest and cheapest, but finished products resulting in poor quality. Unripe olives are very easy to remove the stone, ripened fruits are too soft for this. That is why pitted black olives in iron cans, which have a relatively low price, are most likely the product obtained by the above method.

Green and ripe olives

Green olives with pits are considered healthier.

There is another way to preserve olives, which does not use chemicals and better preserves the beneficial properties of the product. But it, of course, requires much more time and costs. Both green and ripe fruits are preserved in this way. They are placed in containers (it is better if they are wooden barrels) and pour a 5% solution of ordinary table salt. To activate the fermentation process, sugar or some cultures of lactobacilli are added to the solution. The fermentation process lasts at least one and a half months, after which the olives are washed with clean water, placed in glass jars, filled with 7% saline solution and sterilized.

stuffed olives

Usually green olives are stuffed, from which it is easier to remove the stone, thus freeing up space for the filling. You will not find stuffed olives in stores, as they are more loose and fragile. However, the products that fill the fruits of the olive tree may be of poor quality. Unscrupulous producers can use spoiled fish, nuts, fruits, etc. For example, when purchasing olives with red fish, we, unfortunately, cannot be sure of its freshness, and the taste of olives and salt pickle, in which they are stored, can successfully mask the taste of low-quality seafood.

Given all of the above, we can conclude that not all olives are equally useful. The most valuable for us are green unstuffed olives. If you really want to try stuffed olives, then it is better to choose a product with lemon, and other vegetables or fruits. Least useful, and perhaps even harmful product- these are jet-black olives in iron cans.

Harm of canned olives

Individual intolerance to this product is extremely rare.

Canned olives should be used with caution in people suffering from arterial hypertension and kidney disease, as they contain a very large amount of sodium.

You should not buy cheap olives, a low price indicates a low quality of the product, the fruits can be poorly cleaned after chemical processing and the content of chemicals in them may exceed the allowable rate. Also, do not eat this product if it contains flavors, preservatives and other similar additives. Buying olives in glass jars, you need to pay attention to the expiration date and tightness of the package. Expired or improperly stored product can lead to serious poisoning.

Channel One, the program “Expertise of things. OTK”, issue on the topic “ canned olives»:

RIA Novosti, program "Fresh Food", issue on the topic "How to choose olives and black olives":

Often people think that olives and olives are completely different fruits of different trees. Nothing like this. Olives and olives are fruits from the same tree - olives. The difference lies in the stages of maturity - green, not yet ripened olives are called olives, but black fruits that have reached their full ripeness are called olives. Many experts recommend eating olives constantly, referring to their benefits for the body. But how useful they are, or maybe vice versa - harmful, we will find out further.

Olives. Benefit and harm to the body

First, we will carefully consider the positive aspects of olives, that is, their benefits for the body. The first thing any expert will say is that olives have an ideal balance of nutrients. Olives contain in their composition a lot of manganese, as well as calcium - vital to humans. The use of olives in food has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the motor apparatus - the calcium contained in them helps to strengthen bones, making them stronger and protecting against all kinds of diseases of the body's supporting system. In addition, the substances contained in the fruits help prevent the formation of stone deposits in the gallbladder. Olive fruits help the process of digestion, helping to remove harmful and unnecessary substances from the body. Olives also contain linoleic acid, which is known to help heal various wounds.

More about the benefits of olives

So, what else distinguishes olives? Health benefits and harms, if we consider them on the same straight line, stand in completely different proportions. The benefits of eating olive fruits are still much greater. Which of the women is not familiar with face and hand creams made on the basis of olive fruits? But the fact is that the skin of olives contains a lot essential oils which not only moisturize the skin, but also significantly nourish it.

Very helpful and others cosmetics made on the basis of olive fruits - shampoos, balms, lotions and so on. In addition, the constant use of olives for food is recommended for people prone to strokes, heart attacks and angina pectoris. But returning to ancient sources, you can find out that the Greeks sincerely believed in the mythical origin of these fruits, which, according to legend, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, gave people.

A few words about the dangers of olives

So, after listing the positive aspects of olives, it's time to find out how they can be harmful to humans. So, the olive fruits loved by many are black, oily olives. Benefits and harms to human health is an eternal controversial issue. Today we will consider those aspects that can really negatively affect human health.

Olives have a very strong choleretic property - that is why they contribute not only to prevention, but also to the partial removal of stones from the gallbladder. That is why the use of olives is strictly prohibited for people suffering from cholecystitis. Another minus of olives is the high content of vitamin A. Few people know, but in large proportions it can be toxic - cause poisoning of the body.

Olives and weight loss

So, we learned how useful and how harmful olives are. The benefits and harms to the body will be individual for each person, depending on the qualities and characteristics of the body. However, olives are often recommended to those who have decided to seriously lose weight. The main advantage of these wonderful fruits is that they perfectly satisfy the feeling of hunger. Again, it is not possible to eat olive fruits just picked from a tree - they taste very bitter. Therefore, before olives reach our table, they need to undergo serious processing. Usually this is soaking in brine, oxidizing in air, and then canning. In this form, ready-to-eat olives get on our tables.

Benefit and harm - both sides are relevant for weight loss. The benefit is that olives cannot be named high-calorie product, harm - if there are a lot of olives, the weight will still increase, and overeating can also affect your well-being.

And again about diets

Green and black olives - the benefits and harms of losing weight. Olives are an extremely rich source of monounsaturated fats, which are the healthiest. Why does a person gain weight? Because over time, the body accumulates harmful fats, which begin to be deposited in solid reserves.

Monounsaturated fats reduce the accumulation of "bad" cholesterol, which is the most effective way fight against fatty deposits. Another quality of the olive cannot be ignored. Benefits and harms - the calorie content of the fetus: in greens it is twice as much as in black ones. Thus, going on a diet and eating green fruits, can cause little harm with unlimited consumption. By eating black olives, we get more benefits, as we consume half as many calories. But you still need to remember one thing - the smaller the portion, the lower the calorie content.

What else do you need to know when losing weight?

And here's something else that's important to know. Olives have a fairly low glycemic index. If explained in an understandable language, this would mean that when eating olives, we do not get energy abruptly - in one jerk, but gradually. Why is it good? Yes, because with a sharp energy boost, there is an increase in blood glucose - and this is not a very good indicator. With a gradual supply of energy, this does not happen. Increased glycemia, in turn, causes a person and the more hungry we are, the more we will eat. When we eat olives, we quickly dull the feeling of hunger, which then does not arise for quite a long time. These are the olives. Benefit and harm ... The properties of the fetus in the end still outweigh in a positive way.

How to include olives in your diet?

We have carefully considered what olives are. The benefits and harms to the body are also now familiar to us. It remains to figure out how and how much olives should be consumed per day. Since salt, which is present in fruits in sufficient quantities, inhibits weight gain, they should be eaten daily, but without excessive fanaticism. The ideal option will not just eat olive fruits, but add them to various salads. For example, a salad chicken breast, lettuce, cucumber, cheese and olives, perfectly satisfy hunger, while its calorie content will be very low.

It is also useful to use olives as a snack. You can calculate as follows: one large fruit contains about twelve calories - which means that five or six olives will be enough to get rid of hunger until the next meal. Olives can be added to soup, main courses, which will also reduce the portion eaten without sacrificing full saturation.

And a little more about olives

We learned what olives are, what are the benefits and harms for the body - we also considered them. Now let's turn to the common factors. In general, there are about a hundred different types olives. They basically look like this - small and green, black large, or medium black with a slightly brownish tint. Depending on the variety, the fruit can contain up to 80 percent oils. Well, almost everyone knows how useful olive oil is.

You need to choose fruits according to the following criteria - the surface of the skin should be even, without damage. It is clear that it is better to buy fruits in a transparent container. The pulp should not spread in the fingers, but be dense, while the bone should be easily separated from the pulp. It is worth remembering that there are a lot of preservatives in stuffed store-bought olives, it is better to stuff the fruits yourself. And finally, carefully study the composition of the product: if the package says that it contains it, it means that the appetizing black color of olives is of artificial origin.

Do not store olives for a long time tin cans- tin and zinc can penetrate the fruit, making it unsafe to eat. The composition of the fruits in the jar should be as follows - lemon acid, salt and water. Everything else is harmful and dangerous for the body additives.

Olives - benefits and harms to the human body (women and men)

Nutritional value, composition and calorie content of olives

Olives are low in calories and are great as an accompaniment to a variety of dishes such as salads, pasta and pizza. Although there are many varieties of olives, most of them have a similar nutrient profile.

100 grams of ripe canned olives contain (in% of the recommended daily intake) ():

Calorie content: 115 kcal (6%).
Carbohydrates: 6.3 g (2%).
Fat: 10.7 g (16%).
Protein: 0.8 g (2%).
Fiber: 3.2 g (13%).
: 403 IU (8%).
Vitamin E: 1.7 mg (8%).
Calcium: 88 mg (9%).
Iron: 3.3 mg (18%).
Sodium: 872 mg (36%).
Copper: 0.3 mg (13%).
: 64 mg.
: 847 mg

The benefits of olives for the human body

Eating olives helps lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, reduces pain, treats and prevents cancer, improves heart health, reduces the risk of developing diabetes and much more. Here are the benefits of olives for the human body:

1. Supply the Body with Antioxidants

It has been proven that oxidation in the body is associated with the progression and development of many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Olives are a high-antioxidant food that provides the body with polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants that have proven anticancer, antidiabetic, antiaging, and neuroprotective properties ( , ).

One study found that eating the pulp of olives significantly increased blood levels of glutathione. is one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body (,).

The action of antioxidants, such as those found in olives, benefits almost all body systems and can be a major factor in the prevention and treatment of disease.

2. Lower Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure

Because olives are good source They don't damage arteries like other fats do. Studies have proven the ability of olives to lower blood pressure and help control and reduce cholesterol levels. The hypotensive (lowering blood pressure) effect of olives is associated with the oleic acid contained in them ().

Studies have shown a significant reduction blood pressure and general cardiovascular inflammation after the consumption of olives, and other foods included in the Mediterranean diet ().

3. Relieve pain

Inflammation is the cause of disease, pain and damage in the body. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are effective in controlling pain, but damage a number of other body systems.

Olives are natural ibuprofen. Their use contributes to the inhibition of the growth of enzymes that create inflammation and thus pain relief (). Inflammation also plays a big role in the development of cardiovascular disease, which is another reason why olives are so good for heart health.

4. Treat and prevent cancer

The Mediterranean region has significantly lower rates of cancer compared to northern European countries and other developed countries. In test-tube studies, olives have been shown to disrupt the life cycle of cancer cells. Phenolic compounds in olives have shown antitumor activity, especially against breast, colon, and stomach cancers ( , ).

As with most dietary cancer treatments, the outlook is very promising, but more research is needed.

5. Promote Heart Health

Olives contain everything you need for a healthy heart and cardiovascular system: antioxidants, healthy fats, as well as a large supply of copper and vitamin E, which are important for optimal heart health.

A diet that includes olives can not only treat the symptoms of cardiovascular disease, but also significantly reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular complications, even in people with a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure and heart problems ( , ). Regular use olives can also help prevent coronary heart disease ().

6. Work like a probiotic

Review of research published in a scientific journal European Journal of Nutrition, has shown that the phenolic compounds in olives can increase the amount of good bifidobacteria that produce vitamins and antibacterial chemicals in the body. In this way, olives improve gut health and microbiome function ().

7. Reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity

Because olives are rich in monounsaturated fats, they significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity when replacing foods containing other, more unhealthy fats. The antioxidants in olives also help inhibit the damage from oxidative stress associated with diabetes, which makes this product effective tool for the treatment of hyperglycemia and diabetic complications ().

In a review published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied the effect of olive oil consumption on the incidence of type 2 diabetes. The researchers studied 59,930 women aged 37-65 and 85,157 women aged 26-45 who did not have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline.

After 22 years of follow-up, the results showed that “more than high level olive oil consumption is associated with a moderately low risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women, and that substitution of other types of fats (margarine, and mayonnaise) for olive oil is hypothesized to be associated with a reduced risk of developing this disease” ().

In a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study, a group of 41 overweight or obese adults aged 65 years and older were substituted with olive oil for traditionally consumed fats. As a result of the study, these people had a decrease in blood pressure and an increase in the level of good cholesterol. Improvements in heart health, metabolism, and immune function have been shown. This shows that the consumption of olives has potential in the treatment of obesity ().

8. Help Fight Infections

Many studies show how effective olives are in combating certain microbial, viral, and fungal infections. Olive and olive leaf extract has been used for this purpose in folk medicine, and has recently been shown to be effective in scientific studies. In testing, olive extract inhibited the growth of a number of viral, fungal, and bacterial infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ().

9. Prevent osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is characterized by a decrease in bone mass and bone density. This disease can increase the risk of fractures. Rates of osteoporosis in Mediterranean countries are lower than in other European countries, leading scientists to speculate that olives may be associated with better indicators of bone health ( , ).

Some of the plant compounds found in olives and olive oil have been found in animal studies to help prevent bone loss ( , , , ).

Human studies on this are lacking, but animal studies and data linking the Mediterranean diet to reduced fracture rates are promising ().

Olives and olive oil: what are the differences

The difference between olives and olive oil lies in the preparation and processing. There are pros and cons to both of these foods, but when consumed in the recommended amounts, they both offer health benefits.

Olives:

16 percent fat;
: olives marinated in salt;
Olives contain vitamin E, vitamin A, and are a good source of copper and calcium;
The content of useful polyphenols is lower than in olive oil, but polyphenols are found in high amounts in fruits harvested at the beginning of the harvest and those that have been watered properly.

Olive oil:

Nearly 100 percent fat;
Low sodium: contains almost no sodium;
Olive oil retains beneficial polyphenols.

Olives are best known for the oil they produce. Olives are native to the Mediterranean regions of Asia, Europe and Africa. Fruits come in many sizes and varieties and have many health benefits.

Olives are a staple of the Mediterranean diet, which prioritizes healthy fats and encourages olive oil as the main source of dietary fat. This diet does not promote fat reduction, but rather replaces unhealthy fats with healthy ones, such as the monounsaturated fats found in olives.

What are olives - a fruit or a vegetable?

If you ask people if olives are fruits or vegetables, most of them probably wouldn't know the answer. Olives look like they belong in a category of their own, when in fact they are a stone fruit. Stone fruits are characterized by a hard central stone surrounded by pulp, which contains the seed. Their high fat content makes them a strange fruit, but they are closely related to, and even.

Here are a few more interesting facts about olives:

The olive tree grows short and thick and usually reaches a peak height of 7.5-15 meters.
Olives have been harvested since ancient times, somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The olive branch has long been a symbol of peace and victory. After planting a tree, farmers wait over 10 years for the first harvest. Because of the time and patience required, it was assumed that those who chose to grow olives planned to live long, peaceful lives.
In early Christian art, the olive branch appears with doves, symbolizing peace and the Holy Spirit in the Gospels. In mythology Ancient Greece Athena competed with Poseidon to rule Athens. Athena won after planting the first olive tree, because the court of the gods and goddesses decided that this was the best gift.
Olives are harvested from October to January. Olive fruits cannot be eaten from the tree as they are hard and bitter. Olives not used for oil production are picked by hand to prevent dents.

Olive varieties

green olives: collected in October at the earliest stages of maturity.
"Pink" olives: Slightly mature, they are pink or brown in color and are harvested in November until they reach full maturity.
black olives: Harvested in December at full maturity, they are smooth with a black skin and a deep reddish black hue.
"Shriveled Black" Olives: do not confuse with dried olives (olives). These are fully ripe fruits picked in January.

Olives can be consumed in pure form or in combination with meat and as great appetizer. They can be put in sandwiches or used as a condiment. They can also be added as an ingredient to many dishes as they pair well with many flavors and textures.

Harm of olives for the human body

Olives are well tolerated by most people, but they can be high in salt as they are mostly consumed in canned form. Here is how olives are harmful to the human body:

Allergy: Although allergy to olive tree pollen is common, allergy to olives is rare. After eating olives, sensitive people may experience allergic reactions in the mouth and throat ().
Heavy metals: Olives may contain heavy metals and minerals such as boron, sulfur, tin and lithium. Consuming large amounts of heavy metals can be detrimental and increase the risk of cancer (). However, the amount of these heavy metals in olives is usually well below the legal limit. Therefore, they are considered safe ().
Acrylamide: In some studies, acrylamide has been linked to increased risk cancer development, although more recent studies have questioned this association ( , ). Some varieties of olives may contain high amounts of acrylamide as a result of processing, especially mature ones ( , , ).

Summarize

Olives are rich in phytonutrients and are known to provide the body with antioxidants, lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, relieve pain, treat and prevent cancer, promote heart health, act as a natural probiotic, reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity, help fight infections and prevent osteoporosis.

The difference between fruit and butter lies in the preparation and processing. Canned olives have higher levels of sodium and less fat, while olive oil has higher amounts of beneficial polyphenols.

Olives are products high content sodium. Also, as with most foods, consume them in moderation.

Olives are actually a stone fruit, not a vegetable or berry. Stone fruits are characterized by a hard central stone surrounded by pulp, which contains the seed.