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I usually eat ten olives a day and I was wondering whether this was a healthy thing to do.

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I usually eat ten olives a day and I was wondering whether this was a healthy thing to do.

Q. I just love olives and eat them as a snack instead of chips. I usually eat ten a day and I was wondering whether this was a healthy thing to do.

A. Ten olives contain about 50-80 calories, depending primarily on their size. (Jumbo olives weigh about twice as much as small olives). This amount of calories is minimal when we think about the calories usually consumed during snacking. Yet, the fact that olives are a good snack option is not just limited to their being low in calories. You also get a wealth of nutrients for those calories. Olives are very nutrient-rich, containing heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, and antioxidant phytonutrients, including polyphenols. With all of that goodness, it’s no wonder that olives play a central role in the Mediterranean Diet, which has been found to promote vitality and offer protection against a host of different diseases.

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