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Why I Drink Olive Oil

January 31, 2017  //  Health

Hi guys! Today I am throwing it back with a health and wellness topic post. I haven’t been doing as many of these on the blog, but the other night I Insta-storied taking an olive oil shot before dinner and you guys were SO curious as to why I do that and what the benefits are. I thought it would be fun to explain in full the reasons I started doing it, how often I do it (everyday? every meal?), and the results I have seen from doing this.

olivesi

There are so many benefits to including olive oil in your diet in general. It is made up of predominately monounsaturated fatty acids, which protect heart health by lowering LDL cholesterol and raising HDL cholesterol. It is a highly anti-inflammatory food that helps protect from long term diseases, like heart or autoimmune, brought on my chronic inflammation. It is also packed with antioxidants to strengthen your immune system and fight infection and disease. Olive oil also nourishes the skin and prevents wrinkles and premature aging. I notice a HUGE difference when I am not consuming my normal amount of olive oil in the softness and hydration of my skin.

So beyond those benefits, what exactly does taking a tablespoon or two of olive oil before meals do? A few things.

The first thing it does is stimulate digestion. The better we digest our food, the faster we eliminate it, and the less we store as waste. If you have ready my book, you know I strongly believe that waste = weight. I truly feel if you are eating natural, unprocessed foods with pure ingredients that your body can recognize, effectively break down, digest, assimilate, and eliminate, weight will never be an issue for you. Olive oil before a meal is particularly helpful in aiding digestion because it is a fat that is easily broken down and absorbed, and will not slow down digestion or create a big task for the intestines.

Additionally, when olive oil is ingested, it boosts your metabolism because the body kicks into fat burning mode, as olive oil is a pure form of healthy fat. This is also helpful for weight loss because it trains the body to use fat for fuel instead of glucose, which helps burn fat more efficiently. Many people have a hard time losing weight because they aren’t tapping into their fat burning mechanism, while also consuming too many carbohydrates, which gives the body more than enough glucose to burn instead of fat.

Another wonderful thing about taking olive oil before meals is that it prevents overeating and provides some satiation. It takes the edge off hunger and does not spike blood sugar, causing hunger and cravings. It is a great way to eat more mindfully, slowly, and less ravenously at meal times because you have already provided your body with some pure, clean, nourishment before sitting down to a plate of food.

Taking olive oil before eating also slows down the rise of blood sugar after a meal, helping to lower the glycemic index of that meal and regulate insulin production. This is very helpful in preventing diabetes, as well as keeping you fuller longer because your body has fuel to burn for a longer period of time. When your blood sugar spikes too quickly after a meal, you become hungry or tired an hour or two after eating because you are coming down from that high. Olive oil helps prevent these spikes and keeps your blood sugar stabilized for a much longer period of time so you hunger, energy, mood, and weight remain balanced.

Now, I know the biggest question you’re wondering…won’t consuming olive oil everyday make me gain weight? NO! I usually to have a tablespoon or two (roughly – I don’t measure) before 2 meals a day, but if I am eating out I skip it. In addition to that, I use a very generous amount in my cooking, and pour quite a bit over my salads and veggies, and fish when I am in restaurants. I have never noticed the slightest bit of weight gain from consuming large amounts of olive oil. In 2010 there was a study of 44 women over 50 who were overweight. Each woman trialed two 8 week long diets. One was an olive oil based diet with the bulk of the calories in each meal coming from olive oil , and one was a low fat food plan as recommended by the US National Cancer Institute. Both diets were made of 1500 calories a day. After 16 weeks, the women on the olive oil diet lost twice as much weight as they did on the low fat diet, had lower triglycerides, and higher levels of good HDL cholesterol. From an enjoyment standpoint, all of the women except for one favored the olive oil diet.

And there you have it, why I would do such a weird thing as drink olive oil J It is really such a healthy habit to incorporate into your diet and your life. If you aren’t a big breakfast person, a great way to get started consuming more olive oil is to mix it with some water and lemon juice an drink it first thing in the morning. Doing this on an empty stomach is a great way to stoke your metabolism, kick the body into fat burning mode, and keep your blood sugar steady through the morning.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I would love to hear your thoughts below!

XO

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  • Rachel @ Better LIVIN

    I’m looking for any way possible to get my skin healthy and keep the wrinkles at bay- thanks for the tip! Is there a particular type or brand of olive oil that’s best?
    http://www.betterlivin.ca

  • Jessica

    Wanting to know which brand you prefer as well! I’ve seen so many stories about fake olive oils, I’m a little scared to buy without suggestion. Thanks!

  • Sisi

    I’ve heard of people taking ghee, but never olive oil! This is super interesting and I’ll have to give it a try sometime!
    http://www.modernbeautygirl.com

  • Zimtschnecke Cinny

    Thank you for the post! It is super interesting… A friend of mine even pours olive oil over her fruitsalad! But do you think the quality of the olive oil plays a role?
    What is your favourite oil? I would love to know your suggestion as italian american women 🙂
    And what do you think about coconut oil? I do have a teaspoon coconut oil every morning before my breakfast !

  • Denise

    Thank you so informative! I have always consumed more fat in my diet than carbs and know the benefits of consuming healthy fats. But I still get scared just pouring straight oil to my foods for that fact that I am adding more calories and may still feel hungry. I normally have my fats thru foods with higher fat content, like nuts or eggs. But after reading this I’m going to give it a try and cook with more with olive oil and adding it to my water. 🙂

    – Denise
    http://activehabitat.blogspot.com/

  • LesLeigh J.

    I often cook with EVOO, but I’ve never heard of taking it as a supplement. Sounds interesting! I may have to try this. Thanks for sharing!

  • Molly

    Love the health and wellness posts! Totally going to try this xo

  • Rachel D.

    I think Its interesting and awesome that you shared this. I personally am nervous that my stomach is way to sensitive to handle that much and sometimes its exausting how many articles are going around about take this or do that. I guess its about picking one that would benefit a persons specific needs.
    awesome article though !

  • Pia @ Gymbags and Jetlags

    This is the coolest thing ever!! I’d love to do a post on this too. Definitely going to do some more research!

    xx, Pia
    http://gymbagsandjetlags.com

  • Courtney Violet Bentley

    this is cool and interesting! Thanks!

    XX,
    Courtney Bentley || http://www.courtneyvioletbentley.com

  • Shannon Silver

    Thank you so much for doing this post! I was actually just reading about this a few weeks ago & I was intrigued, but you broke it down so eloquently that I am SOLD. It makes absolute, total sense, especially with hypercharging your metabolism and anti-aging. I’m def going to mix it with water and lemon in the mornings starting tomm. In fact, a great recipe I’ve seen to get more olive oil in your b-fast by one of my favourites (Giada!!!) for breakfast is her olive oil steel cut oats here and her book Feel Good Food is amazing – I think you would love it! Question, but what brand olive oil do you use for this? I know some can get really expensive! x Shannon

  • Caroline Grace Augaitis

    Thanks for sharing! Do you have a go-to / preferred olive oil?

  • Nathaniel

    Awesome article, thanks for sharing! I’ve been using Olive Shot (https://oliveshot.com) for a few months now and the results have been pretty extraordinary. Fitness is up, skin is looking and feeling great, and I have all this new energy! Can be difficult to find ‘true’ extra virgin olive oil with lots of antioxidants. You need to look for dark or opaque containers, a harvest date, and when you open it, it should have a strong fruity/peppery aroma. The good stuff is actually life changing, so different to the generic supermarket brands 🙂

  • El AceitedelCampo

    I do the same every morning! try this site http://fresholiveoilshop.com/

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