What is the Nutritional Value of Green Olives? Nutrition Benefits of Eating This Food
Monounsaturated Fat
Monounsaturated fat is one of the three aspects of the nutritional value of green olives. Green olives are a rich source of monounsaturated fat. Although in most people’s minds, fat has a negative connotation, monounsaturated fat can actually have extremely good health benefits. This type of fat can reduce your total cholesterol levels, as well as the levels of unhealthy lower-density lipoprotein (LDL) in your bloodstream. Because of this, the monounsaturated fat in green olives can offer important heart health benefits.
In addition, monounsaturated fats are an important component in the membranes of your cells, or in the membranes of organelles within each cell. Because they are less easily damaged than polyunsaturated fats, they can protect the cell and the organelle, which can reduce the risk of cell damage and inflammation.
Vitamin E
Free radicals form in the body when weak bonds split between molecules, even during regular metabolic processes. Because free radicals are very unstable, they can often “attack” other compounds in order to “steal” electrons to make them more stable. These attacked compounds then become free radicals themselves, which begins a cycle of free radical production.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, can help to neutralize free radicals. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant found naturally in some foods, including green olives. Since green olives are such a rich source of vitamin E, eating them can help reduce the number of free radicals in your body. Free radicals can cause the oxidation of cholesterol, which can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. They can also damage the DNA in colon cells, which can lead to colon cancer. Eating foods like olives, which contain high levels of vitamin E, can both improve your heart health and reduce the risk of you developing colon cancer.
In addition, because free radicals cause inflammation, eating foods like olives that are rich in vitamin E can help women who are going through menopause to reduce the frequency or intensity of hot flashes.
Polyphenols and Flavanoids
Green olives also contain polyphenols and flavanoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties. They can, therefore, prevent or reduce the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Because these polyphenols and flavanoids in green olives are combined with monounsaturated fats, which strengthen cell membranes to reduce inflammation, as well as vitamin E, which neutralizes the free radicals that may cause the inflammation, eating green olives can have a strong anti-inflammatory effect on the body.
There is no difference between black olives and green olives with respect to their nutrition value, and olive oil contains most of the olive’s original properties. Although green olives are high in fat, and often high in salt when cured, the nutritional value of green olives cannot be disputed.
References
https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46
https://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/02/14/olives-how-healthy-are-they-which-olives-are-best.htm
https://www.healthchecksystems.com/antioxid.htm
This post is part of the series: How Healthy Is…?
Are you looking for some healthy foods that you’ll enjoy? This series includes articles on various healthy foods, with explanations about exactly what makes them healthy.