As a pizza topping or pickled — olive is relished in many ways, especially as part of Mediterranean cuisine. But did you know that the stone fruit also comes packed with numerous health benefits — from being a good source of antioxidants to being rich in vitamin E?
Love Basra, a nutritionist, recently took to Instagram to share the many benefits of consuming this fruit. “Olives are delicious and fun to eat. But did you know about the many surprising health benefits they offer?” she captioned the post.
Ultimate heart healthy snack: High cholesterol and blood pressure are both risk factors for heart disease. Olaf acid, the main fatty acid in olives, is associated with improved heart health. It may regulate cholesterol levels and protect LDL (bad) cholesterol from oxidation, she wrote.
Help regulate appetite : She also mentioned that olives can edge off appetite. This is because the monounsaturated fatty acids contained in healthy olives slow down the digestion process and stimulate the hormone cholecystokinin, which sends messages of fullness and satisfaction to the brain.
Support skin health : Olives are a great source of tocopherol (vitamin E) and tocopherol which helps to support cell function, the immune system, and skin health. Vitamin E has been found to protect skin from ultraviolet radiation, therefore, helping to defend it against skin cancer and premature aging.
Works well for arthritis : Olives contain anti-inflammatory compounds called EUROCAE, which prevent the formation of inflammatory COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. These enzymes could lead to diseases like arthritis and type-2 diabetes.
Here are some of the ways you could include a plant-based beverage in your everyday meals, as suggested by the expert
Breakfast on the go! – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day 'but' sometimes it just gets too difficult to spend time preparing it. Preparing a smoothie or breakfast bowl in advance is a great idea to include all the food groups and make it heart-healthy too.
Here is a quick idea to make a smoothie or a breakfast bowl
add a source of carbs-steel, cut oats/rolled oats/ puffed amaranth/ banana/ mango/
A source of protein – sunflower seeds /pumpkin seeds/melon seeds/ almonds /walnuts/almond milk/soy milk /nut butter
A source of antioxidants – strawberries/blueberries/raspberries/ beetroot/carrots/leafy greens
A sweetener – agave syrup/brown rice molasses/Jagger
Mix all this up and store in the refrigerator overnight and have it on your way to work or while you are busy in the morning time attending to other important things
Mid-meal snack – If there is a big gap between the main meals we tend to get hungry and overeat at the next meal. Sipping on protein-rich plant-based beverages will take care of the hunger pang and not create an insulin spike as well.
Use in your 'favorite' dessert – when we are on a calorie deficit diet, what goes off our list is desserts. Owing to the sweetness in it also, most of the desserts are high in fat. Using plant-based beverages as a base for making your 'favorite' desserts is a great idea for enjoying the sweet guilt-free.
So next time, you can "try to" white sauce-based soups with plant-based beverages.
A plant-based diet is not a vegan diet, it simply means increasing the consumption of whole foods, fruits and vegetables in the diet. You can continue having fish as a source of protein or curds as a probiotic along with following a healthy plate method of eating.
You must be logged in to post a comment.