Olive Oil Calories

However, not many are aware of the actual number of calories present, and merely follow the practice due to word of mouth. Let us get to know more about its properties and calorific value.

Considered as a 'wonder food', with excellent aroma, taste, and innumerable health benefits, olive oil forms an indispensable part of Mediterranean cuisine. In fact, no Mediterranean salad would be complete without a generous amount of dressing of olive oil.

The popularity has spread outside Europe, as many health conscious people are readily switching due to its immense health benefits. However, most fitness freaks join the fan club without bothering to check the number of calories.

You could have presumed olive oil to be very light and low on calories, since it is recommended for weight loss. Surprisingly, this is not the fact, as the calorie figures suggest otherwise. There are a whopping 120 calories in one tablespoon of olive oil!

However, before you start doubting the health benefits, let me assure you that this high calorie content does not affect its value, as the quality of these calories also matter a lot. It contains 14 grams unsaturated fat, without any cholesterol.

In fact, that reduces the amount of LDL (bad cholesterol) and increases the amount of HDL (good cholesterol) in the body. Moreover, it does not contain sugar and sodium. The iron content in olive oil constitutes to about 7 percent.

Olive oil is classified into different types, depending upon its degree of purity.

Extra virgin olive oil is the purest form. It is treated like a fine wine, thus, no two groves can produce what tastes alike. It is cold pressed, meaning, the oil is directly extracted from the olive fruits without any processing. It has a low boiling point, thus, has to be cooked very slowly. The acidity is less than 1%. There are about 126 calories in it, and they account for 'good calories'.

Virgin olive oil comes from the second pressing of the olive fruit. It is slightly inferior to extra virgin in terms of flavor and taste. It is also slightly more acidic, with acidity of about 3.3%. However, industry processing limits the acidity to up to 2% in the producing country.

Refined olive oil is extracted from the left over pulp and skin of the olive fruit. It is extracted after several chemical and physical processes. Needless to say, this is an inferior quality product with a highly diminished nutritional value. It cannot be used for cooking, unless it is blended with extra virgin oil. It has no resemblance with the first quality olive oil whatsoever.

The label on the bottle which describes it as 100% olive oil, is highly misleading. This is actually an inferior quality produce, with a small proportion of extra virgin oil mixed with it. Most stores sell it as pure. There are about 125 calories in this.

The calories, though in large numbers, do not affect the nutritional quotient of olive oil. Thus, you can continue to reap the health benefits like you always did.