Olives, these oily fruits are a goldmine for your body and is well to eat them as often as possible, even and as a simple snack. Even if you do not like their bitter taste, do not get discouraged and consume them.
They bring many benefits not only to your silhouette but also to your health in general.
There are hundreds of types of olives worldwide in different sizes and colours such as green, brown and black. Olives go through a long process of preparation, before reaching the store shelves because raw, straight from the tree they are not edible.
Although the famous olive oil is produced from olives that is extremely beneficial for your health, olives are often placed at # 2 in the dietitian preferences on the grounds that they have a high salt content, which promotes water retention in tissues and are calorie bombs.
Well, things are not quite so in reality. On the contrary, olives can help you lose weight.
Why olives help you lose weight
1. Small amounts of olives contain fewer calories. It can be said that green olives have the highest number of calories, almost double than black olives. However, the number of calories is insignificant, especially for a small quantity of olives. You cannot say about olives that have a higher caloric intake than other healthy foods that are beneficial to a diet.
Of course, if you start to eat a bowl of olives it might be a problem, but it is less likely to happen.
2. Olives prevent bad fats assimilation. Olives are one of the best sources of healthy, monounsaturated fats. These fats reduce the bad cholesterol and prevent the body to assimilate other unhealthy fats that can form fatty deposits.
3. Olives have a low glycemic index. A third very important reason why you should eat olives if you want to lose weight is that these sensational fruits have a low glycemic index (15). What does this mean?
That means they provide you with a constant, long-lasting energy, without a sudden increase of your blood sugar level. It is known that high blood sugar causes you to get hungry soon after eating and you are tempted to acquire new calorie from other more or less healthy products.
How to include olives in your diet
First of all, let resume an important aspect of olive consumption.
You should consume daily, only small amounts of fruits, otherwise their sodium content can sabotage your weight loss plan.
The easiest and simplest way to introduce olives in your diet is to add them to salads. For example, a salad with 5 or 6 green or black olives, a ½ of long English cucumber, leaf lettuce, a few cubes of low-fat cheese and grilled chicken breast has no more than 200 calories.
It is also good to eat olives as snack between meals. You can eat 5 or 6 olives as a snack without problems.
Sliced olives can be added to rice, stews, and even in soups, both for extra flavor, and to reduce the amount of salt that you use normally in these dishes.
