Are olives good for you? Health benefits and number of calories in the fruit

Love them, loathe them or tolerate them, olives have been around for thousands of years and they ain’t going away.

The source of olive oil, a damned agreeable pizza topping and available in many shades, it would seem the olive has had a positive influence on the world – particularly seeing as an olive branch is the symbol of peace.

But should we be eating them… really?

Well, an olive is technically a fruit, but does that mean they’re good for you? And is it one of your five a day? 

Olives are a form of drupe, ie a stone fruit. Their relatives include the mango, cherry, peach, almond and pistachio.

Some immature olives are green, and turn purple when they ripen. Others remain green even when fully ripe. No olive is naturally jet black – the iron-rich food additive ferrous gluconate, aka E579, is used to turn them black before they are sold.

But be wary of acrylamide, an additive which is used in the production of some black olives, as it has been risked to increased risk of cancer.

Olives are naturally very high in antioxidants and Vitamin E, which helps reduce the ageing process on your body.

Studies have shown they are good for the heart and that hey may protect against osteoporosis and cancer.

The fats contained in olives, which make up olive oil, are healthy. Around 74% percent of this fat content is oleic acid, which is a monounsaturated fatty acid. 

Olives contain 115–145 calories per 100 grams, or about 59 calories for 10 olives (assuming that an average olive weighs 4 grams).

They consist of 75–80% water, 11–15% fat, 4–6% carbohydrates and minor amounts of protein.

Also contained in olives are antioxidant-rich vegetable compounds oleuropein (in fresh olives), hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, oleonalic acid and quercetin.

Some olives do contain traces of heavy metals boron, sulphur, tin and lithium which are not healthy when consumed in large quantities. However, olives are considered safe because of the low levels of these metals in their make-up.

Low in carbs, high in healthy fats and full of Vitamin E, copper, calcium, sodium and in the case of black olives, iron….

It seems olives are indeed good for you, as long as you don’t eat a LOT of them in one sitting.

Sadly they are not one of your five a day due to their high salt content, but they’re definitely not to be sniffed at.