11 Fascinating Reasons To Drink Olive Oil Every Day

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People often ask me if they can drink olive oil straight from the bottle. To give you the best possible answer, I decided not only to answer that exact question but also to show you 11 reasons why everyone should consume olive oil every day.

I’m sure you won’t know some of the reasons since olive oil is really a versatile product with tons of benefits. And, of course, I’ll concentrate on extra virgin olive oil since that type of olive oil is the best and has the most benefits.

Can You Drink Olive Oil? How To Drink It?

woman drinking olive oil

You can drink olive oil directly from the bottle. It’s completely safe and even healthy. However, you should consume small portions at a time since it’s pretty bitter, and large amounts of olive oil may cause diarrhea.

If you plan to drink olive oil, here are two best ways to drink it:

  • Put one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a glass and drink it.
  • Mix one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a bit of lemon juice, and drink it – that way, it’ll be easier to consume.

Not everyone is able to drink raw olive oil. For most people, it’ll be too bitter and have a too strong taste, especially if you’re not consuming it very often. If you can’t handle the taste of olive oil, here are some fantastic ways to neutralize it.

For most people, instead of drinking raw olive oil, it’s better to increase your overall olive oil consumption throughout your diet. Use olive oil for marinating, cooking eggs, making salads, and on all other occasions. In my opinion, that’s the best way to get the most benefits out of olive oil.

11 Reasons Why You Should Drink Extra Virgin Olive Oil Every Day

Here are the reasons why you should drink high-quality olive oil every day. Not all of these things are confirmed by scientific research, so keep that in mind. Also, this article shouldn’t be considered medical advice but only an informational article.

So, if you drink olive oil every day, you can expect the following benefits.

1. Reducing Inflammation

woman having arthritis

Because of the large amounts of antioxidants in it, olive oil can reduce inflammation. That includes rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and others. The two most important antioxidants for anti-inflammatory effects are oleacin and oleocanthal, which are found in extra virgin olive oils.

2. Increase Good Cholesterol

hdl, good cholesterol

Regular consumption of olive oil may help you to increase good cholesterol, called HDL, and also reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) in your blood. High-quality extra virgin olive oils are the best at increasing HDL since they have the highest amounts of polyphenols.

3. Reduce The Risk of Heart Diseases

guy with the chest pain

Extra virgin olive oil is great at reducing the chances of heart disease among people. It’s mostly because of the high amounts of healthy fats in olive oil. A few pieces of research have shown that people who consume olive oil have a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, as well as coronary heart diseases.

4. Anti-Aging Effects On Skin

aged woman looking younger

Overall Mediterranean diet, but especially olive oil, is a fantastic way to lower the risk of all-cause mortality and prevent skin aging. Olive oil is rich in monosaturated fats, and people who consume it over a longer period have a lower risk of severe photoaging.

5. Reducing Weight

guy on a weight scale

As I already said, olive oil is rich in monosaturated fats, which have been shown to prevent weight gain and also prevent the accumulation of fat (this was researched on animals). Another thing is that olive oil is rich in medium-chain triglycerides, promoting healthy weight loss. However, you still need to be careful and not intake too much olive oil since it could cause a contra-effect.

6. Gallbladder Health and Gallstones Prevention

woman gallstone pain

Even though this claim hasn’t been confirmed yet, many doctors think that olive oil will improve gallbladder health, prevent gallstones, and stimulate them to release gallstones in the stool.

7. Healthy Colon

illustration of a colon

Recent research from Spain shows that diets rich in extra virgin olive oil may help prevent colorectal cancer (CRC). For instance, using coconut and sunflower may increase the risk of colon diseases, while using extra virgin olive oil reduces that risk.

8. Maintaining Blood Sugar Levels

a guy checking his blood sugar

Compared to other kinds of fats, extra virgin olive oil is best at balancing blood sugar. The researchers measured glucose levels after consuming meals with olive oils and later after consuming meals with corn oil. When people consumed food with olive oil, their blood sugar levels were much smaller. However, researchers say that olive oil should be consumed together with other food to be beneficial to diabetic people. This study needs more research to confirm these claims.

9. Treating Constipation

guy sitting on a toilet

Olive oil has a laxative effect, thus making it a fantastic product to fight constipation amongst people. However, if you have constipation problems, you should try small amounts of olive oil first, then increase the amounts if needed. Large amounts of olive oil may cause diarrhea.

10. Improving Brain Function

student learning for a test

Regular consumption of extra virgin olive oil may improve brain functions (improved memory), and that’s because of the high amounts of antioxidants in olive oil. Also, studies have shown that olive oil may help people with dementia, too. Another interesting thing, it may even help with Alzheimer’s disease.

11. Antibacterial Properties

olive oil in a bowl

Olive oil is rich in polyphenols with antibacterial properties. The most important polyphenols are hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein. Some researchers say that olive oil has effects similar to ibuprofen.

Conclusion

Even though some of the benefits above aren’t confirmed yet, there’s no doubt that extra virgin olive oil is an extremely healthy food that everyone should implement in their diet. If you prefer drinking it in the morning or in the evening, that’s completely fine, and you should continue to do it.

However, I always recommend increasing the overall consumption of olive oil throughout your diet. That way, you’ll get much more benefits instead of just drinking a tablespoon of olive oil every single day. You can consume the healthiest product ever, but if you don’t follow the overall healthy diet, it won’t have so many benefits.

One very interesting thing about olive oil is that it can be used for many purposes even after it expires, which most other oils and products can’t.