Nutritional Profile of Olive Oil

Good Fat

Olive oil is 100% fat. One 15ml (1 tbsp) serving contains around 135 calories, and on average 14g of fat of which 2g are saturated and the rest is unsaturated fats. Around 75% of this fat is a mono-unsaturated fat, called oleic acid, or omega-9, which is associated with multiple health benefits, the rest is poly-unsaturated fats, known as omega-6 and omega-3.

Olive oil contains vitamin E, which supports the normal function of the immune system as well as maintaining healthy skin and eyes, and is a good source of vitamin K, which is needed for blood clotting and wound healing.

It’s the oil’s antioxidant status which provides a lot of its nutritional value, graded using the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale. Dietary antioxidants are found in foods and have been shown to significantly improve health.

Sipping Olive Oil Drinking olive oil can help increase the production of pancreatic juices and bile (which, incidentally, gives poop its brown color). With olive oil, the risk of gallstones decreases also bile is important for the breakdown of fats so they can be absorbed into the intestinal wall. The polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil act as antioxidants to rid the body of free radicals that would otherwise damage cells.