Olives Nutrition – Understanding the Nutritional Benefits of the Fruit
Monosaturated fats, antioxidants, and phytonutrients in olives make the fruit a nourishing food choice. Including this nutrient rich food in meals will help to keep ailments like heart diseases and cancer at bay.
Olives Nutrition – Dash of Healthy Zing to Food
Black or green in color, all olives are extremely healthful. High quantities of fats and vitamin e are the focus of olives nutrition value. Although olives contain fats, these are healthy monosaturated fats. About 75% of the fat in olives is oleic acid, which is a type of omega 3 fatty acid. It is known to lower blood cholesterol level and thus reduce incidence of heart ailments. It also promotes weight loss and helps get a slimmer waistline. In addition, monosaturated fats aid in formation of cell membranes, improve cell function, and help to increase HDL or good cholesterol in the body. The abundant vitamin e is a powerful fat soluble antioxidant that destroys free radicals in the body. Olives nutrition can therefore prevent acute diseases like cancer, tumors, etc.
Olives Calories – Keep the Count
It is important to count olives calories as every 100 grams of the plant supplies with roughly 100 calories. However, there are various types of olives, each containing different number of calories. About 100 grams of small sized black olives have 115 calories. While, the same quantity of green olives give 145 calories. In addition, black olives are available in a number of sizes like small, medium, large, jumbo, colossal, etc. The calories differ by the size of olives also. On an average, one cup of olives provides about 150 calories. A significant proportion of olives calories come from the high amount of fats it contains. Approximately, 130 calories are contributed by the fat content in the fruit.
Olives Nutrition Facts
Olives are wholesome fruits that have nutrients like carbohydrates, sugar, fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, etc. Olives nutrition facts detail that they contain both soluble as well as insoluble fiber. They are also a rich source of iron. The other minerals in olives are; calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, natrium, and selenium. Vitamins like b, a, and k are also found in olives. They are known to contain phytonutrients like polyphenols and flavonoids, which are very healthy. One should be wary of the high sodium levels in olives and look for low sodium varieties while shopping.