One medium olive has 5 calories, 0.45 grams of fat, 0.22 grams of carbs and 0.04 grams of protein. That breaks down to 80 percent fat, 17 percent carbohydrates and 3 percent protein.Continue Reading
Olives are cholesterol free and considered one of the world's healthiest foods. Each medium olive has 43 grams of sodium, 1 milligram of potassium and 0.04 grams of protein. There is also a trace amount of iron in olives. A cup of black olives can provide 38 percent of the recommended daily allowance of copper, 25 percent of the needed iron, and 17 percent of the fiber needed each day.
An entire cup of chopped or sliced olives has 156 calories while an ounce of olives has 33 calories. Giant olives have 9 calories each while small olives have 4 calories and large olives have 5 calories each.
Although usually thought of as fruits, olives are appropriately classified as fruits, and they are derived from the olea europea tree; olive trees can live to be hundreds of years old.
Studies on olives suggest that olives contain hydroxytyrosol, which is a phytonutrient that may prevent cancer. Olives are also thought to provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They are sometimes used in herbal medicine to reduce allergy-related inflammation.Learn more about Calories in Food