By now, chances are you’ve heard of the multiple health benefits associated with Mediterranean diet. It has been found to help reduce inflammation, improve your cognitive function, and help you have a healthier heart. And although the diet consists of many different types of foods, one of the most popular snacks on the Mediterranean diet is olives!
Love them or hate them, olives are packed with health benefits, which is why they’re such a healthy staple in many types of healthy eating plans. Learn more about the amazing effects of eating olives and for more healthy eating tips, check out Secret Side Effects of Eating Cucumbers.
Olives are largely composed of healthy fats and they contain high levels of a specific fat called oleic acid, which makes up 74% of the fat found in olives. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat and is known to helps with inflammation.
Getting more of these “healthy” fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet, especially when they replace fats like saturated and trans fats, can help your overall health. You’ll see more specific health benefits associated with these fats below.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
One of the main benefits of getting more healthy fatty acids in your diet is that they can help you improve your brain health and operation. According psychology todaypeople who eat a lot monounsaturated fats often have higher levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which we need for functions like memory retention and learning.
Olives also contain Phenolic compoundsthat have found a connection with protection against age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.
While olives and olive oil have many of the same health benefits, one of the specific effects of eating olives is that they contain dietary fiber. In fact, three ounces of canned olives contain about 3.2 grams of fiberwhich is a useful amount for a small snack.
Getting enough fiber in your diet is one of the main keys to a healthy heart, healthy cholesterol levels, good digestion, and overall longevity, and olives can be a helpful part of that. reach your fiber goals.
Olives are one of the best heart-healthy foods you can eat due to their high levels of monounsaturated fats. According to a report published in Lipids in Health and Diseasemonounsaturated fats were found to help reduce the overall risk of mortality, stroke, and cardiovascular disease in study participants.
Monounsaturated fats can also help you lower “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and increase “good cholesterol” (HDL), which in turn can help you maintain a healthy heart.
