For the love of olives.

Before I begin my tribute to olives, I will admit that these delightful little oily specimens are probably the only food that I really, REALLY dislike. Green olives. Black olives. Olive dip. Olive bread. Greek salad. Sense a pattern? Anything with a slight olive flavour is a no go, except olive oil. So I apologise, if I offended anyone but this brings me to my next point.

Olives.

 What is the relevance?

Firstly, the Jewish festival of Chanukkah (Hanukah, Hannukah, etc.) is approaching faster than you can say doughnut, where we celebrate all things oil (specifically olive oil). If you've read my previous blog posts you might remember I spoke about the story of Chanukkah and the connection with oil a few years back:

http://rantingsfromaranga.blogspot.co.il/2011/12/sufganiyah-hebrew-ball-shaped-doughnut.html

There are many other "olive" references in Judaism as it bears a lot of symbolic significance. One of these representations I found particularly relevant now. The olive branch, throughout history has been a symbol of peace. Back in the time of Noah, after the disaster of the flood had been averted, Noah sent out a dove from the Ark to check for dry land. The dove returned with an olive branch and since then it has resembled peace and harmony amongst different cultures and religions. The olive may also symbolize longevity because the trees have a long life of productivity, however it is the peace symbol that I can relate to at this point in time because of all the perverseness that has been happening in the world right now. So in celebration of the upcoming festival of lights and in the hope of peace, I'd like to shed some light (no pun intended) on the nutritional pros and cons of this funky fruit.

Agriculturally, the olive, sourced from the olive tree - is a fruit. Nutritionally, the olive is a fat. And cuisinally (not a word), the olive is a seasoning or flavouring. Unlike majority of fruit, the olive needs to be cured before eaten rather than eating it directly off the tree. A ripe olive can be black or green in colour, depending on where it's from. Olives contain something called hydroxytyrosol, which has been shown to reduce cancer risk, Alzheimers disease and prevent bone loss. Olives can also function as anti-inflammatories and anti-histamines. The fat content of olives (as you may have guessed) is pretty high, particularly in oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat) which has been shown to reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. They contain large amounts of fibre, vitamin E and iron. They also contain a nice amount of phytonutrients which are a fancy word for nutrients that aren't essential (like other vitamins and minerals) but can be really helpful in reducing disease risk. The oil from olives is dissimilar to the juice from fruits, where we might lose a lot of the nutrients from the fruit.

What about the other side of the coin? Because there always has to be another side.

 As with all "good" fats, there is such thing as too much of a good thing. Too much fat is still fat and even though it offers a lot of benefits, it can still cause weight gain. Another issue is that olives are often stored in salty brine which can have negative effects on blood pressure. Large amounts of olives might also cause diarrhoea (which sometimes might be a useful thing). There is also a Talmudic reference around olives and their negative impact on memory. However, it also mentions that olive oil does the opposite (which interestingly is supported by studies that show olive oil consumption reduces Alzheimers risk).

 Apparently this can be solved by eating olives with olive oil?

The Scoop on Dairy

The Jewish calendar has just commemorated a nine day mourning period, where among other things; meat and chicken products are avoided. This is hardly an issue in Israel. We don't call it “The Land of Milk and Honey” for nothing.

Traditional recommendations warn us to avoid full fat dairy foods and stick to skim milk, low fat cheese and yoghurt starting at a young age. 

Where did this negative association with full-fat dairy come from?

Back in the 50’s and 60’s, a link was found between an increase in saturated fat and high blood cholesterol levels. Dairy fat is high in saturated fat (the “bad” fat) and therefore a link was made between the two. There were also studies that showed higher rates of heart disease in areas where there was high consumption of saturated fat compared to Mediterranean countries with lower dairy consumption. 

Then we have the classic view, that higher fat = more calories = more weight gain.

To put it simply – low fat dairy means less risk of heart disease and obesity.

More recently, there have been conflicting views on this subject, where it is actually recommended to consume full fat dairy. Obviously this does not mean you should go and buy yourself a full-fat double-cream-extra-fat-chocolate-chip-caramel-Frappuccino (I’m sure this exists somewhere). Funnily enough, Israel has always had a lot more full fat dairy products available.

Paradoxically, full-fat dairy products might actually reduce the risk of obesity. One theory is that the full-fat version will keep us feeling fuller for longer (fat generally makes us feel full, think: hot chips and pizza), and therefore we will eat less of it. Another claim is that there are certain fatty acids specifically found in milk that might help with weight regulation. These substances help us use the fat and burn it for energy, rather than store it. There are also some low fat dairy products where the fat is replaced by sugar (e.g. fat free yoghurts filled with sugar), which will result in more weight gain compared to a full fat, free-of-sugar version. Then there is the issue of what we are (consciously or unconsciously) replacing the reduction of fat in dairy products with. And then there are the natural foodies who promote eating foods closest to their natural form. The less processing the food goes through, the fewer additives and sweeteners it will contain, and the better our body will able to process it. 

There have also been a number of studies that have shown that the omega-3 fatty acids in dairy foods might be protective for heart disease. So – it isn’t necessarily that the saturated fats have no effect on heart disease, but rather there are other substances that counter this effect.

And finally, like every other association between food and disease: maybe, the long standing link between full fat dairy and heart disease, is really an association with other life style factors that come along with people that consume full fat dairy (e.g. less exercise, and other high fat foods). Yes, another generalisation.

Despite these recent findings, official dietary guidelines in Australia (http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/n31.pdf) and America still maintain to consume low fat dairy products.

So where does this leave us?

Unfortunately, the nutrition world always seems send mixed messages. And, I always seem to come up with the same phrase: “everything in moderation”. In this case, if you are enjoying your daily full cream cappuccino, there is no need to give it up. On the other hand, if you are consuming a lot of dairy in your diet and trying to lose weight, it might help to go from 5% fat to 3% or 1% fat. Though, there is probably no point in having a fat free iced coffee with ice cream on top.