Olives are a staple in the Mediterranean diet and are popular throughout the world too. These tiny fruits, yes olives are fruits, are a great addition to salads, sandwiches, and other favorite meals. Since olives are widely consumed throughout the world, it poses the question of how healthy these fruits are.
Table of Contents
- Are Olives Acidic, Neutral, or Alkaline?
- Is Olive Oil Acidic?
- Health Benefits of Olives
- Can You Eat Olives If You Have Acid Reflux Disease?
- How Many Types of Olives Are There?
- Who Produces the Most Olives?
- Olive Trees Live For a Long Time
- Olives Are More Than A Tasty Fruit
- If You Love Olives, Try Stuffed Olives
Are Olives Acidic, Neutral, or Alkaline?
Regardless of the type of olive, you're talking about; they're acidic. The two most popular olives are black olives and green olives. While they're both acidic fruits, they have very different pHs. Black olives have a pH rating ranging from 6 to 7. A pH rating of 6 to 7 means that black olives are very close to a neutral rating. Now green olives are more acidic than black olives. Green olives have a pH of 3.6.
The closer a food is to a 0 rating, the more acidic it is. Just because olives are acidic doesn't mean that they don't carry some great health benefits.
Is Olive Oil Acidic?
Since cooking oils are not water-soluble, we can't measure the acidity of olive oil like we would olives and other foods. The pH scale doesn't apply to olive oil.
When it comes to extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), the acidity level has to be less than or equal to 0.8, and virgin olive oil has to be less than or equal to 2.
Health Benefits of Olives
Olives are relatively low-calorie. You can eat ten olives for only 59 calories or 3.5 ounces for anywhere between 115 and 145 calories. A serving (3.5 ounces) of olives is 80% water and predominantly fat. One serving has a little over 10 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and has 6 grams of carbs.
Olives have several key minerals and vitamins. Some of these minerals aren't found naturally in the fruits but are added to the fruits during processing. Olives are high in vitamin E, copper, iron, calcium, and sodium. The sodium comes from when olives are packaged in saltwater or other brines.
When you eat olives, you're providing your body with antioxidants. The health benefits of antioxidants include helping with inflammation and reducing your risk of developing cancer and heart disease. Oleic acid is a primary antioxidant in olives, and this acid can help reduce your blood pressure and lower your bad cholesterol.
A study found that rates of osteoporosis are lower in the Mediterranean. The lower osteoporosis rates in these countries may be attributed to the Mediterranean diet, specifically the consumption of olives and olive oil. Osteoporosis is a chronic disease when you have decreased bone quality and mass.
People who have this disease are likely to break bones more often. There need to be more studies on humans to prove this hypothesis, but animal studies have linked the Mediterranean diet to decreased broken bones.
Can You Eat Olives If You Have Acid Reflux Disease?
Technically, you can eat whatever you want regardless of what disease you have. But, there may be consequences.
For those who suffer from acid reflux disease, eating olives may cause you to have heartburn or other symptoms. That's purely from the acidic nature of these fruits.
If you are following the Mediterranean diet or simply love olives, eating these acidic fruits with alkaline foods can help reduce the chance of you having acid reflux or heartburn. Black olives are much less acidic than green olives, so these may give you less of a chance of acid reflux.
You may want to eat a small amount at first to see how your body reacts and then decide if you can eat more or should cut them out of your diet.
How Many Types of Olives Are There?
There are over 2,000 types of olives. Of the 2,000, 150 of those olive types are commonly used to make table olives (the black and green olives you regularly see) and olive oils.
The most common type of green olives are Castelvetrano, Picholine, Manzanilla, and Cerginola.
The most common black olives are Kalamata, Nyon, Thasos, and Alfonso olives, for those who love black olives.
Who Produces the Most Olives?
I don't know about you, but when I think of olives, I think of Greece. While the entire Meditteranean includes olives in many of their meals, Greece is the country that I immediately think is swarming with olive groves. But, Greece is not the top olive producer in the world.
Spain takes the cake as the country that grows the most olives. They produce over 9 million metric tons.
The country that produces the second most amount of olives doesn't even come close to Spain. Italy is in second place with 1.9 million metric tons. Following Spain is Turkey with 1.6 million metric tons and then Greece with 1.5 million metric tons.
Of all the olives produced throughout the world, 90% of the olives are used to make olive oil. Only 10% of the olives are used for eating. You need about seven liters of olives to be able to create olive oil.
Olive Trees Live For a Long Time
Something interesting about olive trees is that they can live for a very long time. Most olive trees can live anywhere from 300 to 600 years. If you ever find yourself on the beautiful Greek island of Crete, you can see the oldest living olive tree. This olive tree is 4,000 years old! Not only is this olive tree alive, but it is also thriving and still producing olives.
Olives Are More Than A Tasty Fruit
Besides being a delicious fruit or giving us the most popular cooking oil, olives, specifically the olive branch, is a symbol of peace. Many countries have included the olive branch on their flags or other national symbols. For example, the United Nations, Cyprus, and Eritrea all have olive branches on their flags.
If You Love Olives, Try Stuffed Olives
Stuffed green olives are popular in the United States because they're a delicious twist on olives. You can find garlic stuffed, blue cheese, jalapeno, and more. They're great in salads and a good old-fashioned martini.