How many olives should I eat a day?
Olives are very rich savory Mediterranean fruits of the olive tree, also known botanically as Olea europaea, meaning “European olive”, grown almost in all Mediterranean countries as well as Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, and South Africa. They are rich in mono-saturated fat, vitamin E and other potent antioxidants that serve various health benefits such as improving skin health and boosting the immune system. About 16 to 24 medium size olive fruit should be eaten in a day.
Since olives are natural fruits that are so rich in vitamins and other nutrients that help promote better health, is there a dosage of how many olives you should eat a day? If there is, how many olives should you eat a day?
As you continue to read this article, you will get to know how many olives you should eat a day.
BENEFITS OF OLIVES
Olives are very rich fruits and are often consumed as snacks or used in making salads. There are many health benefits linked with consuming olives, including improved heart health and cancer prevention. There are several properties of olives that you can be sure of getting from eating them, such as:
1. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES: Olives contain polyphenol, particularly oleuropein, a chemical compound known for its anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Olives also contain olecanthal and oleic acid which is significantly helpful in reducing inflammations and reactions due to inflammations, such as a robust immune response in the body.
2. IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH: The mono-saturated fat in olives is a healthy fat that boosts good cholesterol and reduces the risk of hardened arteries, which ultimately causes a decrease in your blood pressure, thereby improving your cardiovascular health.
3. AIDS DIGESTION: One of the great nutrients that you will find that olives are rich in is fiber, and this helps to ensure the proper functioning of your digestive system, smooth bowel movements, and reduced constipation.
4. GREAT FOR WEIGHT LOSS: If you are looking for a way to lose weight, eating olives can be very helpful. The fiber content in olives gives you that feeling of fullness. The mono-saturated fats in olives are as well linked to loss of belly fat and improve insulin sensitivity, so glucose metabolism is improved. Also, serotonin, a hormone that increases satiety is found in olives, so to curb your appetite, before a meal, try snacking on some olives.
5. IMPROVES SKIN AND EYES: Olives are rich in vitamin A and vitamin E, antioxidants that are essential for protecting and improving vision, and reducing signs of aging, respectively. The vitamin A in olives can fend off age-related eye problems such as cataracts, and glaucoma, while the vitamin E, as well as other antioxidant compounds such as lutein, and zeaxanthin, not only improves skin appearance, giving you that naturally glowing skin, but also offers additional eye and skin-health support.
6. STRENGTHEN THE BONES: Some studies have shown that olives may protect against a condition known as osteoporosis, a condition characterized by brittle or weak bones. In addition, olives dramatically improve grip power, joint discomfort, and early rigidity in patients with rheumatoid.
7. RICH IN ANTIOXIDANTS: High levels of free radicals in the body cause oxidative stress, as a result, cells and tissues could be damaged and certain diseases such as cancer and heart disease may develop. But with antioxidants, the chances of any of this happening is decreased. Olives are packed with antioxidants which provide a variety of health benefits, reducing the chances of developing chronic conditions like diabetes and Alzheimer’s diseases, reducing inflammation, and the growth of microbes.
The pulpy residue of olives raises glutathione levels when you eat them. Glutathione is one of the most potent antioxidants in the body.
NUTRITIONAL FACTS ABOUT OLIVES
As we have seen, olives are rich in vitamins and antioxidants which can help reduce your chances of developing many serious diseases. However, there are several other nutritional properties found in olives. Olives are also a perfect source of:
- Calcium
- Copper
- Iron
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Zinc
- Magnesium
Let’s look at the nutritional profile of olives, although there are several types of olives and all have their different nutritional profile per serving, we can broadly divide them into 2 major types: Green and Black olives.
1/10 small serving of Black olives will have:
- Calories: 36
- Carbs: 2.06g
- Protein: 0.3g
- Mono-saturated fat: 2.395g
- Saturated fat: 0.429g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sodium: 299mg
- Calcium: 31mg
- Iron: 1.13m
- Potassium: 3mg
- Vitamin C: 0.4mg
- Vitamin B-6:
- Vitamin A: 6mcg
Meanwhile, 1/10 small servings of Green olives will have:
- Calories: 44
- Carbs: 1.11g
- Protein: 0.3g
- Mono-saturated fat: 3.281g
- Saturated fat: 0.588g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sodium: 451mg
- Calcium: 15mg
- Iron: 0.14mg
- Potassium: 12mg
- Vitamin C:0mg
- Vitamin B-6:
- Vitamin A: 6mcg
HOW MANY OLIVES SHOULD I EAT A DAY
Although olives are very healthy fruits, low carb, low-calorie density and can help you lose weight, you should eat them in moderation due to their high sodium content. Also, olives are not very easily digested, and if you don’t keep track of how many olives you eat in a day, the calorie content may mount up.
Therefore, to answer the question “how many olives should I eat a day”, 16-24 small to medium size olives a day is safe. That should be between 56-84 grams of saturated fat a day, which should help you keep your weight in check, while also limiting your sodium consumption.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I EAT TOO MANY OLIVES
You have heard that too much of everything is not good, the same applies when it comes to olives also. So what could happen when you eat too many olives? Here are some common potential risks linked with eating too many olives:
1. DIARRHEA: Green olives especially has the potential of causing diarrhea, because of their high-fat content which is known to cause gastrointestinal problems and digestive illnesses. When you eat too many olives, your body will be unable to digest them completely, leading to minor-serious diarrhea.
2. ALLERGIES: Generally, allergies to olives are rare situations, but olive trees contain lots of pollen and sometimes some of this pollen can drop and stick to the surface of the fruit. Pollen allergy is widespread worldwide and studies have shown that if you have a pollen allergy and eat raw olives, you may experience an allergy. Some of the symptoms experienced are Fatigue, dry mouth, rough throat, and itchiness. You can avoid this by taking processed olives.
3. WEIGHT GAIN: Olives are very rich in sodium, and excess consumption of a diet high in sodium may cause bloating. Olives also are very rich in fat content, although these are healthy fat when consumed in excess, they may be responsible for causing excess weight gain.
4. CONTAINS HEAVY METALS: Olives contain trace amounts of heavy metals such as boron, sulfur, tin, and lithium. Although the levels of these metals contained in olives are not fatal, when consumed in excess, it builds up and over the years, may have adverse effects.
5. MAY CONTAINS ACRYLAMIDE: When olives are overly processed, they are likely to store some chemicals, acrylamide being one of them. Several studies have shown that acrylamide may increase the risk of cancer. As a result of over-processing, some varieties of olives, particularly mature California black olives, may have elevated levels of acrylamide.
6. HIGH SODIUM CONTENT: Considering the nutritional profile of both green and black olives, the sodium content is very high. According to WebMD, just one green olive contains 110mg of sodium. That may not seem much, but when stacked up and consumed every day, it could have a devastating effect on your health. The recommended daily consumption of sodium for adults is about 2300mg, and this can be gotten from eating 2-3 black olives.
The American Heart Association states that a high sodium diet may lead to complications like stroke, stomach cancer, heart enlargement, kidney disease and so many more. So watch out for sodium when eating olives.
7. LOW-QUALITY CHOLESTEROL: The healthy fat contained in olives is known as low-quality HDL. The role of HDL (High-Density Lipid) in the body is to carry cholesterol from the body to the liver, however, the amount of this HDL in the body is not crucial, rather, it is how efficiently it works that is crucial. Therefore, low-quality HDL will not properly function, as a result, excess consumption of olives will negatively affect cholesterol functioning.
IS EATING OLIVES AT NIGHT GOOD
Yes. Olives are one of those healthy midnight snacks that you can eat without bothering about putting on extra weight because of late-night eating. If anything, it helps prevent that. Because of its rich amount of healthy fat, eating olives at night will keep you feeling fuller longer and also stabilizes your blood sugar level, so you don’t have a night of interrupted sleep due to hunger pains or a drop in your blood sugar levels. However, remember to snack on olives moderately.
CONCLUSION
“How many olives should I eat a day? 16-24 small to medium olives a day is just right. To avoid issues of diarrhea, possible weight gain, high consumption of heavy metals that will be detrimental to your health, and also high consumption of sodium which can also lead to severe complications, you should eat your olives in moderation.