How Do Olives Affect Your Weight? (2024)

Olives are rich in beneficial fats and antioxidants that may support weight loss. About an ounce of olives can have about 35-50 calories, but this depends on the type.

Olives, a savory Mediterranean fruit, are often cured and eaten whole as a tangy, salty snack. Many people also enjoy them on pizzas and salads or processed into oil or tapenade.

This article explains whether olives aid weight loss.

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Olives may affect your weight in a variety of ways.

Calorie density

Olives have a notably low calorie density.

Calorie density is a measure of the number of calories in a food relative to the food’s weight or volume (in grams). In general, any food with a calorie density of 4 or more is considered high.

Whole black or green olives have a calorie density of 1–1.5.

Choosing foods with a low calorie density may boost weight loss, as these foods tend to help you feel full for longer — and for fewer calories (1, 2, 3, 4).

Healthy fats

Olives also boast healthy unsaturated fats, which differ from saturated and trans fats due to their chemical structure. All fats contain the same amount of calories, but unsaturated fats affect your body beneficially (5, 6).

In particular, replacing carbs and other fats in your diet with monounsaturated fats may reduce inflammation and decrease your risk of heart disease (7, 8, 9, 10).

Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like olives, nuts, avocados, and plant-based oils. Some research links diets high in monounsaturated fats directly to weight loss (11).

A 60-day study in 32 women compared diets high monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats with normal diets. The diet high in monounsaturated fats resulted in weight loss of up to 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg), plus lower fat mass, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (12).

Furthermore, a large review of low calorie diets revealed that high fat eating patterns more often lead to weight loss than low fat ones (13).

Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes whole foods and seafood while limiting processed foods, may boost weight loss. Olives, olive oil, and other healthy fats are a key component of this diet (14, 15, 16).

Specific studies on this diet suggest that it may result in 1–4.5 pounds (2.2–10.1 kg) of weight loss (17, 18).

All the same, other studies don’t directly associate it with weight loss (19).

Nevertheless, the Mediterranean diet appears to provide a wide range of health benefits, such as reduced blood pressure and waist circumference (19, 20, 21, 22, 23).

summary

Olives have a low calorie density and are a good source of healthy fats, two factors that may boost weight loss by helping keep you full and replacing less healthy fats in your diet.

The nutritional profile of olives varies based on the type of olive and the curing method. Still, most are low in calories but fairly high in salt and beneficial fats.

The following chart examines the nutrients in 1.2 ounces (34 grams) of black and green olives. This serving provides approximately 10 small- to medium-sized olives (24, 25).

Depending on the size of the fruits, a serving of 10 green or black olives may contain 35–95 calories.

Notably, olives are rich in polyphenol antioxidants, which fight harmful compounds called free radicals in your body. They’re also believed to help reduce your risk of health conditions like diabetes and heart disease (26, 27).

summary

Whole olives are low in calories but rich in polyphenols and healthy fats. They tend to be high in sodium.

Although olives have a low calorie density and may aid weight loss in several ways, it’s best to enjoy them in moderation due to their high salt content, as well as their overall fat content.

Furthermore, if you don’t closely monitor portion sizes, olives’ calorie count can add up quickly.

To keep your saturated fat intake within the recommended guidelines, it’s best to limit your intake to 2–3 ounces (56–84 grams) — about 16–24 small- to medium-sized olives — per day.

summary

Though olives may aid weight loss, they’re high in salt and fat — and eating too many of them may offset your weight loss success. As such, you should moderate your intake, limiting yourself to a few ounces at most per day.

Olives are a scrumptious snack that boasts healthy fats and polyphenol antioxidants. Their low calorie density means that they may aid weight loss by helping you feel full.

All the same, you should control for portion sizes because olives’ calories can add up quickly.

This popular Mediterranean fruit makes a great replacement for any processed foods or high calorie snacks in your diet.