These are usually called "healthy fats" and for good reason. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health NCCIH states that, according to ongoing research, foods high in these fats seem to moderately improve heart health and may even help improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
However, when most people eat olives, they're not just eating the stone fruit itself — they're also eating everything it was processed and packaged with. As Healthline explains, olives contain a lot more than healthy fats. They contain trace elements of heavy metals and a compound called acrylamide which is currently being studied for a possible link to certain cancers.
As frightening as these words sound, however, there is no proven issue with either trace metals or acrylamide in olives. The real danger of eating too many olives comes from something much more common and much harder to avoid. Tucked inside each olive is fat—the healthy, monounsaturated kind, which helps boost good cholesterol and reduces the risk for hardening of the arteries. The monounsaturated fat in olives also contains oleic acid, which is linked to lower blood pressure and better cardiovascular health overall.
Olives are rich in vitamin A, an antioxidant that's essential for protecting the cornea and maintaining eye health. It can help fend off age-related eye problems such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma and, when it comes to skin, can help reduce wrinkles. Olives also include vitamin E as well as the antioxidant compounds lutein and zeaxanthin, all of which offer additional eye- and skin-health support.
Looking to reach a healthy weight? Olives can help here, too, thanks to those monounsaturated fats, which are linked to belly fat loss and better insulin sensitivity. To help curb appetite in a healthy way, before sitting down to lunch or dinner, try snacking on a small serving of olives. The monounsaturated fatty acids plus a bit of fiber in the olives will help aid digestion and stimulate satiety hormones—so you'll feel fuller sooner.
Got glutathione? If you eat olives, you sure will, according to several studies that measured significant increases in glutathione levels in the blood after eating olives. Glutathione is essential to energy production, so getting enough of the stuff can be the difference between a vibrant, active life and one that's anything but.
In addition, olives, particularly black olives, deliver a nice dose of iron, which is important for energy production and immune system function—so dig in to keep levels high.
OK, so now it's buy time. You're at the market, staring at a wall of olives and not so sure where to start. Here are a few tips on what to look for:. Step outside the supermarket. Head to the local farmers market and look for small-batch, artisanal vendors to get the best, close-to-organic quality. Opt for organic. If you're buying bottled olives, look for organic brands that have been "traditionally cured" in order to avoid the ones that have been cured with lye. Skip the cans. Try to avoid buying canned olives from large-scale producers, which are more likely to be sprayed with pesticides during the growing process and then treated with harsh chemicals—namely lye, to speed curing—during processing.
Buy in bulk. Instead of canned versions, buy the fresher, high-turnover olives you'll usually find in bins at the market. Buying just the amount you need from the bins will also make it easier to taste-test and find the ones that appeal most to your taste buds. Antioxidants play a crucial role in protecting your cells from damage caused by oxidative stress. Most of the antioxidants in olives come from their rich phytochemical content.
They include phenols and flavonoids such as oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleanolic acid, and quercetin. The impressive list of health benefits associated with those 5 phytonutrients includes the ability to fight inflammation and tumors, and the ability to protect nerve cells, skin, and eyes from oxidative stress. They can also improve cardiovascular health and prevent liver damage. Olives can increase the blood levels of glutathione, one of the most potent antioxidants in your body.
Oleuropein and oleic acid from olives play a role in regulating cholesterol levels. They also decrease the oxidation of LDL bad cholesterol. Well, oxidized LDL cholesterol can cause inflammation of arteries and the development of atherosclerosis, which increases your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.
Also, research done on animal models indicate that oleuropein can both prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Furthermore, research shows that quercetin, another flavonoid found in olives, may improve blood flow through arteries in people with heart disease. It could also be an effective way to reduce blood pressure and lower levels of bad cholesterol. It is a fact that the rates of osteoporosis and hip fractures in the elderly are lower in Mediterranean countries than in the rest of Europe.
This has led researchers to believe that the Mediterranean diet, rich in olives and olive oil, may have positive effects on bone health. In fact, multiple studies indicate that hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein, phytonutrients found in olives, improve bone density and can help in the prevention of osteoporosis. They can reduce inflammation by neutralizing free radicals released by your body as part of a normal immune response. By keeping free radical levels in check, they help your immune system to fight infections and reduce inflammatory processes.
In contrast to unhealthy saturated and trans fats, monounsaturated fats can be beneficial for your health. For example, monounsaturated fats can help reduce bad cholesterol levels, which lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Olives are chock full of antioxidant vitamin E. Vitamin E is known to protect your skin from UV damage. As if that is not enough, olives are packed with monounsaturated fat oleic acid.
Oleic acid helps your skin cells to retain moisture, keeping your skin hydrated and glowing. Olives are an excellent source of vitamin A, which is widely accepted to be essential for good vision. Vitamin A protects the surface of the eye called the cornea and can be effective against cataracts, glaucoma, and a variety of age-related eye issues.
Also, in combination with antioxidant vitamin E, it plays a part in decreasing the risk of vision loss from macular degeneration.
Studies show that if you change the proportions of dietary fats, decreasing saturated fats, and increasing monounsaturated fatty acids, your insulin sensitivity will improve. Iron is a mineral the body needs to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body.
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