Living in Spain? Olives are a real Christmas cracker

For many people who buy a property around the Mediterranean, it often means a change in diet. One of the best things that many people include are olives and some of the best come from Spain. Why not start the New Year as you mean to go on with the healthy snack, olives?

Since ancient times, sun-ripened Spanish olives and their oil have been highly valued for their medicinal benefits. Traditionally cured Spanish olives are low in calories, high in antioxidants, minerals and healthy fat and are a great source of fibre, so whether you eat them straight from the bowl or combine them with your evening meal for a deliciously subtle Mediterranean flavour, you can be assured that they are doing you good.

Spanish olive dips

Low in calories

Twenty five grammes of olives contain just 37 kcal, almost four times as little as the 140 kcal contained in 25g of crisps. Olives promote good health because they contain a high amount of antioxidants and minerals such as polyphenols, calcium and magnesium.

Different Spanish olives contain different nutritional qualities. For example, black olives contain less salt and more iron, yet fewer calories than green olives; Manzanilla olives contain more salt and vitamin E; and Hojiblanca olives boast more fibre. All them offer the following:

•         Monounsaturated fats – Spanish olives are fruits of the tree known as Olea europaea. Olea is the Latin word for oil, reflecting the olives very high fat content. However, 75% of this is oleic acid, a healthy omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid that has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and increase HDL (good) cholesterol.

Research has also shown that it is the type of fat consumed that determines the risk of developing conditions such as atherosclerosis (a condition where which an artery wall thickens as the result of a build-up of fatty materials such as cholesterol), colon cancer, arthritis and asthma.

Residents in regions around the Mediterranean consume large amounts of olives and olive oil and have a lower risk of developing those conditions.

Health benefits

•         Fibre – with 100 grams containing 2.6 grams of fibre, Spanish olives are high in fibre and so are easily digested. Spanish olives are also a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and iodine.

•         Anti-inflammatory properties – Spanish olives contain a variety of beneficial active phytonutrient compounds (plant compounds which are thought to have health-protecting qualities) including polyphenols and flavonoids, known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Polyphenols also give the olive its taste and aroma.

•        Protection against cell damage – it is the combination of a number of nutrients in Spanish olives that work in synergy to provide great health benefits. Olives are a good source of monounsaturated fats, rich in vitamin E – a fat-soluble antioxidant that neutralizes damaging free radicals, and also contain polyphenols and flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties.

These health-boosting compounds that work hand-in-hand to provide a protective an anti-inflammatory effect on cells that can lower the risk of cell damage and inflammation which in turn helps to:

1. Reduce the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid

arthritis – three conditions where most of the damage is caused by high

levels of free radicals

2. Prevent heart disease

3. Prevent colon cancer – by neutralizing free radicals, the nutrients in olives help prevent colon cancer. A higher intake of both vitamin E and the monounsaturated fats in olives is also associated with lower rates of colon cancer.

•         Menopause – clinical studies have shown the effect Vitamin E has on reducing hot flushes.

•         Alzheimer’s Disease – a recent study showed people with low level of HDL (high density lipids) or bad cholesterol were 53% more likely to have memory loss as compared to those with high level of HDL (high density lipids) or good cholesterol. As olives have high levels of oleic acid which helps increase good cholesterol, an olive rich diet may also help prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Grape news

Las Uvas (the 12 grapes of luck) is a Spanish tradition that started, according to legend, in the early years of the 20^th century. It takes place in the last 12 seconds of the old year and although the tradition has spread to some Latin American countries, it’s most popular in Spain and is certainly something that very few Spaniards would miss.

As the clock starts to strike midnight, you should eat one grape per second. This is harder than it sounds but according to tradition, if you succeed, this guarantees good luck in the coming year. Don’t be taken in by earlier chimes – wait for the full 12 to start

If you are living in Spain, the striking of the clock on the tower in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid are broadcast nationwide on radio and television. Whether you’ll actually have great good luck in the coming year is hard to say, but whole families join in the fun and it’s certainly worth trying whether you live in Spain or not.

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.