If you think about Italy, you usually think of Rome, the beautiful coliseums, and the majestic artworks. However, not everyone knows about the long-standing love affair the country has with the simple olive. From an outsider’s standpoint, the olive might seem like a plain and simple thing, yet is an incredible fruit that has incredible curative health benefits. If you have the chance, you should cultivate olives in your home. However, what makes it so incredible? Here are the incredible advantages of cultivating olive oil.
Heals Burns
One of the best things about olive oil is its curative capabilities. Olive oil in particular is very effective because it is a concentrated olive product, which makes it easier to consume. According to some studies, burn patients who drink olive oil on a regular basis, have shown a 10 to 20 percent increase in healing.
Great For Clearing Up Acne
Incredibly, olive oil is also great at clearing up acne and other skin conditions. This method is called oil cleansing and is meant to hydrate the skin without stripping the skin of essential oils. While most proponents of oil cleansing use other substances such as almonds, jojoba, and grapeseed, they still consider olive oil as the ideal oil base because it is very easy on the skin, and has a high antioxidant and vitamin content. Olive oil is also very mild and could be used for most skin types.
Contains Various Vitamins and Minerals
Whether you eat the olive fruit raw or have it picked or distilled into olive oil, the olive plant is truly a miracle fruit. This is why ancient Romans revered the olive plant and made it a part of their diet.
Healthy Cooking Oil Alternative
Of all the types of cooking oils, olive oil is often considered the golden standard. Not only is it delicious, but it is also fragrant as well. It is also extremely important to Italian cuisine. From the humble olive oil and balsamic vinegar bread dips to the much-loved Italian pasta dishes, cooking oil is a must for any classic Italian dish.
The beauty of Olive oil is that it contains a lot of good fats, which makes it an ideal cooking oil choice. Some Italians have even gone as far as drinking pure olive oil because they believe, olive oil has incredible restorative powers.
Keeps The Skin Supple
During ancient Roman times, athletes and Gladiators used olive oil to keep their skin supple throughout their workouts and actual events. The vitamins in olive oil are extremely potent, and they could effectively seep through your skin, and reinvigorate your system. This is a key reason why the ancient Romans used olive oil as a type of bathing soap.
In this day and age, many health-conscious men and women have taken to using olive oil to keep their skin young and vibrant. The best thing about using olive oil for your beauty regimen is that it is an all-natural alternative to chemically manufactured moisturizers.
Great Source Of Antioxidants
If you want to regularly eat food that is rich in antioxidants, it is a good idea to eat olives on a daily basis. Antioxidants are extremely important for the human body because they help the body fight against free radicals, which are molecules produced in the body that could play a part in heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other types of diseases. As a rule, it is a good idea to add olives into your daily diet.
If you are lucky enough to have an olive tree or two growing in your backyard, it is a good idea if you distill your own olive oil, or can your olives for future use. The beauty of olives is that they are easy to preserve.
Distilling your own olive oils is a lot more work-intensive because olive oil production takes a huge amount of olives to produce. It also requires a lot of time and patience in order to get right.
Canned or bottled olives on the other hand are far easier to make. All you need are cans or bottles, some salt, oil, or vinegar, and you have a process that will supply you with olives for a long time. If you are interested in canning your olive oils, you should invest in a good canning machine. Levapac is a tin packing machine supplier, and they offer great prices for top-quality canning machines.
If you are going to process your olives, it is important that you use hand sanitizers before you touch them. Remember that any contamination could affect the end product, so it pays to be as clean as possible.
If you have a lot of olive trees in your backyard, it always pays to cultivate them because olive trees last for a very long time. Some olive trees in Italy and Jerusalem have been alive for hundreds of years, and have been considered national treasures.
When you harvest your olives, it is also important that you wear gloves, because it will help avoid contamination of the fruit, and ensure that your harvest is as pristine as possible.
Improves Heart Health
Olives and olive oil offer great heart benefits. It is one of the main reasons why the Mediterranean diet is so healthy. The fats contained in olives are very healthy, and the presence of Vitamin E and antioxidants in olives makes it a perfect appetizer or light snack.
Conclusion
If you want to cultivate a plant that will provide you with a lot of curative health benefits and still have a great meal, you should plant an olive tree in your home. However, what makes the olive tree so special? By knowing these key advantages, you’ll want to cultivate olives in no time.