When you are scanning your local supermarket looking for a good, healthy fruit to incorporate into your meal, don’t forget to include olives on your list. In fact, there is a growing body of research that suggests the health properties garnered from olives benefit almost every area of the body.
Many people often don’t equate olives as a fruit, but it is harvested off trees and there are over a hundred varieties grown all over the world. Believe it or not, because they contain a pit in the middle, they are in the same class of fruits as peaches, mangos, cherries, and others. The versatility of olives and its distinctive tastes allow it to be used in almost any dish, from salads and soups to dressing and lean meat entrees. Be mindful of the calories, as it about 155 calories per cup, but the overall positives effects gained is important for better cardiovascular health, avoiding bone loss and metabolism.
An article that appeared this month on Life Extension featured olives in one of their health reports. As they reported, the top five health benefits of olives are:
- Fiber — great source of fiber that can aid the entire digestive tract.
- Heart Health — high in the healthy, fatty oils that are key to preventing heart disease.
- Iron — plays a leading role as the body produces red blood cells.
- Cancer Prevention — rich in Vitamin E, the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties help keep cells from cancerous development.
- Copper — since it is not produced in the body, we need copper from foods we eat. Copper deficiencies are linked to a number of disorders such as anemia and low body temperature.
Interested in reading more? Check out our Top Five Foods Containing Choline
