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Olives,
in all their varieties, offer plenty good
Jan 10, 2008
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
We eat them on pizza and pour
their oil over salads. They come in different sizes and colors,
some stuffed with almonds, anchovies or pimentos. They’re
olives, and despite all the ways we eat them, they still carry
a few mysteries for some of us.
“If olive oil is supposed to be healthy for you,”
one reader asked me, “how come there is no nutritional
value listed on the label of a jar of olives, just a lot of
sodium? Also, are black olives a different type of olive or
just green olives that have ripened more?”
Good questions, and understanding the answers may help you
understand how and why olives can fit into a health-supporting
diet.
The olive is an ancient tree fruit native to the Mediterranean
region. A number of varieties are grown around the world,
and they vary in flavor, size, shape and color. For the most
part, though, olives start out green and become brown or black
as they ripen.
They can also change color due to processing. Processing can
produce olives in a range of colors including black, purple,
red, brown and yellow, and it can make the outside of the
olive wrinkly, smooth or shiny.
But color and texture are not the primary reasons for processing
olives.
Olives contain oleuropein, a substance that makes fresh olives
too bitter to eat “as is” off the tree. Instead,
olives are fermented or cured in water, oil, brine or salt,
usually for several months, though a shorter method that uses
lye for curing is also used. Processing removes the oleuropein
and makes olives more palatable and complex in flavor.
Curing also helps preserve the fruit, but the sodium added
from brine or salt does make olives a relatively high-sodium
food, their only downside. Depending upon their size, two
to five olives can contain between 115 and 330 milligrams
of sodium.
To put that in perspective, most of us should keep our sodium
intake to not more than about 1,500 milligrams each day. Olive
lovers could bust that limit in olives alone. Use them as
a condiment, though, and you’re probably OK.
Otherwise, olives are nutritious. They’re a good source
of vitamin E, iron and dietary fiber, and they contain other
beneficial phytochemicals, including polyphenols and flavonoids.
They’re rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, the type
of fat associated with lower blood cholesterol levels and
reduced risk for coronary artery disease.
Other than fat and sodium content, though, you won’t
find much nutrition information for whole olives listed on
package labels. That’s because in the amounts we usually
eat them – a few olives at a time – the vitamins
and minerals they contain don’t add up to enough to
note.
What about olive oil?
Olive oil typically contains no added sodium. Like whole olives,
olive oil is rich in heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat and
vitamin E, making it a good choice as a staple in your pantry.
The different varieties of olive oil – extra virgin,
virgin, plain ol’ pure olive oil – refer to the
degree to which the oil has been processed. Extra virgin oil
is made from the first pressing of the olives, has the greatest
concentration of nutrients and the most distinct flavor. Better
on salads than in pancakes. Virgin olive oil is made from
the first pressing as well but has a higher acidity level
and milder flavor. Plain olive oil is made from subsequent
pressings, has a very mild flavor and can be used as an all-purpose
cooking oil.
In either of its forms – as olives or as olive oil –
olives can be a source of interest and nutrition in your diet.
Enjoy them.
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