Olive Facts
Olives are a smart snacking alternative. When reaching for chips or nachos, you might want to consider olives as a tasty change of pace from the run-of-the-mill snack items.
Olive Goodness
Olives are as good for you as they taste. While most folks never considered this to be true about olives, the fact is that olives are packed full of goodness.
Calories
Olives are a great choice for a low-calorie snack or recipe ingredient. They add flavor and variety with only 7 calories per extra large olive (21 calories per serving). Most folks think olives have more calories than other foods. Recent research reveals that many consumers think black ripe olives have more than five times the number of calories than they actually have. The truth is olives are a great, low-calorie food. This just goes to show that not everything that tastes good has too many calories.
Fat & Cholesterol
At only 2.5 grams of fat per serving (4 large olives), olives are a great alternative to traditional snacks. They are an excellent source of the good fats that help lower bad cholesterol.
The fatty acids in olives are highly monounsaturated. The 2 grams of fat in a ½ ounce serving of olives are 75% monounsaturated. Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil have been found not to have the artery damaging LDL-cholesterol and to leave the beneficial HDL-cholesterol level unaffected or even at a higher level. Also, olives are a cholesterol-free food.
