Green olive. Olives and olives: benefits and taste

Olea europaea L.

Greetings dear blog readers! In this article we will examine the topic: Olives, benefits and harm to the body, what is the difference between olives and black olives. Olives have high taste, are nutritious, and are a source of very valuable unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins for the body.

Olive, olive Olea is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs of the Olive family Oleaceae; more than 30 species of olive are known.

Only one species is of economic and consumer importance - the European olive Olea europeae, cultivated olive or European olive, olive tree, a widely cultivated oil plant.

Members of the genus Olive grow in warm temperate and tropical regions of Southern Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia.

More than 150 varieties of European Olive grow in the Mediterranean region. It is grown and produced mainly in Spain, Italy, Greece and North African countries. The olive tree has been cultivated since ancient times mainly for the production of olive oil; it is not found in the wild.

In Russia, olive grows on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in the area from Gelendzhik to Sochi and on the southern coast of Crimea.

European olive

Olives are how olives grow. European olive Olea europaea is an evergreen shrub 1 - 3 meters high or fruit tree 3 - 12 meters high, the trunk is covered with gray bark, curved, hollow with age, the branches are knotty and long. The leaves of the olive are small, opposite, almost sessile, lanceolate or oval-oblong, up to 8 cm long, leathery, gray-green above, silvery below, changing within 2 - 3 years.

The flowers are small, 2–4 mm long, fragrant, white, collected in 8–40 paniculate racemes, located in the leaf axils. The fruit is an oval or spherical drupe, 1–3.5 cm long, weighing up to 15 g, dark purple, blue-black or reddish-brown in color when ripe, often with a waxy coating. The olive blossoms in May - July, the fruits ripen in September - December, the tree bears fruit once every two years.

European olive can withstand short-term frosts down to -13 ° C, the plant is drought-resistant. Olive trees in winter period rains absorb large amounts of moisture and can retain it in the trunks throughout many dry summer months.

The olive tree lives and bears fruit for up to 400 - 500 years or more; there are long-living trees in Greece and Israel. An olive tree grows in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, which is about 2000 years old.

The European olive originated from the Greek olive; it is a very ancient crop, known three millennia BC; even then people used its healing and nutritional properties. In the 1st century BC. e. Italy was the largest producer of olive oil; the Greeks brought the European olive here, then they began to grow it from Spain to Syria and further east.

Fresh olive fruits are inedible due to the very bitter taste caused by the presence of oleuropein, a bitter glycoside, in the fruits. The bitterness disappears only after a long soaking of the fruits in water, which is changed daily, or a long soaking in salt brine - for several weeks. After this, the olive fruits become healthy and tasty.

Since ancient times, both ripe and green olives have been pickled and salted; they were also discovered during excavations in Pompeii. Olives became widespread due to the high content of olive oil contained in the fruit, which was pressed from fresh fruits olive tree. Olive oil production is believed to be of the same age as winemaking.

Olive is a symbolically significant plant, associated in antiquity with Athena, the goddess of war. The sacred grove at Olympia was made of olive trees, and images of the gods were carved from olive trees. Olive branches were presented to winners of sports competitions, and soldiers carried wreaths of olive branches in triumphal processions.

And in Ancient Rome, the olive branch was a symbol of the goddess of peace Pax; with olive branches in their hands, messengers prayed for peace and protection.

Nowadays, the olive branch is a symbol of peace, truce; in the Islamic tradition, the olive is the tree of life. The emblem of the World Peace Congress depicts a dove carrying an olive branch. The olive branch is widely used in heraldry and is depicted on the coats of arms of many countries.

90% of olives are made from olive oil, the rest are marinated with and without seeds. Olive varieties differ in their use. Oil-rich olives are classified as oilseed varieties and are used to produce olive oil. Olives with less oil content are classified as table olives; canned olives are used for canning in their entirety. There are also combined, universal or canned-oil varieties.

The difference between olives and black olives

In terms of sound and word formation, olives and olives are two different words, but it’s simple different name the fruits of one olive tree or shrub - European Olive.

What is the difference between olives and olives? In international terminology, there are names: green olives for green unripe fruits of the olive tree and black olives Black olives - ripe fruits olive tree. As olives ripen, they can be light green, yellowish, pink, red-brown, purple and almost black in color.

The color and shades of canned olives depend on the degree of ripeness of the fruit and the technology used during harvesting and further processing.

In Russia, olives are usually called green, olive-colored fruits, and black olives are called olives; this division of names exists only in our everyday speech. Abroad, all fruits of the olive tree are called olives; the name of the fruit, olives, is widely used only in Russia.

Black olives, the olives that go on sale and that we can usually buy in the store, can be of two types: olives that have ripened naturally on the olive tree and those that have turned black artificially.

The second type of black olives, Black oxidized olives - black oxidized olives. For their production, unripe green olives are used, which turn black during the process of oxidation - saturation with oxygen in a solution of sodium hydroxide with iron gluconate. The fruits are soaked to quickly remove natural bitterness and coloring, using food additives E524, E579.

Naturally ripened black olives are ripe, softer and always marinated with pits. Canned olives must be labeled according to fruit size, degree of ripeness and other differences. production process production of these food products.

Canned olives: benefits and harms

Why are they useful? canned olives

Olives are mainly used to obtain olive oil; canned food is also made from green unripe olive fruits; dry-salted olives are used from black olives - salted using a dry method. Canned olives arrive on our table.

After soaking and removing bitterness, olives are placed in brine using seasonings and spices and stored in containers of up to 10 tons. Then the seeds are knocked out, stuffed and packaged in various glass and metal jars for sale in a retail chain of stores.

Canned olives, stuffed, are used as a delicious snack on the table. Olives are stuffed with paprika, garlic, fish - anchovies, salmon, tuna; shrimp, onions, chili peppers, gherkins, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, almonds, lemon, orange.

Chemical composition of olive fruits and leaves

Fresh ripe olives are rich in fats, proteins, pectins, sugars, vitamins B, C, E, P-active cakhetins, contain salts of potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and other elements, the fruits contain phenol carbonic acids, triperten saponins.

The raw pulp of the fruit contains up to 80% oil, which contains unsaturated fatty acids: oleic - 75%, linoleic - 13%, linolenic - 0.55%, this is the main component of vitamin F in its natural form, they also lead to a decrease in glucose levels in blood.

Olive leaves in fresh, as well as extract and infusion are used to reduce blood pressure for hypertension, as a diuretic, to normalize breathing.

Vitamins E, F are natural antioxidants, protect the body from premature aging and destruction, participate in the fat metabolism of the skin, and help remove cholesterol from the body.

In canned olives canned olives ah vitamins and minerals are preserved.

To strengthen your health and replenish your body with vitamins contained in olives, it is enough for a person to consume 8 - 10 olives per day.

If the body receives a sufficient amount of vitamins and antioxidants, the immune system is strengthened and the body receives additional protection.

Eating olives reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis, promotes good digestion, stimulates the production of gastric juice and intestinal motility.

A few olives a day will calm the nervous system, give vigor, lift your spirits, and improve the condition of your skin and hair.

Canned olives, canned olives harm:

• Individual intolerance
• Canned olives contain a lot of salt and spices, so they are contraindicated in large quantities People with hypertension, heart disease, need to observe moderation in everything.

Watch a video about how olives grow, how they are harvested, and how olive oil is produced in Greece:

Video about olives, black olives and olive oil

Most olives are produced in Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Canned black olives are widely used in Mediterranean cuisine and throughout the world. They are consumed both separately with and without seeds, stuffed, and in various salads, when preparing first courses, all kinds of hodgepodges, they are perfect for decorating a festive table.

Strong greenish-yellow olive wood is well polished and used for making furniture, souvenir jewelry, and inlaying expensive wood products.

Dear readers! In a short article Olives - benefits and harm to the body olives Difference between olives and black olives I tried to tell you how olives grow, how canned olives are useful, about their composition and properties.

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Olives are one of the most popular snacks on Russian tables. These small black fruits come from Africa and look like green olives. Despite the similarities in appearance, most people consider olives and olives to be fruits different plants, and the latter are in rather low demand among Russians. However, despite the differences in taste and color, black and green fruits belong to the same species. They even grow on the same tree.

How are olives grown?

Olive groves are grown by residents of Africa, southern Europe and Asia. Evergreen olive trees belong to the olive family. Olives and olives entering Russia in different banks, grow on one branch. Fruits intended for export are harvested before they ripen. This is what explains the familiar dark green color and tartness of pickled olives.

In addition, pickled olives are much softer than their freshly picked counterparts. The hardness of the fruit is very important for safe transportation. If ripe olives were exported, most of them would be unsalable upon delivery due to their bruised appearance.

Those fruits that remain on the branches until fully ripe are almost twice as large as those we are used to and change color from dark green to brown or purple. They are mainly used not for food, but as a raw material for the production of olive oil.

Collection methods also differ. Unripe fruits are picked by hand and placed in baskets. Ripe olives crumble under their own weight. Therefore, they are not torn off, but shaken from the tree onto specially stretched hammocks made of fine mesh.

What are olives?

The word "olive" exists exclusively within the countries of the former USSR. These are the same unripe olives, only not green, but black. Olives have less astringency, but this is explained not by differences in species, but by the peculiarities of preparation. Europeans instead of a word "olives" They say "black olives".

Where does black come from?

There is a misconception that the color of pickled fruits depends on the degree of ripeness when picked. In fact, the reason is different. The olives collected differ only in size. Therefore, after calibration, they are divided into 2 parts, depending on the required final color.

Fruits that should retain their natural color are immediately sent to the marinade, and those that are to turn black are poured into special canisters where compressed oxygen is supplied. Future olives remain under its influence from one week to 10-12 days. During this time, they oxidize, and the flesh turns black to the very bone. The resulting olives are removed and sent to brine.

Store salted olives in canister-reservoirs. The canisters are connected to each other and placed underground to maintain a constant temperature. Before further preparations (pit removal, stuffing) or transportation, olives are pumped out of barrels with powerful air pumps. If necessary, hoses with a calibration hole of a certain size are installed on the pumps.

Myths and legends about the differences between black olives and olives

There are several false beliefs among people regarding different characteristics products. Among them:

• content of useful substances;
• use of dyes;
• different varieties and degrees of maturity.

Let's look at these misconceptions in more detail.

• Utility. Since there is only one species, there cannot be initial differences in the content of vitamins and other useful substances. The vitamin content can only change during the preservation process, but it depends more on the technology of a particular manufacturer than on the name of the product.
• Adding dyes. Some consumers consider olives harmful and even hazardous to health. In their opinion, food coloring gives black color to olives, which then colors the brine. To support their words, these consumers point out that the brine of green olives always remains clear. The reason is indeed a chemical, but it is not a dye.
• To speed up the oxidative reaction, iron gluconate can be supplied along with oxygen during the coloring process of olives. It is its release that causes the brine to darken. But gluconate is used in small dosages and is therefore harmless. By the way, the technology for making black olives was invented in Spain even before the advent of food coloring. Today it is adopted by most manufacturers.
• Ripeness. It is traditionally believed that black olives are riper than their green counterparts. As an argument, supporters of this point of view point to the different degrees of hardness and astringency of green and black snacks. However, excess bitterness is removed from olives during processing by adding special salts. Softness depends on the brine.

Thus, all the differences between black olives and olives are due not to nature, but to processing technology. Bon Appetit!

- I love olives more!

- And I prefer olives.

Familiar dialogue? Do you know the difference between olives and black olives? Test your knowledge!

In the southern regions there grows a tree scientifically called “Olea europea,” which translated into Russian means “European olive.” That is, there is one tree, but two names - in Europe it is olive, and in Russia it is olive. The tree is evergreen, loving warmth and sun, it lives on average 300-400 years (sometimes more than 1000), reaching a height of 12 meters (4-5 on average) and an unprecedented volume. The leaves appear gray from a distance, and this effect intensifies with age. One tree produces about 5 buckets of fruit per season.

Olive fruit

The olive tree blooms in April, covered with delicate, modest white flowers; in May, ovaries appear, which grow, absorbing the warmth of the sun and the power of the wind, gradually becoming larger and larger. At first the fruits are bright green color. In October they become lighter in color and can be collected for preservation. At this stage the fruits are called olives. By January, the fruits darken, becoming red, purple or blue-black. At this stage of ripeness, the fruits are richest in oils, which is why they are already called olives. However, olives are not suitable for preservation - they are too soft and cannot retain their shape, so they are used to make butter.

What's in the jars - olives or black olives?

Olives are harvested by hand using special awnings. The collected fruits are sorted by size and processed to remove bitterness. Previously, olives were placed in sea ​​water. Now technology has moved forward, and no one will do for six months what can be done much faster. Now green olives treated with a solution of caustic soda, which very quickly extinguishes the bitterness of olives and makes them softer.

To make the fruits black, they are additionally oxidized using stabilizer E579 (iron gluconate). However, such processing makes the fruits even softer, which does not allow the use of fillings. That’s why olives are sold with and without pits; it’s almost impossible to find stuffed olives.
Olives are stuffed with a variety of fillings: lemon, pepper, garlic, fish, etc.

What is healthier - olives or black olives?

If we are talking about native, unprocessed fruits (freed only from bitterness), then healthier than olives, containing large amounts of unsaturated fats, vitamins and microelements. Olives improve digestion, increase immunity, have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and reduce cholesterol.

If we consider pickled fruits, then green olives will be healthier, since they are less processed than black olives.

People quite often add olives to them when preparing various salads. Some recipes call for olives Green colour, and in others – black. Based on this situation, many begin to think about whether it is necessary to buy olives of the exact color indicated in the recipe, because, despite the color differences, they are the same fruit, and accordingly the taste should also be the same. But everything is not so simple, because, despite the similar shape and the same name, these fruits have a lot of differences.

What are black olives?

Black olives are fruits that grow on trees such as olive or olive. These fruits acquire black color only when they become ripe or overripe.

Throughout the world this fruit is called black olives, but in the territory Russian Federation There is a separate name - olives. It is not known for certain when black olives received their second name. It is worth noting that not in all cases black olives are ripe fruits; for faster sale of this product, the olives are “blackened” using oxidation.

Have a soft and rich taste. Consumed only in canned, because when raw their taste is incredibly bitter.

In their condition they are quite soft and oily. It is from this type of olive that olive oil, known for its beneficial properties, is created. People who suffer from diarrhea are strictly prohibited from consuming black olives as they have some laxative properties.

Features of green olives

Green olives are fruits obtained from trees such as olive or olive. As a rule, these fruits are green in the period of incomplete ripening. Olives are grown only in countries with a mild climate. These olives have pungent and pungent taste. Like black olives, they are eaten only in canned form.

They are quite elastic in their condition. Not used for making olive oil.

What do black and green olives have in common?

Black and green olives have both common elements and differences. It is worth noting that there are much fewer common elements than differences:

1. Both types of olives grow on the same tree.
2. Black and green olives are divided into six groups according to their size - small, medium, large, very large, giant and colossal.
3. Both types of olives contain a large amount minerals– sodium, iron, potassium, magnesium, iodine, vitamins A and others.
4. Black and green olives have a very bitter taste when raw, so it is recommended to eat them only after preserving them.

It is these similar elements that make people think that black and green olives are interchangeable, and when preparing a dish it is not necessary to buy olives of the same color as indicated in the recipe.

Main differences between black and green olives

Despite the fact that black and green olives are very similar in shape and composition, they have a number of differences:

1. Despite the fact that these types of olives grow on the same tree, there is a difference in their condition. Black olives are already ripe and overripe fruits, green olives are fruits that have not yet reached a state of maturity.
2. Green olives do not have any other name, but black olives in the CIS countries are called “olives.”
3. Black olives have a very mild and quite rich taste, but the taste of green olives is sharper and bitter.
4. Green olives are more elastic and hard, while black olives are soft.
5. Due to their oiliness, black olives are used to make olive oil. Green olives are not suitable for making olive oil, so they are used only for canning.
6. When preparing olives for sale, they are treated absolutely different ways. Green olives are soaked in an alkaline solution and then kept in brine for a period of 6 to 12 months. The longer green olives are kept in brine, the less bitter they will be. After soaking in brine, green olives are (most often) pitted and stuffed with pieces of garlic, anchovies, peppers and other products. Black olives, in turn, are also wetted in an alkali-containing solution, but then not kept in brine, but pickled or preserved in oil.
7. Due to the difference in taste, different types of olives are used in various dishes Oh. For example, black olives are mainly used for both salads and main dishes. But green olives are most often used as a snack.
8. The difference is in calories. Green olives are lower in calories than black olives.

Having studied all the differences between green and black olives, it will be very difficult to confuse them. It is also worth highlighting that they are not interchangeable. It is not recommended to use green olives for salads and main courses, because they will impart a certain bitterness to the dish, which will not always be beneficial. But if a person wants some kind of snack, then green olives are an ideal option, because they are low in calories, but at the same time satisfying.

Where do olives grow?

For men

For women

The benefits of different forms

Methods of application

Harm of olives

Contraindications

• with pancreatitis;
• with cholecystitis;

Question and answer: Which olives are healthier - green or black?

Why do you want olives?

Most Mediterranean dishes use olives in their composition - the benefits and excellent taste of these fruits allow them to be added to many recipes. European olive is recommended for use by both men and women due to its medicinal effects.

Where do olives grow?

Olive europaea, whose fruits are olives, is a heat-loving plant growing in southern countries. Most often it is found in Mediterranean countries: Greece and Turkey, Israel, Italy and Spain. Spain is the main supplier of olives on the world market, and has been the leader for many years.

In addition to their main habitat, olive trees are grown in Iraq and Iran, Turkmenistan, India, Peru and Mexico. In Soviet times, the European olive was grown on the Black Sea coast and in the Crimea, as well as in Abkhazia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Are olives a fruit, vegetable or berry?

Olives are often classified as berries and fruits: they are small seed fruits that resemble cherries or plums. From a botanical point of view, they belong to the group of drupes: these are fruits that have only one seed and are not considered berries.

Olives belong to the group of drupes

Olives are like berries in size, like fruits in structure, like vegetables in taste qualities. But at the same time, they do not belong to any of these groups: olive fruits are allocated to a separate family “Oliaceae”. The genus of this plant is “Olive”, and the species is “European olive”.

Why are olives black and olives green?

Olives and olives are the fruits of the same tree, which is called the “European Olive”. The difference between them lies in the degree of ripeness: green color indicates immaturity, and dark color indicates complete ripeness of the fruit.

Olives, known in European countries as “black olives,” are not actually black in color: their rich dark hue is closer to purple or brown tones. One side of olives is often darker than the other, and the pit is not removed.

Olives and olives grow on the same tree

On sale you can more often find pitted olives of a uniform blue-black color. This shade is obtained artificially by adding chemical preservatives to unripe green olives. After such processing, there are no beneficial properties left in pseudo-olives.

Chemical composition of olives and BJU

The beneficial effects of olive fruits on the body are due to the components in their composition.

A table with the composition of black and green fruits, which takes into account calorie content, dietary fat, the amount of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.

The chemical composition depends on the specific variety of fruit and the method of processing. Canned, pickled and salted olives contain fewer nutrients than fresh ones. Beneficial features olives

The benefits of olive fruits for the human body are invaluable.

Due to their composition, rich in fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, they are indispensable for many diseases:

1. For atherosclerosis: vitamin PP and fiber regulate the amount of cholesterol in the blood, helping to cope with its excess.
2. For cardiovascular diseases: high levels of potassium, vitamins B6 and PP reduce arterial pressure, strengthens vascular walls.
3. For metabolic disorders: the composition is low in sugar, high in fatty acids, as well as vitamins B6, C and E, which lower blood sugar levels and speed up metabolism.
4. For disorders nervous system: normalize cerebral circulation and have a mild sedative effect, improve the functioning of the central nervous system and PNS.
5. For anemia: black fruits contain a lot of iron and vitamin C, which improves its absorption and increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
6. For arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis and gout: phosphorus and calcium in the composition strengthen bones and joints.
7. For digestive problems: fiber improves the digestion and absorption of food, helps with constipation and other gastrointestinal disorders.
8. When losing weight: low calorie content product, as well as vitamins B6 and C in its composition, which regulate metabolism, allow you to quickly get rid of excess weight.
9. For infectious diseases: vitamins C and E increase activity immune system, providing a preventive and therapeutic effect for colds.

Olives are also very useful for children and adolescents: fatty acids have a beneficial effect on the growing body.

For men

The benefits of olives for men include the following effects:

1. Vitamin E improves blood circulation and sperm quality, and also prevents the destruction of testosterone by insulin.
2. Fatty acids cleanse blood vessels and improve blood flow to all parts of the body, including the genitals.
3. Vitamin B9 prevents early baldness and stimulates new hair growth.
4. Vitamin B6 strengthens the walls of blood vessels, eliminating circulatory insufficiency.
5. Zinc increases testosterone levels in the blood.

In order to achieve best effect when fighting erectile dysfunction, men should consume 10-15 fruits per day.

Olives cleanse blood vessels

For women

Benefits of olive fruit for women's health due to the following:

1. Vitamins C, E and selenium prevent the spread of free radicals, slowing down aging and reducing the risk of developing cancer.
2. Vitamins A and B improve the condition of hair and skin: hide wrinkles and inflammation, strengthen hair, accelerate its growth and give it shine.
3. Calcium and phosphorus strengthen nail plates and teeth.
4. Monounsaturated fats, vitamins A and E promote fertility and increase the chances of conceiving a child.
5. Vitamin B6 thins the blood and strengthens blood vessels, prevents varicose veins and thrombosis during pregnancy.
6. Low calorie content allows you to eat the fruit on a diet.

Olives for women are useful not only when taken orally: the fruits and oil from them can be used externally as part of homemade masks for the face, hair and body.

Olives prevent thrombosis

The benefits of different forms

Regardless of the form in which olives are sold, they have beneficial effect on the body.

Each storage method has its advantages:

1. Fresh olives: contain the maximum amount of useful substances, but are unsuitable for food. Fresh fruits are very bitter and have an astringent property.
2. Dried: prepared by drying in the sun. Unlike pickled and salted fruits, they do not contain salt or potentially harmful preservatives, and retain greatest number vitamins and minerals.
3. Pickled: less healthy than fresh or dried fruits, but at correct technique preparations retain most of the beneficial properties. Canned and salted fruits They last longer, taste better and often contain healthy spices.
4. Olive oil: used internally both independently and as part of various dishes. It is also used in face and hair masks, creams and scrubs, for wiping and cleansing the skin, and as part of cleansing enemas.
5. Olive leaves: Used in cooking as a seasoning and also brewed as a tea. Relieves tension and anxiety, provides prevention cardiovascular diseases, tone and strengthen the immune system.

Olive leaf tea is good for the cardiovascular system

Methods of application

Olive fruit is the most common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, found in almost every recipe. Their uses are unlimited: olives are used in pizza, pasta and focaccio recipes, in many salads and soups, in pesto and a variety of meat and fish dishes, fried or baked in the oven.

Olive fruits are often used as decorative element for hot dishes - they look aesthetically pleasing and do not interfere with the taste of the dish. They are also used to decorate alcoholic cocktails: If you snack on alcohol with olives, they will begin to counter toxins and reduce hangover symptoms.

Olives counteract alcohol toxins

Another use for olives is as a snack. They can be present in canapés or consumed on their own: canned, dried or salted. It is acceptable to eat 7-10 fruits per day.

Harm of olives

Black olives in a jar can harm the body. If these are not real olives, but artificially colored fruits, they contain harmful additives. These are caustic soda, in a solution of which olives last for a week, and iron glutonate, which gives blackened pseudo-olives a stable color.

Both of these additives can cause allergies in the consumer; in addition, after prolonged treatment with them, the beneficial properties of olives disappear. If the canned product contains the color stabilizing additive E579, you should not purchase it.

Also, excessively salty brine in which it is stored can cause harm to the body.

Contraindications

Due to their choleretic properties, olives should not be consumed:

• with pancreatitis;
• with cholecystitis;
• with exacerbation of cholelithiasis.

Also, canned olives, which contain a large amount of salt, should not be eaten in case of hyperacid gastritis, in children under 3 years of age and in women who are breastfeeding.

You should not eat olives if you have stones in your bile ducts.

Question and answer: Which olives are healthier - green or black?

Black olives, or olives, contain vitamin C and manganese, which are absent in green fruits. Olives are also lower in calories, and they contain more copper, zinc, calcium and vitamin A. Otherwise, green olives are superior to black fruits: they contain more vitamins, macro- and microelements, and various fatty acids.

It is preferable to eat both types of olive fruits: this way the body will receive the greatest amount of useful elements.

Why do you want olives?

Cravings for certain foods can occur due to illness and lack of nutrients. The desire to eat olives appears as a result of a lack of sodium salts in the body.

This may also indicate a dysfunction of the thyroid gland.

A strong desire to eat olives may indicate a thyroid disorder.

Can you eat olives with pits?

Olive pits are considered very useful product: they contain no less useful substances than the fruit itself. Due to their large size, they are difficult to swallow and difficult to digest, so most often the seeds are consumed orally after grinding with a blender or coffee grinder.

Olive pits are rich in beneficial elements

Black and green olives – useful fruits that have a beneficial effect on the body. They have a positive impact on his work, have great taste and fit perfectly into many dishes.

Benefit

Healthy olives

Bones are also useful

More than 20 years ago, canned olives appeared on the shelves of our stores and immediately gained popularity among consumers. Many people do not know that black and green olives are the fruits of the same tree - the olive (or olive) of Europe, collected and preserved at different stages of maturity. Only in Russia, ripe olives, which acquire a black color after preservation, are called olives; throughout the world, fruits of any color are called olives.

For canning, universal and table varieties are used, content vegetable fats which contain less than the oilseed varieties from which very healthy olive oil is made.

The benefits of canned olives

The beneficial properties of olive tree fruits are practically independent of their degree of ripeness. Their pulp is rich in oil, which contains many fatty acids belonging to the omega-6 and omega-9 groups. Olives also contain plant sterols, B vitamins, ascorbic acid and tocopherol. All these substances have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.

Phytosterols reduce the absorption of fats in the intestines, unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E take part in fat metabolism. Thus, the complex of these substances contained in the fruits of the olive tree stimulates fat metabolism and helps reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.

The pulp of olives contains quite a lot of fiber, which makes them useful for digestive system. The calorie content of olives depends on the degree of ripeness; 100 g of green canned fruit contains about 160 kcal, and the same amount of black fruit contains approximately 130-150 kcal.

Some studies have shown that phytosterols have anti-cancer properties, so regular consumption of olives and olive oil is beneficial for the prevention of cancer.

Which olives are healthier?

Before you buy canned olives, you should make sure that it is a fresh and high-quality product.

Today on sale you can find more than a dozen various types canned olives, they are prepared with or without pits, stuffed with paprika, lemon, almonds, anchovies and other fillings. With such abundance, it is not easy to figure out which olives are the healthiest, and whether there is a difference between black and green canned fruits. It turns out that the benefits of olives directly depend on the method of preservation.

Black olives (olives)

First, I would like to understand black olives, which we usually call olives. The fact is that fruits that are fully ripened on the tree are never as deep black as we see them in jars. Their color can be brown, brown, dark purple, but not completely black. Olives acquire their charcoal blackness during the preservation process.

To obtain such black olives, fruits of any degree of ripeness can be used, so many producers use green olives without waiting for them to ripen. They are placed in a solution of caustic soda, where they are saturated with oxygen, then soaked in water for several days, after which the resulting black color of the olives is fixed with iron gluconate. This production method is the fastest and cheapest, but finished products this results in low quality. It is very easy to remove the pit from unripe olives; ripe fruits are too soft for this. That's why black olives are pitted iron cans, having a relatively low price - this is most likely the product obtained by the method described above.

Green and ripe olives

Green olives with pits are considered healthier.

There is another way to preserve olives, which does not use chemicals and better preserves the beneficial properties of the product. But, of course, it requires much more time and expense. Both green and ripe fruits are preserved using this method. They are placed in containers (it is better if they are wooden barrels) and fill with a 5% solution of ordinary table salt. To activate the fermentation process, tomato juice, sugar or some cultures of lactobacilli are added to the solution. The fermentation process lasts at least one and a half months, after which the olives are washed clean water, placed in glass jars, filled with 7% saline solution and are sterilized.

Stuffed olives

Green olives are usually stuffed, from which it is easier to remove the pit, thus freeing up space for the filling. You won't find stuffed olives in stores because they are looser and more fragile. However, the products that fill the fruits of the olive tree may be of poor quality. Unscrupulous producers may use spoiled fish, nuts, fruits, etc. For example, when purchasing olives with red fish, we, unfortunately, cannot be sure of its freshness, and the taste of the olives and salty pickle, in which they are stored, can successfully mask the taste of low-quality seafood.

Considering all of the above, we can come to the conclusion that not all olives are equally healthy. The green ones are of greatest value to us. stuffed olives. If you really want to try stuffed olives, then it is better to choose a product with lemon, garlic, pepper and other vegetables or fruits. Least useful, and perhaps even harmful product- These are coal-black olives in iron cans.

Harm of canned olives

Individual intolerance to this product is extremely rare.

People suffering from arterial hypertension and kidney disease should use canned olives with caution, as they contain a very high amount of sodium.

Don't buy cheap olives low price indicates low quality of the product, the fruits may be poorly cleaned after chemical treatment and the content chemical substances they may exceed the permissible limit. Also, you should not eat this product if it contains monosodium glutamate, flavorings, preservatives and other similar additives. Buying olives in glass jars, you need to pay attention to the expiration date and tightness of the packaging. Expired or improperly stored product can cause serious poisoning.

Channel One, program “Examination of Things. Quality Control Department”, issue on the topic “Canned olives”:

RIA Novosti, “Fresh Food” program, episode on the topic “How to choose olives”:

"Fresh food" - How to choose olives and black olives

A little more about the benefits of olives

Olives and weight loss

And again about diets

And a little more about olives

The olive tree grows mainly in Africa, Australia, tropical regions of Europe, and South Asia. For the whole world, the division is into green and black olives, and only in Russia is the division into olives and black olives accepted. Green fruits are harvested earlier than black ones.

Benefit

Olives, whose beneficial properties have long been known in the Mediterranean region, are not yet so popular in Russia, and some people do not even realize the richness of their composition and effect on the body. They are rich in manganese and calcium, which has a positive effect on the musculoskeletal system. Olives are even used to treat joint pain. The benefits of black olives have been confirmed in preventing the formation of gallstones. You can consume the fruits of the olive tree daily to prevent stroke, angina and heart attack. They are also very useful for gastrointestinal tract due to the fact that they help improve digestion and remove waste products from the body. Olives contain linoleic acid. One of its properties is its healing effect, helping the speedy healing of wounds and cuts. Interestingly, black olives, which have so many beneficial properties, can also relieve headaches.

They contain a lot of proteins, fats, sugar, ester and pectin, alcohol, and contain sufficient amounts of vitamins C, B, F, E and P, iron, phosphorus, fiber and potassium. If you eat olives at least once a week, your heart function will improve and your blood vessels will dilate. Some elements of these Mediterranean fruits have a beneficial effect on cell restoration and renewal. In addition to these advantages, olives have other advantages. The beneficial properties are due to the antioxidants they contain. Regular use Eating olives helps prevent both the early signs of aging and the progression of cancer.

Healthy olives

The beneficial properties of olives are due to many factors, including the presence of vitamin E and phytosterols, which have a positive effect on the reproductive function of women, so these products are recommended for pregnant women and those planning to conceive. People who are sick colds or the flu, olives will be useful for the anthocyanins they contain - coloring substances that strengthen the immune system and are generally a good anti-cold remedy. Oil olive first cold-pressed, consumed as food, will reduce the number of wrinkles due to the oleic acid it contains.

Olives and healing the body

You need to know how to eat olives correctly. Their beneficial properties depend on what kind of processing the black olives have undergone. If it is impossible to find fresh fruits, it is better to give preference to salty ones, which do not contain preservatives or vinegar. In this form, their benefits are preserved better. Due to the high content of vitamin A, consumption of olives helps prevent vision diseases. Vitamin E, also present in black olives, has a beneficial effect on hair condition. Olives will only benefit your hair and skin if they are consumed internally. That is, with food.

Olives are good for your heart due to their high content of monounsaturated fats and antioxidants. Polyphenols have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular system. They are able to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and prevent the formation of blood clots. Due to this, in turn, the wear and tear of the heart is reduced and its functions are improved. Thanks to the antioxidant activity of the substances contained in olives, the effects of free radicals are neutralized. This prevents the appearance of cancerous tumors and premature aging.

Bones are also useful

The beneficial properties of olives, their harm are due to chemical composition. The same goes for bones. Olive kernels are commonly used for back pain caused by pinched nerves and muscle inflammation. You need to crush half a glass of seeds and add 200 ml of melted paraffin or wax. Cool the resulting mass slightly and fill a rubber heating pad with it. Then the heating pad is applied to the painful area of ​​the body for 20-30 minutes until the wax cools. Warm up should be done daily, after the procedure you need to rest lying down, do not make sudden movements. Can olives with pits be eaten? We discussed the beneficial properties of the latter in the treatment of neurological diseases above. As for eating the whole fruit (along with the pit), this is exactly what some residents do Mediterranean countries- the opinions of experts about the benefits (or harm) of this method differ.

Recipes that include olives

Remedy to alleviate the condition of a patient with atherosclerosis: crushed 200 g. put the olives in a thermos and pour it heated to 60°C vegetable oil. Leave for 48 hours. Drink 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals.

You can get rid of swelling with the help of a tincture based on the fruits and leaves of the olive tree. In order to prepare the medicine, you need to pour a tablespoon of finely chopped olives and a tablespoon of leaves with a glass of boiling water, leave for 5-10 minutes in a water bath, then filter the raw materials and add another glass warm water. You need to drink the infusion 1 tablespoon 3 times a day half an hour before meals.

To prepare an infusion that relieves high blood pressure, pour 1 tablespoon of leaves with a glass of boiling water, hold in a water bath for about 5 minutes, then strain and dilute warm water. Take 1 or 2 tablespoons half an hour before meals 3 times a day.

How to properly include olives in your diet

The benefits and harms of olives depend both on human health and on the amount of consumption of these products. It is advisable to eat olives daily, but in small quantities. For example, add them to salads. Olives go well with fresh cucumbers, cheese, and boiled chicken breast. In addition to salads, black olives can be added to soups, stir-fries, pilaf and other hot dishes or used as a snack between meals.

For whom can olives be harmful?

It is advisable for a person to limit himself by buying canned olives. The beneficial properties of them and olives can be harmful to health if they are consumed excessively. For example, they will negatively affect the health of people suffering from cholecystitis. This is explained by the fact that they have a fairly strong choleretic effect. In addition, olives are saturated with vitamin A, which in significant quantities is toxic and has a negative effect on human body. You need to be especially careful when handling canned olives. When preserving, auxiliary substances are used, when excessive consumption which may arise allergic reaction. Iron gluconate, which is often used in the production of canned olives, can be especially dangerous. Up to the appearance of a person abusing canned foods, gastric ulcer.

People often think that olives and olives are completely different fruits of different trees. Nothing like this. Olives and olives are fruits from the same tree - olives. The difference lies in the stages of maturity - green, not yet ripened olives are called olives, but black fruits that have reached their full ripening are called olives. Many experts recommend eating olives regularly, citing their benefits for the body. But how useful they are, or maybe, on the contrary, harmful, we will find out further.

Olives. Benefits and harm to the body

First, we will carefully consider the positive aspects of olives, that is, their benefits for the body. The first thing any specialist will say is that olives have a perfect balance. nutrients. Olives contain a lot of manganese, as well as calcium - vital necessary for a person. Eating olives has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the musculoskeletal system - the calcium contained in them helps strengthen bones, making them stronger and protecting them from all kinds of diseases of the body's support system. In addition, the substances contained in the fruits help prevent the formation of stone deposits in the gallbladder. Olive fruits help the digestion process by helping to remove harmful and unnecessary substances from the body. Olives also contain linoleic acid, which is known to help heal various wounds.

A little more about the benefits of olives

So, what else are distinctive about olives? Health benefits and harms, if we consider them on the same line, stand in completely different proportions. The benefits of eating olive fruits are still much greater. Which woman is not familiar with face and hand creams made from olive fruits? But the fact is that the skin of olives contains a lot essential oils, which not only moisturize the skin, but also significantly nourish it.

Other cosmetics made from olive fruits are also very useful - shampoos, balms, lotions, and so on. In addition, constant consumption of olives is recommended for people prone to strokes, heart attacks and angina pectoris. But returning to ancient origins, you can find out that the Greeks sincerely believed in the mythical origin of these fruits, which, according to legend, were given to people by the goddess of wisdom Athena.

A few words about the dangers of olives

So, after listing the positive aspects of olives, it’s time to find out how they can be harmful to humans. So, the olive fruits loved by many are black, oily olives. Benefits and harms to human health are an eternal controversial issue. Today we will look at those aspects that can really negatively affect human health.

Olives have a very strong choleretic property - which is why they contribute not only to the prevention, but also to the partial removal of stones from the gallbladder. That is why eating olives is strictly prohibited for people suffering from cholecystitis. Another minus of olives - too great content vitamin A. Few people know, but in large proportions it can be toxic - cause poisoning of the body.

Olives and weight loss

So, we learned how olives are useful and how harmful they are. The benefits and harm to the body will be individual for each person, depending on the qualities and characteristics of the body. However, olives are often recommended for those who have decided to seriously lose weight. The main advantage of these wonderful fruits is that they perfectly satisfy the feeling of hunger. Again, it is not possible to eat olive fruits freshly picked from the tree - they taste very bitter. Therefore, before olives reach our table, they need to undergo serious processing. Usually this is soaking in a saline solution, oxidation in air, and then canning. In this form, ready-to-eat olives reach our tables.

Benefits and harms - both sides are relevant for weight loss. The benefit is that olives cannot be named high-calorie product, harm - if you eat a lot of olives, you will still gain weight, and overeating can also affect your well-being.

And again about diets

Green and black olives - benefits and harms when losing weight. Olives are an extremely rich source of monounsaturated fats, which are the healthiest ones. Why does a person gain weight? Because over time, the body accumulates harmful fats, which begin to be deposited in solid reserves.

Monounsaturated fats reduce the accumulation of “bad” cholesterol, which is the most effective way fight against fat deposits. One more quality of the olive cannot be ignored. Benefits and harms - calorie content of the fruit: in green olives There are twice as many calories as black ones. Thus, going on a diet and eating green fruits, may cause little harm if consumed indefinitely. By eating black olives, we get more benefits because we consume half as many calories. But you still need to remember one thing - the smaller the portion, the lower the calorie content.

What else do you need to know when losing weight?

And it’s important to know one more thing. Olives have a fairly low glycemic index. If explained in understandable language, this will mean that when we eat olives, we do not receive energy abruptly - in one jerk, but gradually. Why is this good? Yes, because with a sharp rise in energy, there is an increase in blood glucose - and this is not a very good indicator. This does not happen with a gradual supply of energy. Increased glycemia, in turn, causes a person to constantly feel hungry, and the hungrier we are, the more we eat. When we eat olives, we quickly dull the feeling of hunger, which then does not arise for quite a long time. These are the olives. Benefits and harms... The properties of the fruit ultimately outweigh them in a positive direction.

How to include olives in your diet?

We took a close look at what olives are. The benefits and harms to the body are also familiar to us now. It remains to figure out how and how many olives you should consume per day. Since salt, which is present in fairly large quantities in fruits, inhibits weight gain, you need to eat them daily, but without excessive fanaticism. Ideal option will not just eat olive fruits, but add them to various salads. For example, a salad from chicken breast, lettuce, cucumber, feta cheese and olives, will perfectly satisfy your hunger, while its calorie content will be very low.

It is also useful to use olives as a snack. You can make the calculation like this: one large fruit contains about twelve calories - which means that five or six olives will be enough to get rid of the feeling of hunger until the next meal. Olives can be added to soup and main courses, which will also reduce the portion eaten without sacrificing complete saturation.

And a little more about olives

We learned what olives are, their benefits and harm to the body - we also looked at them. Now let's look at the general factors. In general, there are about a hundred different types olives They look basically like this - small and green, large black, or medium black with a slightly brownish tint. Depending on the variety, the fruit can contain up to 80 percent oils. Well, almost everyone knows how healthy olive oil is.

You need to select fruits according to the following criteria - the surface of the skin should be smooth, without damage. It is clear that it is better to buy fruits in transparent containers. The pulp should not spread in your fingers, but be dense, and the bone should be easily separated from the pulp. It is worth remembering that store-bought stuffed olives contain a lot of preservatives; it is better to stuff the fruits yourself. And finally, carefully study the composition of the product: if the packaging says that it contains iron gluconate, this means that the appetizing black color of the olives is of artificial origin.

You can’t store olives for a long time tin cans- Tin and zinc can penetrate into the fruit, making it dangerous to eat. The composition of the fruits in the jar should be as follows - lemon acid, salt and water. Everything else is additives that are harmful and dangerous to the body.