Olives come from olive trees (Olea europaea) and belong to a group of fruit called drupes, or stone fruits, related to mangoes, cherries, peaches, almonds, and pistachios. Not only are olives tasty and a great way to add flavor to your every eating habits, they're also so healthy and good for you.
Olives are small fruits that are very high in vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants. Studies show that they are good for the heart and may protect against osteoporosis and cancer. The healthy fats in olives are extracted to produce olive oil, one of the key components of the incredibly healthy Mediterranean diet.
Olives are also enjoyed in salads, sandwiches, and spreads. Some immature olives are green and turn black when they ripen. Others remain green even when fully ripe. In the Mediterranean region, 90% of olives are used to make olive oil.
So if you’re looking for an easy way to improve your overall health, add some delicious olives to your next meal or healthy snack.
Nutritional Profile of Olives
Olives contain 115-145 calories per 3.5 ounces (100 grams), or about 59 calories for 10 olives. The nutrition facts for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of ripe, canned olives are:
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- Calories: 116
- Protein: 0.8 grams
- Carbs: 6 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
- Fiber: 1.6 grams
- Fat: 10.9 grams
- Saturated: 2.3 grams
- Monounsaturated: 7.7 grams
- Polyunsaturated: 0.6 grams
Olives contain 11-15% fat, 74% percent of which is oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fatty acid. It is the main component of olive oil.
Carbs comprise 4-6% of olives, making them a low-carb fruit. Most of these carbs are fiber. In fact, fiber makes up 52-86% of the total carb content.
Olives are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, some of which are added during processing. This fruit’s beneficial compounds include:
- Vitamin E: High-fat plant foods usually contain high amounts of this powerful antioxidant.
- Iron: Black olives are a good source of iron, which is important for your red blood cells to transport oxygen.
- Copper: This essential mineral is often lacking in the typical Western diet. Copper deficiency may increase your risk of heart disease.
- Calcium: The most abundant mineral in your body, calcium is essential for bone, muscle, and nerve function. Some methods of olive processing add calcium to the fruit.
- Sodium: Most olives contain high amounts of sodium since they’re packaged in brine or saltwater.
Olives are rich in many plant compounds, particularly antioxidants, including:
- Oleuropein: This is the most abundant antioxidant in fresh, unripe olives and is linked to many health benefits.
- Hydroxytyrosol: During olive ripening, oleuropein is broken down into hydroxytyrosol, which is also a powerful antioxidant.
- Tyrosol: Most prevalent in olive oil, this antioxidant may have anti-cancer effects.
- Oleanolic acid: This antioxidant may help prevent liver damage and reduce inflammation.
- Quercetin: This nutrient may lower blood pressure and improve heart health.
Types of Olives
The most common varieties of whole olives are:
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- Spanish green olives, pickled
- Greek black olives, raw
- California olives, ripened with oxidation, then pickled
Olives can be either green or black depending on how they are collected and stored. Green olives are picked before they are fully ripe, while black olives are picked after they have fully ripened. Olives that have been left on the tree until they are completely ripe are known as black olives.
There are numerous distinct types, which vary not just in terms of place of origin and tree species, but also as a result of differences in storage and curing methods.
Processing and Curing Olives
Because olives are very bitter, they’re not usually eaten fresh. Instead, they’re cured and fermented. This process reduces bitter compounds like oleuropein, which are most abundant in unripe olives. Fermentation processes may also reduce cholesterol levels and increase beneficial bacteria in the final product.
Processing olives may take anywhere from a few days up to a few months depending on the method used. Processing methods often rely on local traditions, which affect the fruit’s taste, color, and texture. Lactic acid is also important during fermentation, acting as a natural preservative that protects the olives from harmful bacteria.
There are 100 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of fibre in 20 large black olives.
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Health Benefits of Olives
Olives are a staple of the Mediterranean diet and are associated with many health benefits, especially for heart health and cancer prevention.
Antioxidant Properties
Dietary antioxidants have been shown to reduce your risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer. Olives are rich in antioxidants, with health benefits ranging from fighting inflammation to reducing microorganism growth. One older 2009 study showed that eating a pulpy residue from olives significantly increased blood levels of glutathione, one of the most powerful antioxidants in your body.
Improved Heart Health
Oleic acid, the main fatty acid in olives, is associated with improved heart health. It may regulate cholesterol levels and protect LDL (bad) cholesterol from oxidation. Furthermore, some studies note that olives and olive oil may reduce blood pressure.
Improved Bone Health
Osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mass and bone quality, increasing your risk of fractures. The rates of osteoporosis are lower in Mediterranean countries than in the rest of Europe, leading to speculation that olives might protect against this condition.
Some of the plant compounds found in olives and olive oil have been shown to help prevent bone loss in animal and test-tube studies. In addition, observational studies suggest that following a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of bone fractures.
Cancer Prevention
Olives may help reduce your risk of cancer, partly due to their high antioxidant and oleic acid contents. Observational and test-tube studies reveal that these compounds disrupt the life cycle of cancer cells in the breast, colon, and stomach.
Free radical damage is a major contributor to heart disease. Olives' abundance of anti-oxidants protects the heart by preventing damage from free radicals. Consuming them reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol and the buildup of fat in the arteries.
While free radical attacks have been linked to cancer, it's important to put a stop to them immediately. The monounsaturated fats and vitamin E found in black olives provide cellular protection. This stops the growth of cancer cells, stops them from mutating, and inhibits free radical damage.
How to Make Tapenade
Other Health Benefits
- Skin and Hair Health: Olives include all of the necessary vitamins and minerals for healthy skin and hair. Antioxidants and vitamins like E can save your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays. Anti-aging and cancer prevention in the skin are additional benefits. This is a major argument in favour of using olive oil as a topical moisturiser. The combination of hydration and defence it provides is invaluable. Make your own olive oil face mask or beauty products with shea butter and olive oil.
- Eye Health: Eat black olives if you have poor eyesight, pain in the eye area, dry eyelids, pink eyes, conjunctivitis, or any of a number of other eye conditions. Vitamin A, which is abundant in black olives, is beneficial to eye health.
- Digestive Health: Consumption of black olives has been linked to a decreased risk of colon cancer, as has been previously mentioned. It follows that they are fantastic for the digestive system. Olive oil's anti-inflammatory properties also help prevent gastritis and ulcers. In addition, it stimulates the production of bile and pancreatic hormones to help avoid gallbladder stones. Also, the fibre in olives aids digestion and secretion.
Black olives are a versatile and nutritious addition to any diet, offering a range of health benefits, including heart health support, improved digestion, and rich antioxidant properties. Their high content of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals makes them a valuable ingredient for balanced meals.
Black olives are widely used in salads, pizzas, pasta, and Mediterranean dishes, adding flavor and nutritional value. Incorporating them into your diet in moderation can enhance your meals and contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
Potential Drawbacks
Olives are well tolerated by most people but may harbor high amounts of salt due to their packaging liquid.
Allergy
While allergy to olive tree pollen is common, allergy to olives is rare. After eating olives, sensitive individuals may experience allergic reactions in the mouth or throat.
Acrylamide
Some olive varieties - especially ripe black olives - may contain high amounts of acrylamide as a result of processing. Olive producers are investigating ways to reduce the amount of acrylamide that forms during processing.
How to Incorporate Olives into Your Diet
Here are some other ways to use olives and olive oil in recipes:
- Drizzle olive oil on hummus.
- Use olives as a cocktail garnish.
- Make a base for salad dressing.
- Chop olives to use in a tapenade.
- Slice olives and use as a pizza topping.
- Add olives and olive oil to pasta dishes.
- Slice olives for a sandwich topping.
- Stuff large olives with soft cheese and serve as an appetizer.
Aside from feeling bloated and thirsty (from the sodium), you probably won’t have too many problems from eating olives.
African Olive as a Resource
This is also a delicious plant, closely related to the commercial olive (indeed a subspecies) it carries the same characteristics and medicinal benefit. Olive fruits are widely used, especially in the Mediterranean, as a relish and flavouring for foods. The fruit is usually pickled or cured with water, brine, oil, salt or lye. They can also be dried in the sun and eaten without curing.
The cured fruits are eaten as a relish, or used in breads, soups, salads etc. ‘Olives schiacciate’ are olives picked green, crushed, cured in oil and used as a salad. The fruit contains 20 - 50µ vitamin D per 100g.
The main issue here is size, this trees were never bread for big fruits, indeed, this is a wild tree. Yet the seed is rich in an edible non-drying oil, that is used in salads and cooking and, because of its distinct flavour, is considered a condiment.
There are various grades of the oil, the finest (known as ‘Extra Virgin’) is produced by cold pressing the seeds without using heat or chemical solvents. Other grades of the oil come from seeds that are heated (which enables more oil to be expressed but has a deleterious effect on the quality) or from using chemical solvents on seed that has already been pressed for higher grades of oil.
I think the biggest missed opportunity here is in the foliage though, as olive leaves extract is a much priced immune system booster. The leaves are antiseptic, astringent, febrifuge and sedative. A decoction is used in treating obstinate fevers, they also have a tranquillising effect on nervous tension and hypertension.
Experimentally, they have been shown to decrease blood sugar levels by 17 - 23%. Externally, they are applied to abrasions. The bark is astringent, bitter and febrifuge. It is said to be a substitute for quinine in the treatment of malaria.
Olive Leaf Extract
Olive leaf extract is a concentrated dose of the nutrients in olive tree leaves. It’s a potent source of antioxidants that support your immune system. By fighting cell damage that causes disease, antioxidants work to reduce your risk of many illnesses - but research shows that this activity in olive leaf extract may contribute to a range of other health benefits.
The antioxidants in olive leaf extract are mainly polyphenols. Scientists believe these plant-based nutrients play a role in preventing conditions like cognitive decline, cancer, and osteoporosis.
Olive leaf also contains a uniquely powerful polyphenol called oleuropein. Studies show that in addition to its antioxidant activity, oleuropein has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antimicrobial effects.
Health Benefits of Olive Leaf Extract
These properties point to research-backed health benefits like:
- Improved Cardiovascular Health: Research shows that olive leaf extract helps prevent LDL (bad) cholesterol from building up in your arteries. This effect helps increase blood flow and lower blood pressure, reducing your risk of heart disease.
- Lower Risk of Diabetes: The antioxidants in olive leaves can lower your blood sugar and help stabilize it to maintain healthy levels. Researchers find that this effect helps treat people with diabetes and may prevent you from developing the disease.
- Stronger Immune System: Olive leaf extract supports this trend thanks to oleuropein’s ability to attack and neutralize viruses and bacteria. Some studies indicate oleuropein may stop cancer cell growth. Olive leaf extract may also reduce the severity and duration of upper respiratory infections.
- Weight Management: Early studies show that the oleuropein in olive leaf extract prevents unwanted weight gain and reduces the risk of obesity.
If you are managing a health condition or taking prescription medication, make sure to talk to your doctor before taking olive leaf extract.
