Olives

By Nikola · Precision Nutrition L1 · Updated 4 November 2026

Olives are a fruit that behaves like a fat: most of their energy comes from monounsaturated fat, the same oleic-acid-rich fat as in Olivenöl. The catch is salt. Raw olives are too bitter to eat, so every olive you buy has been cured, and the brine is where the sodium comes from. Per 100 g, USDA lists 735 mg sodium for canned ripe black olives and 1560 mg for green olives in brine. Ten olives give about 40-50 kcal and a fifth of a day’s sodium or less, depending on the type.

Nutrition per 100 g

Nährstoff	Ripe black olives, canned	Green olives, in brine
Energie	116 kcal	145 kcal
Wasser	80.0 g	75.3 g
Fat, total	10.9 g	15.3 g
of which monounsaturated	7.7 g	11.3 g
of which polyunsaturated	0.6 g	1.3 g
of which saturated	2.3 g	2.0 g
Carbohydrate	6.0 g	3.8 g
of which fibre	1.6 g	3.3 g
Eiweiß	0.8 g	1.0 g
Natrium	735 mg (measured range 488-986)	1560 mg (measured range 1100-1960)
Salt equivalent (sodium x 2.5)	1.84 g	3.90 g
Kalzium	88 mg	52 mg
Eisen	6.28 mg	0.49 mg
Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocopherol)	1.65 mg	3.81 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: “Olives, ripe, canned (small-extra large)” (FDC 169094) and “Olives, pickled, canned or bottled, green” (FDC 169096), checked 2026-10-23. Energy and the fat groups are calculated by USDA, not measured. Salt equivalent uses the EU labelling factor (sodium x 2.5). Olives from other countries and other cures (Kalamata, dry-salted, oil-cured) are not covered by these two records and can differ a lot, especially in salt.

Per serving: 10 olives

	10 large ripe black olives (44 g)	10 green olives (27 g)
Energie	51 kcal	39 kcal
Fat	4.8 g	4.1 g
Fibre	0.7 g	0.9 g
Natrium	323 mg (about 16% of 2 g)	421 mg (about 21% of 2 g)

Olive weights from the same USDA records: 1 large ripe olive 4.4 g, 1 small 3.2 g, 1 green olive 2.7 g on average. Percentages compare with the 2 g of sodium a day that EFSA set in 2019 as a safe and adequate intake for adults. Green olives are lighter per olive, so ten of them weigh less, but gram for gram they carry about twice the sodium.

Green or black: what the colour means

Colour is partly ripeness and partly processing. Olives turn from green to purple to black as they ripen on the tree. The mild, soft black olives sold in cans in the US are different: California producers say all their ripe olives are picked green, cured in lye to remove the bitterness and turned black by bubbling air through the curing tanks, sometimes with a small amount of ferrous gluconate (an iron salt) added to keep the colour. That is the most likely reason the USDA record for canned ripe olives shows so much more iron than green olives. Black olives cured the traditional way, such as Kalamata, are a separate product with their own numbers.

Glycemic index of olives

Olives are not listed in the international GI tables (2008), so we give no number. With 3.8-6.0 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, part of it fibre, and only a handful eaten at a time, they have very little effect on blood sugar. For a meal, the bread or rice next to the olives matters far more.

Health benefits: what the evidence says

• The fat. Like olive oil, olives are mostly monounsaturated fat. EFSA accepts that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats helps maintain normal blood cholesterol. A handful of olives instead of cheese or cured meat fits that pattern.
• The salt. This is the part that limits how many you eat. 100 g of green olives already gives about 3.9 g salt, about three quarters of the 2 g sodium (5 g salt) a day that EFSA treats as safe and adequate. High sodium intake is linked to higher blood pressure.
• Polyphenols. Olives contain the same family of polyphenols as olive oil, but the curing (especially lye) removes much of the bitter oleuropein, and amounts vary by cure. The EU health claim for olive oil polyphenols applies only to olive oil with at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g, not to table olives.

Ayurveda: olives in the traditional system

Olives are not an Indian food, but Usha and Vasant Lad’s food guidelines do list them, and they split them by colour. Black olives are favourable for Vata and Pitta and on the list to avoid for Kapha. Green olives are on the list to avoid for all three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. If you follow this approach, black olives in small amounts are the easier choice. This is a traditional view, not a clinical finding.

Risks and who should be careful

• High blood pressure or a low-salt diet. Count olives as salty food. A small bowl of green olives can be a third of a day’s sodium or more.
• Energy. Lower than most people expect per olive (about 4-5 kcal), but olives sold in oil add the oil’s calories on top.
• Pits. Whole olives have stones; take care with small children.

How to choose, store and use them

• Compare salt on the label: EU labels give salt per 100 g, so you can compare brands directly. The spread between products is wide.
• Weigh the drained olives, not the jar with brine, when you count portions.
• Speichern opened olives in the fridge, covered by their brine, and follow the jar’s “use within” advice.
• Use: chopped into salads with Tomaten Und Gurke, with roasted vegetables, in Tomate sauces, as part of a mezze plate with hummus and vegetables. When olives go into a dish, add salt last and taste first.

Dishes to try

• Roasted Mediterranean vegetables
• Classic hummus (serve with a few olives)

Related entries and articles

• Extra virgin olive oil per 100 g – the same fat, without the salt
• Hochwertige Fette
• Tomaten
• All about high-quality fats
• Which foods reduce inflammation naturally?
• Ayurvedic diet for beginners
• Mediterranean diet for beginners
• Mediterranean diet
• Monounsaturated fat: foods per 100 g
• Polyphenols: foods and what the evidence says

FAQ

How many calories are in an olive?

About 4-5 kcal. From USDA data: a large canned ripe olive (4.4 g) is about 5 kcal, a green olive (2.7 g) about 4 kcal.

Are olives high in salt?

Yes. USDA lists 735 mg sodium per 100 g for canned ripe black olives and 1560 mg for green olives in brine. Ten green olives give about 420 mg sodium, around a fifth of the 2 g a day EFSA considers safe and adequate.

Are black olives healthier than green?

Not clearly. Canned ripe black olives have less salt and fat per 100 g; green olives have more fibre and vitamin E. Which one is “better” depends mostly on the salt in the specific product.

Why are canned black olives so high in iron?

Probably because of processing: some producers add a small amount of ferrous gluconate, an iron salt, to keep the black colour. USDA lists 6.28 mg iron per 100 g for canned ripe olives against 0.49 mg for green olives.

How many olives a day is reasonable?

There is no official number. The limit is usually the salt: count olives with your other salty foods. Ten olives give about 320 mg sodium (large ripe black) to 420 mg (green), so check how that fits with the rest of your day.

Sources

1. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Olives, ripe, canned (small-extra large) (FDC 169094). fdc.nal.usda.gov
2. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Olives, pickled, canned or bottled, green (FDC 169096). fdc.nal.usda.gov
3. EFSA NDA Panel (2019). Dietary reference values for sodium. EFSA Journal 17(9):5778. efsa.europa.eu
4. California Olive Committee. The California Difference (processing of California ripe olives). calolive.org
5. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers, Annex I (salt = sodium x 2.5). EUR-Lex
6. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, list of permitted health claims (replacement of saturated fat; olive oil polyphenols). EUR-Lex
7. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care 2008;31(12):2281-2283. PMC
8. Lad U, Lad V. Food Guidelines for Basic Constitutional Types, from Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, 2nd ed. The Ayurvedic Institute. ayurveda.com

This page is for information only and is not medical or dietary advice.