The benefits of olive leaves- the most typical Greek food

 

Ancient Greeks considered olives as a symbol of goodness and kindness, and today the olive branch symbolises peace. The tree has been cultivated for thousands of years, and many of its parts are useful - olives, olive oil, elegant wood and leaves. 

It is grown in subtropical regions of the United States, Latin America and mainly the Mediterranean. The fruit of the olive is green and fleshy, and when ripe, it becomes purplish-black, with the exception of some varieties which, even when ripe,remain green or coppery. When ripe, the fruit is used for olive oil making. 

From a health perspective, black olives are better than the green ones because they contain more inorganic salts.

Nutrition table

• Olives contain very few carbohydrates and are rich in unsaturated fatty acids.

• They have a high sodium content.

• They are a rich source of vitamin E, because they contain mixed tocopherols.

• Olives are rich in metals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and selenium.

• Olive oil contains many unique phenolic and aromatic compounds, such as oleuropein and vitamin P. Other ingredients, in smaller quantities, include protein, vitamin C, vitamin K, phenylalanine, etc.

Nutritional value of olives

• Olives contain linolenic acid, which is very useful for infants. Its deficiency is associated with certain skin diseases and problems with development in infants. Mothers who are breastfeeding should include olives in their diet.

• Chlorine, which olives contain, can improve liver function.

• Vitamins A, D, E and K help bone development in children and adults

• The distinctive olive flavour comes from polyphenols. They have important anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Vitamin Ε and other antioxidants reduce the risk of cell destruction and inflammation.

Nutritional benefits of olive oil

• Besides being antioxidants, monounsaturated acids have a positive impact on cholesterol levels. Extra virgin olive oil reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol.

• Olive-acid, the main mono-unsaturated acid contained in olives, affects genes responsible for the development of breast cancer.

• Olive oil has anti-inflammatory properties, which have a positive impact on asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Some of its ingredients give the same results as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

• Magnesium and other elements reduce sharpness of flavour.

• Scientists have discovered that a natural compound in olive oil - oleocanthal, may be useful for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

• The American Diabetes Society and the European Council on Food Information suggest that diabetics should use olive oil, since monounsaturated fats can help reduce blood glucose levels.

• Studies show that black olives' nutrients are beneficial in combating osteoporosis and prevention of bone diseases.

• Olive and oleanolic acid help inhibit the growth and proliferation of cancer cells in the colon.

• Menopausal hot flashes can be reduced with the use of olive oil and olives.

• Olive oil contains a compound that reduces pain.

• Olive oil is good for the hair and helps restore damaged hair, also making it silky and shiny.

• Olive oil is useful for foot care, making the skin soft and strengthening toenails.

• Olive oil is added to many products for skin care because it improves elasticity.

The benefits of olive leaves

Leaves have many useful properties.

• Oleuropein is useful for lowering blood pressure and dilation of arterial blood vessels.

• They have anti-inflammatory properties.

• Olive leaf extract stops spreading of harmful bacteria and viruses.

• Leaves have antibiotic, antifungal and antibacterial properties. They are of use in treatment of colds and fever, as well as malaria.

• They are useful for the treatment of venereal diseases, herpes and gonorrhoea, as well as against tooth diseases.

• They have antioxidant properties that help fight free radicals, and blood vessel diseases.

Those who need to follow a diet low in sodium (especially people with hypertension) should be careful with olives, which have a high sodium content.

source

Top food was olives in time of the ancient mariner

A huge quantity of olive stones on an ancient shipwreck more than 2,000 years old has provided valuable insight into the diet of sailors in the ancient world, researchers in Cyprus said Thursday.

The shipwreck, dating from around 400 B.C. and laden mainly with wine amphorae from the Aegean island of Chios and other north Aegean islands, was discovered deep under the sea off Cyprus’s southern coast.

Excavation on the site, which started in November 2007, has determined that the ship was a merchant vessel of the late classical period.

“An interesting piece of evidence that gives us information on the conditions under which the sailors of antiquity lived, are the large numbers of olive pips that were found during excavation, since these pips must have been part of the crew’s food supply,” Cyprus’s antiquities department said in a news release Thursday.

The excavation is shedding light on seafaring in Cyprus in antiquity, commerce between the island and the Aegean and the sizes of the period’s cargo ships, it said.

Olives and olive oil are a staple of the Mediterranean diet and their consumption over hundreds of years has been well documented.

Italian archaeologists discovered that some of the world’s oldest perfumes, made in Cyprus, were olive oil based. The commodity was also used to fire copper furnaces.

Apart from the amphorae, or large clay wine jars, two lead rods with remains of wood were found.

“This especially rare find enhances the importance of the shipwreck and strengthens the possibilities of finding preserved wood from the ship’s keel,” the department said.

source

Olive oil, the very heart of the Greek Orthodoxy - Make your own aromatic oil

The sacred trait the olive tree enjoyed from antiquity was in the early Christian era, transferred to its product olive oil. Olive oil is mentioned both in the Old and New Testament. It became a mystical element. 

The most important of the sacraments, that of baptism, which seals the baptised as a servant of God, cannot be performed in the Greek Orthodox Church without olive oil. The infant is rubbed with olive oil from head to toe, immersed in water three times and then anointed with Holy Myrrh, which is a mixture of olive oil mixed and various other aromatic oils. Its preparation, most sacred, is the sole privilege of the Head of the Greek Orthodox Church. Colloquially, the unbaptised are often referred to as alathoti—unoiled, or unanointed.

Monasteries in Greece almost always include an olive grove. The olive crop secured the sustenance of the monks and the oil is necessary for the burning of lamps before the icons or for performing the sacraments. Today many monasteries bottle part of their olive oil and at times visitors can purchase some.

Greeks also make offerings of olive oil to churches and monasteries. To this day one still sees bottles of oil left in church by the faithful, used mainly to light the votives.

Virgin olive oil is also produced using mechanical means only, and has an acidity of up to 2 percent. 
Olive oil not marked “extra-virgin” or “virgin” is a blend of virgin and refined oil, the latter being produced at very high temperatures, causing it to lose many of its properties. Cold-pressed oil has been extracted in presses where the temperature is no higher than 27 Celsius, beyond which the oil loses some of its nutritional benefits.

Benefits

Over 95 percent of olive oil consists of fatty acids, particularly monounsaturated fats that help prevent arteriosclerosis and heart disease. A diet rich in olive oil improves the health of those suffering from hypertension, gallstones, stomach ulcers and rheumatic diseases.Contrary to popular belief, the nutritional benefits of olive oil are fairly heat-resistant, but it is better to add it at the end of the cooking time and in moderation, as it is high in calorie content.

Make your own aromatic oil

Add your favorite herb, peppers, garlic cloves mushrooms, orange or lemon peel (unwaxed, organic), sun-dried tomatoes, capers, chilies, cumin or allspice pods to add spice to your salad oil, or use a combination of these.Choose good-quality oil with a smooth taste, such as that from Mytilene.The spices should be fresh and the herbs very clean and dried with their aroma intact.Use sterilized and well-dried bottles.Once filled and the spice or herb added, close tightly and store in a cool dark place, never in the sun. The full flavor will be acquired after at least two weeks.For a milder flavor, remove the solids after two weeks and transfer the oil to a clean bottle after filtering it through a piece of gauze or a coffee filter.If you leave the herb in the bottle, remove it once it protrudes above the surface of the oil or the flavor could spoil.

source