Olives.

Don’t mind me. Just a random blog in hopes of writing more than just ONE blog post for the whole month of January! 🙂 I really do LOVE olives though. I always have – even when I was a young girl olives and sunflower seeds were my favorite! Maybe I just love salt? Either way, I began wondering if Olives were a healthy part of a diet. I also love french fries but I’m guessing Olives may be a bit better for me.

I did a random google search to find some of the benefits of eating olives on a regular basis. I’m guessing there may be SOME benefits since Olive oil is considered to be healthy and a big part of the Mediterranean lifestyle.

This is what I found:

“- Olives eliminate excess cholesterol in the blood.

Olives control blood pressure.

– Olives are a source of dietary fiber as an alternative to fruits and vegetables.

– Olives are a great source of Vitamin E

– Olives act as an antioxidant, protecting cells

– Olives reduce the effects of degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, benign and malignant tumours, including less serious varicose veins and cavities

– Olives help prevent blood clots that could lead to a myocardial infarction or deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

– Olives protect cell membranes against diseases like cancer

– Olives are a great protection against anemia

– Olives enhances fertility and reproductive system

– Olives play an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system, especially during oxidative stress and chronic viral diseases

– And just in case these benefits weren’t enough, they are also a great aphrodisiac.

– Olives are nutritious and rich in mineral content as sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and iodine

– Olives provide essential vitamins and amino acids.

– Olives contain oleic acid, which has beneficial properties to protect the heart. 

– Olives contain polyphenols, a natural chemical that reduce oxidative stress in the brain. So by eating a daily serving of olives helps improve your memory by up to 25%.

– Just one cup of olives is a great source of iron – 4.4mg.

– Eating olives can improve the appearance of wrinkles by 20% since they contain oleic acid, which keeps skin soft and healthy.

– By eating just 10 olives before a meal, you can reduce your appetite by up to 20%. This is because the monounsaturated fatty acids contained in olives slow down the digestion process and stimulate the hormone cholecystokinin, a hormone that sends messages of fullness to the brain.

– Not only does it do that, but it also helps your body to stimulate the production of adiponectin, a chemical that burns fat for up to five hours after ingestion. ” – http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Healthy-you/20-health-benefits-of-olives-20131218

I’m sure that’s not the proper way to reference a website but the take home message is, I didn’t find all those benefits on my own.

Anyway, Do you guys have any foods that you really enjoy as part of a healthy lifestyle? I’ll write more later! Next month, I’m going to aim for ::gasps:: FOUR blog posts! Thanks for reading!

Be well,

TheMidnightBeauty