Olives: Healthful Nutrients

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Olives-A Gold-Mine of Nutrients

JoAnn Guest

Jul 12, 2002 09:43 PDT

 

Olives

 

The Olive was certainly one of the most valuable and versatile trees

of biblical times.

It is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible. Many, many passages

contain references to olives, olive trees, olive yards and olive

oils.

 

Olive oil is a high-energy food and one of the most digestible of

all fats. The ancients of biblical times found ways to incorporate

it somehow in nearly every meal, both for cooking and for table use.

For hundreds of years the benefits of olive oil nutritionally,

cosmetically and medicinally have been recognized by the people of

the Mediterranean, which includes the Holy Land.

 

Pliny and Hippocrates, the noted physicians of ancient Greece, who

lived in the era of the New Testament-prescribed medicines

containing olive oil and olive leaves as cures for such disorders as

inflammation of the gums, insomnia, nausea and boils.

 

Many of these old remedies have passed into tradition and become a

part of folklore. Research today confirms that they are just as

valid today as they were hundreds of years ago.

 

You may have already heard of the so-called " Mediterranean Diet. " It

has been given wide publicity in the last four or five years as an

important key to reducing the incidence of heart disease.

 

Certainly, recent research now seems to have provided pretty

substantial evidence that the kind of diet consumed by the people

who live in the countries around the eastern end of the

Mediterranean, which includes

high levels of olive oil, seems to offer substantial protection

against heart attacks and strokes.

 

A study largely underwritten by the American Heart Foundation found

that on the Mediterranean island of Crete, the mortality rate due to

cardiovascular illnesses was the lowest in the world.

 

They compared the figure-and the diets-with those of Finland and the

United States, which have the highest rates of death from heart

attacks.

 

The difference was in the types of fat in the diets.

Monounsaturated fatty acids do not contain cholesterol,

and olive oil contains 56 to 83 percent of these acids,

also called " oleic " acids.

 

The trouble-making saturated fatty acids are found in fats

such as butter and lard and hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated

vegetable oils.

 

Olive oil is the richest in *monounsaturated* fats or MUFA's

which lower LDL blood cholesterol.

 

A recent study found that LDL (bad) cholesterol levels were reduced

by some seven percent by substituting olive oil for margarine-more

if the oil is used to replace butter.

 

Four or five tablespoons of olive oil daily dramatically improve the

blood profiles of heart attack patients.

 

And two-thirds of a tablespoon daily lowered blood pressure.

The health aspects of olive oil are not limited to its positive

effect in the battle against heart disease.

 

The evidence is strong that it also retards cancer growth.

 

For example, olive oil seems to strengthen cell membranes,

which makes them more stable and better able to resist the invasion

of the " free radicals " that roam around through the body causing so

much damage.

 

Lately, free radicals have become major suspects as a leading cause

of cancer.

Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, one of the best antioxidants

available.

 

Experts believe that those antioxidants help human cells fight off

cancer.

In doing so, they fortify the cells and, thus, slow down

deterioration that accompanies the aging process, since the cells

are healthier and live longer.

 

Incredibly, there's plenty of evidence to indicate that a diet rich

in olive oil contributes to longevity. Olive oil has been shown to

reduce the normal wear and tear of aging on the tissues and organs

of the body and the brain.

 

Olive oil has been shown to reduce gastric acidity. It protects

against ulcers and aids the passage of food through the intestines,

thus helping to prevent constipation.

 

It stimulates bile secretion and provokes contraction of the

gallbladder, reducing the risk of gallstones.

 

Since olive oil contains vitamin E and oleic acid, which are also

found in human milk,

 

it aids normal bone growth;

 

and is most suitable for both

expectant and nursing mothers because it encourages development of

the infant's nervous system before and after birth.

 

TIP: It may cost a little more, but extra virgin olive oil contains

more of those natural ingredients credited with fighting heart

disease.

A scientist advises that the purer the oil, the more you'll be

helping your heart.

 

Since olive oil works wonders at blocking the tendency of blood to

clot,

improving good HDL cholesterol levels and reducing the dangerous

buildup of bad cholesterol in arteries, some experts now strongly

recommend olive oil as an excellent way to cut the risk of heart

attacks and strokes.

 

Physicians in Spain give heart surgery patients four to five

tablespoons of olive oil per day as part of their recovery process.

Within six months

patients in one study showed so much improvement that they were

deemed less susceptible to future heart attacks and strokes than

patients who had not had the oil.

 

The University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas also

reported

that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil dramatically lowered and

favorably altered LDL blood cholesterol.

In tests on middle-aged people, olive oil reduced all blood

cholesterol

by 13 percent and the dangerous LDL cholesterol by an amazing---and

possible life saving -21 percent.

 

University of Kentucky researchers determined that as little as

two-thirds of a tablespoon a day-reduced blood pressure by five

systolic

points and four diastolic points.

 

Food values in 1 tablespoon of olive oil:

 

Calories----119

Vitamin E---3-30 mg

Monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic)---56-83%

Polyunsaturated unfatty acids (linoleic)---3.5-20%

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (linolenic)---0-1.5%

Saturated fatty acids---8-23.5%

 

Fats, as any nutritionist will tell you, come in three groups. These

are saturated fats (found in meat, butter, cheese and chocolate),

which raise blood cholesterol levels; and monounsaturated fats (from

olives and avocadoes),

which lower cholesterol.

 

Folk Remedies

 

For tired feet: Massage with olive oil

 

For Aching Muscles: Massage with a mixture of olive oil and rosemary.

 

For High Blood Pressure: Boil 24 olive leaves in 8 ounces of water

for

15 minutes. Allow to cool. Drink the infusion morning and night for

two

weeks.

 

To Clear Acne: Massage face with mixture of 8 ounces of olive oil

and 10 drops of lavender oil.

 

For Weak Nails: Soak the nails for 5 minutes in warm olive oil, then

pat the nails with white iodine.

 

For Dry Skin: Make a face mask with an avocado and olive oil. Leave

on for 10 minutes and rinse.

 

To Prevent Wrinkles: Rub a mixture of olive oil and juice of a lemon

into the skin before going to bed.

 

Caution: Olive oil has a slight laxative effect, so when you are

changing over to olive oil in your diet make sure to do so gradually.

 

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

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