Since ancient times, Spanish olives and olive oil have been valued for their medicinal benefits. Indeed, olive oil was once referred to as the ‘juice of the gods’, denoting its high importance.

Olives are completely natural and are high in anti-oxidants and vitamins. The oil inside olives is mostly made up of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid which helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

They are easy to digest because of their fibre content and contain minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and iodine.

Olives are a healthy snack food, for example:
• 100g of green olives contain 154 calories
• 100g of black olives contain 143 calories
• 100g of potato chips contains 557 calories!

Different 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, while Hojiblanca olives boast more fibre.

The oils from olives are also said to be extremely good for skin and was used in ancient times to improve skin complexion and protect skin from harm. Beauticians today also highlight this characteristic.