Long ago, olives are known to be beneficial to health. The olive fruits have been popularized due to the growth of the Italian cuisine. Eating well is suggested to use olive oil to add to salads, meat and poultry or pizza. That is priority of many housewives when shopping as olives fit into every palate perfectly, enhancing the taste and flavour of the recipes.
Health benefits of olives
- If animal meat is cooked in olive oil, the dish can be useful in fighting against diseases such as arthritis, asthma and diabetes, said nutritionists.
- Oil means fat and bad for health! However, that does not go the same with olive oil because the main type of fat found in all kinds of olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) considered as a healthy dietary fat.
- Consuming olives and olive oil help in preventing and lowering the risk of diseases such as asthma, diabetes, atherosclerosis, arthritis and colon cancer.
- Olive oil is easily digestible and can be well-absorbed by the human body.
- These fruits contain linolenic acid that is beneficial for breastfeeding mothers. Deficiency of the acid leads to decreased growth of the baby and increased skin diseases.
- The presence of chlorine in olives helps in improving functions of the liver and getting rid of waste materials from the body.
- Olives work wonderfully when applied on the scalp and hair as they enhance the cuticles and offer more moisture to the hair, thus, making it healthier, shinier and softer.
- Being an excellent source of phytonutrients, monosaturated fat and antioxidants, olives play a major role in lowering cardiovascular damage and neutralizing free radicals in the body, which can otherwise damage arteries and accumulate cholesterol.
- Olives are known to reduce instances of hot flashes in postmenopausal women, besides working wonders in cooling the body down, detoxifying organs and treating respiratory ailments.
- Olives are also a good source of vitamin E.
Last but not least, any foods, even proven healthy ones, should be eat only in moderation. And the right storage technique of using olive oil is to store it in a dark, room-temperature cupboard, or even in the refrigerator, and the best using duration is within a year or within six months once opened.