You’ve undoubtedly heard of the Mediterranean Diet’s numerous health advantages by now. It has been discovered to help decrease inflammation, improve cognitive function, and benefit your heart health. One of the best snacks in the Mediterranean Diet is olives!
Olives are not only delicious, they’re also loaded with health benefits. They’re such a crucial element of several healthy diet strategies because of this. Discover what happens when you eat olives below.
1 — You’ll get more healthy fats.
Olives are high in oleic acid, a kind of fat that makes up 74 percent of the fat content in olives. Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fatty acid that has been shown to help reduce inflammation.
It’s important to consume adequate amounts of these “healthy” fats, such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, in order to maintain optimal health. You’ll find more specialized health advantages linked to these oils below.
2 — Your brain function may improve.
Receiving more healthy fatty acids through your diet may help you improve both your performance and brain health. People who consume a lot of monounsaturated fats have increased levels of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which is required for learning and memory retention.
Olives are high in phenolic compounds, which have been discovered to protect against age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.
3 — You’ll get a good dose of fiber.
Consuming olives and olive oil may provide similar health advantages, but eating olives has one distinct advantage: they’re high in fiber! In reality, three oz. of canned olives have 3.2 grams of fiber, which is a nice amount for a smaller snack.
Olives can help you meet your fiber requirements. Getting enough fiber through your diet is one of the most important keys to a healthy heart, better cholesterol levels, overall longevity, and good digestion, and olives may be an important part of getting there.
4 — Your heart health may improve.
Olives are high in monounsaturated fats, which make them one of the best heart-healthy snacks on the market. Monounsaturated fats were discovered to help lower participants’ overall mortality risk, stroke incidence, and cardiovascular disease incidence in a study published in Lipids in Health and Disease.
Monounsaturated fats can also aid in lowering “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and increasing “good cholesterol” (HDL), which can all help you avoid heart disease.