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Heart Healthy Recipes, Issue #091 - Health Benefits of Olives
December 28, 2024

Welcome to Heart Healthy Recipes' Newsletter

Olives are the in-season, heart-healthy food featured for this month’s newsletter. The olive harvest season is normally between October and January. Olives serve as heart-healthy appetizers for holiday platters, along with adding flavor and texture to many recipes.

Also, we are featuring some of the health benefits provided by olives, various varieties of olives, along with a classic marinated olive recipe.

Health Benefits of Olives

The nutritious and tasty olive is high in antioxidants, healthy fats, oleic acid, along with iron, fiber, minerals and vitamins, including vitamin E.



The antioxidants in olives may help reduce inflammation and therefore help to reduce the risk of blood clots, plaque buildup, and heart muscle damage.

The heart-healthy good fats in olives help balance cholesterol levels, helping to reduce LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) or what is considered "bad" cholesterol and increasing HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein), which is considered "good" cholesterol.

The oleic acid found in olives may help strengthen the heart and decrease blood pressure. The high fiber helps manage blood sugar levels.

The vitamin E content may help prevent blood clots, while the iron-rich olives help improve circulation.


Olive Varieties:

Kalamata olive:

Kalamata olives are large, dark purplish with a smooth, meaty texture and often preserved in wine vinegar or olive oil. These olives are considered by some experts to be the king of olives because they are full of nutrients and are popular table olives. This olive is named after the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, Greece.

Cerignola olive:

The large, Cerignola olives are mild in flavor and come in a variety of colors of either green, cured black, or cured and dyed red. This olive originates from the south-eastern Italian province of Apulia and is named for the town of Cerignola, is also a popular table olive.

Picholine olive:

The French Picholine olive is often used to make oil and is best known as a cocktail olive. It is the most common variety of olive used for oil from Morocco. This olive has a lemony flavor with a hint of anise, along with a mild, hazelnut flavor.

Manzanilla olive:

Manzanilla olives, known as green olives, are small to medium sized olives produced in Spain and California. These olives are known for their rich flavor, along with a firm texture and are often brined making the almond flavor come out.

Castelvetrano olive:

The Castelvetrano olive is considered by some to be the tastiest olive. These green Italian olives from the island of Sicily have a unique, crunchy, mild, buttery, and briny flavor.

Nyon olive:

Nyon olives are part of the Tanche family and are a type of olive grown in France's southern region. These olives are small, black with a sweet, fruity flavor and aromas of chocolate and nuts. Nyon olives are often dry cured and then brine cured, which gives them a unique flavor. They also pair well with herbs and olive oil.

Liguria olive:

A Mediterranean olive from Italy allowed to ripening on the tree until they are brown, purplish or black, then cured in brine. The olive is usually packed in olive oil, citrus, fennel and garlic. The oil of this olive has a light, nutty, fruity flavor and is often used for fish, vegetables, or pasta.

Gaeta olive:

Ranging in colors from light brown, deep brown to almost black, the Gaeta olive has a meaty texture with a slightly tart to salty flavor. The oval olive is popular in the cuisine of central Italy.

Gordal olive:

The large, plump and juicy Gordal olive is a table olive with a mild and citrus-like taste. The green Gordal olive has a delicious firm flesh making a crunch when eaten. This olive is great stuffed with peppers and garlic.

Alfonso olive:

Alfonso olives are large, dark purple to purple-brown olives that are grown in South America. The olive has a meaty, soft, and tender texture with a rich-tasting olive flavor that is slightly bitter, along with being vinegary.

Mission olive:

An olive developed in California, by Spanish missions along El Camino Real in the late 18th century. This green, juicy plump olive is often utilized as a table olive or oil and has a strong, flavorful taste.

Beldi olive:

Grown in Morocco, the Beldi olives are rich in color and flavor, having a chewy texture. The color varieties are purple or black with a pleasantly bitter and robust taste.

Amfissa olive:

Another popular Greek olive that comes in both green and black varieties. These olives are used in the making of olive oil and also a healthy table olive. This olive has a lemony flavor and pairs well with goat cheese and Greek feta cheese, along flatbreads, stews and soups.

Classic Marinated Olives

A heart-healthy appetizer of marinated olives flavored with rosemary, thyme, garlic, oregano, and lemon.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 lb. olives

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 rosemary sprigs

8 thyme sprigs

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice or lemon rind from ½ a lemon

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Recipe Instructions:

In a large, wide mouth mason jar (16 ounces or larger) add olives, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, oregano, and lemon. Slowly pour the oil mixture into jar.

Marinate the olives by sealing in a jar and place in the refrigerator for approximately 48 hours, or even up to a week, if possible.

Marinated olives may be served as a side-dish or added to recipes for added texture and flavor.

Makes 4-6 servings.


For More Olive Recipes, Please Visit:

Roasted Vegetable Rice Pilaf
Olive-Basil Focaccia
Olive Tomato Pizza
Olive Tomato Couscous
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Greek Salad

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*Medical/Nutritional Disclaimer: Heart Healthy Recipes' Newsletter and HeartHealthyRecipes.com website offers informational service only and the information contained in this newsletter is not intended as professional nutritional or medical advice. The content in this newsletter should not be used solely during a medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider regarding any course of medical treatment.
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