Kalamata olives I recently purchased at Costco have fantastic flavor & I notice
their energizing benefit almost immediately
K olives vs. black olives: The only major difference in nutrition is that of calories and healthy fat, that are almost twice more in Kalamata olives as compared to black olives. Nevertheless, both of them have tons of different health benefits. First of all, both kinds of olives are very rich in monounsaturated fats, one of the healthy fats.
** A serving of 5 kalamata olives (38 grams) provides ( 2Trusted Source):
Calories: 88
- Carbs: 5 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 5 grams
- Fat: 6 grams
- Sodium: 53% of the Daily Value (DV)
Compared with other fruits, they’re high in fat. Around 75% of the fat is heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), namely oleic acid — the most commonly consumed MUFA, which may help prevent heart disease and support cancer treatment ( 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Additionally, kalamata olives are a good source of minerals like iron, calcium, and copper, which may reduce your risk of anemia, strengthen your bones, and improve heart function, respectively ( 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
They also provide the fat-soluble vitamins A and E. Vitamin A is essential for maintaining healthy vision, while vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that may improve heart health ( 2Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
It’s also worth keeping in mind that ready-to-eat olives have a high sodium content, mostly resulting from the brining process.
Facts About Olives
Now you know all of the main differences between Kalamata olives and black olives. So what else do you need to know about olives? Here are a few interesting facts to boost your olive knowledge just a little bit more.
You can’t eat olives straight from the tree. You might think that there is nothing better than walking down a Grecian street and eating an olive straight from the tree. But you would be very wrong. Olives straight from the tree are actually so bitter that they could shrivel your teeth. This is due to the oleuropein compound. Olives are treated and cured so that they taste much better. This is why they often come in brine.
Olives are fruit. You might never have thought of it before but it would be difficult to class olives as one specific type of food. To most people, olives are almost a food type in themselves. But olives are technically classed as “drupes”. Drupes are fruits that split from the plant (known as indehiscent fruit) and whose flesh surrounds a stone. Peaches and apricots are also drupes.
On average, an olive tree can live to around 1,000 years. We don’t generally think of trees and plants as having a life span. But this is more of an average life-expectancy.
Olives were used for their oil long before they were eaten themselves. The outer flesh of an olive contains around 30% oil. They were so predominantly known for their oil that the English word “oil” comes from the Greek “elaia” which means oil.Olives are, of course, still renowned for their oil. Olive oil, especially extra-virgin olive oil, is excellent for cooking. It is also great for your health. Many people avoid oil as they assume it is bad for them. (And sure, anything deep-fried in oil isn’t particularly rich in nutrients).
But extra-virgin olive oil is great for you and can be used to cook any meal. |
