Kalamata olives consists of oleic acid and oleocanthal and also a good source for calcium, calories, fiber, healthy fat, sodium, vitamin A and iron.
Kalamata olives are prepared using traditional methods when they are grown in their native region of Greece. As compared to many other types of olives, Kalamata olives are larger in size and shaped like almonds. In this article, we will be discussing the 9 health benefits of kalamata olives. Read below to find more:
In This Article:
9 Amazing Health Benefits of Kalamata Olive
Are There Any Side Effects of Kalamata Olive?
Kalamata Olive Spread Recipe
9 Amazing Health Benefits of Kalamata Olives
Calcium
Calcium helps keep your bones strong and also encourages sleep. Kalamata olives are a great source of calcium. When you consume potassium, magnesium and vitamin C, the body absorbs calcium at the best. You can try having sliced kalamata olives with tomatoes and kale and serve with pasta or quinoa.
Calories
No doubt olives make nutritious part of your healthy diet but one may not want to overconsume them if they are looking forward to losing a few pounds. Three to five olives have almost 45 calories. So, you can just add a few of these to add flavor to any meal rather than using a lot.
Fiber
You can have kalamata olives with feta cheese on a homemade Greek-style pizza or even add them to a savory plantain recipe like pastelon. Six olives consist of almost half as much fiber as a raw orange. Fiber can:
- Help you feel full.
- Speed up weight loss
- Prevent heart diseases and keeps cholesterol levels healthy
- Prevent constipation
- Reduce your risk of cancer
- Feed body’s healthy flora
- Keep blood glucose levels I check and treat diabetes.
Healthy Fat
Two tablespoons of olives contain about 1.5 grams of mono-unsaturated fat, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to Harvard Medical School, Monounsaturated fat reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Sodium
Kalamata olives are not naturally high in sodium but they are cured in briny solutions because of which they soak in a lot of sodium content. Sodium is needed in order to maintain the fluid balance and is also important for the muscles and nerves.
Vitamin A
Kalamata olives consist of small amounts of vitamin A that helps support eye and skin health. Although deficiency of vitamin A is pretty rare now if we consider getting too much vitamin A, it can cause liver damage.
Iron
Sufficient iron intake is essential for the oxygen to circulate throughout the body. It also helps to maintain the overall health of your tissues as well as your overall well-being. If we talk about a serving of 20 olives, it provides nearly 10 percent of your daily recommended intake of iron.
Consists of Oleic Acid
According to the researchers, oleic acid can fight inflammation and protect against diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In fact, our brain also makes use of oleic acid and is beneficial in regulating mood.
Consists of Oleocanthal
Oleocanthal is a compound found in kalamata olives that has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. not only it helps in treating cancer but it is also considered to be beneficial for joint and brain health.
Are There Any Side Effects of Kalamata Olives?
There is not much research about the side effects of Kalamata olive. For the time being, it is thus safe to assume that there is not much harm in eating them. Also, it does not consist of any such compound, the overdose of which could be detrimental to one’s health.
However, it is to be said that those with hypertension must consume olive in moderation as the high sodium levels can worsen their condition. You can thus consume 4-5 olives per day each serving has about 110-115 mg of sodium and the recommended intake per day is 2300 mg.
Kalamata Olive Spread Recipe
(Also known as tapenade)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives.
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1-2 cup fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
Directions
- Add garlic to a food processor and blend.
- Add other ingredients (except olive oil) and blend until smooth.
- Then, add olive oil slowly while the blade is running.
- You can adjust other ingredients as per your taste and is free to use other fresh herbs like basil.
- Serve at room temperature.
Conclusion
Being a rich source of antioxidative, anticancer, cardioprotective, neuroprotective and antimicrobial and lipolytic bioactive ingredients, Kalamata olives provide great health benefits when you add them to your diet.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6562514/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46
https://greekcitytimes.com/2019/04/03/new-study-finds-kalamata-olives
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