Hailey Bieber says she starts her mornings with a shot of olive oil and lemon. She admits it tastes like swallowing a gulp of salad dressing. It doesn’t sound glamorous. It sounds painful. Yet she does it.
So does Kourtney Kardashian. Gwyneth Paltrow posts about it. Beyoncé even sold a bottle of the stuff for $68, complete with a tiny glass. The celebrity machinery has decided olive oil is magic water. Is it? Or is it just grease?
I’m half Greek. My kitchen counter looks like a hardware store for fats. But drinking it straight? That feels new. So I asked some doctors. Navya Mysore is a primary care doc in New York. Dana White is a dietitian. Heather Rogers is a dermatologist. They didn’t ask for donations. Just facts.
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The Good News Is Real
Olive oil is legit. It’s the backbone of the Mediterranean diet. You know the one. Lots of vegetables, nuts, fish, less junk. People who eat like this live longer. Their hearts are generally better off. Their brains stay sharp.
Does the delivery method matter? Nope. Dr. Mysore says swallowing it cold gives you no special edge over stirring it into pasta. The molecules don’t care how they enter your stomach. You get the benefits either way.
Take antioxidants. Olive oil is packed with them. Specifically polyphenols. These compounds fight inflammation. They give extra virgin oil that bitter, peppery kick. You want the bite. If it doesn’t sting your throat a little, it probably lacks the good stuff.
Science backs this up. A 2021 study linked these polyphenols to slower aging. Another from 2025 suggested the oil might tweak your gut bacteria for the better. Prebiotic effects? Possibly. Inflammation? Definitely lower.
Your Heart Likes It Too
Your cholesterol levels probably need attention. Olive oil helps here. It lowers the “bad” LDL kind. The stuff that clogs your arteries. Dana White explains the mechanism. LDL builds plaque. HDL, the “good” guy, cleans it up and sends it to the liver for disposal.
A 2022 study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that olive oil makes the good cholesterol work harder. More recently, a 2024 study (wait, did they say 2025? Let’s check the prompt… ah, it said 2025 in the text provided. Okay, sticking to the text provided even if it feels futuristic) found that eating more olive oil correlates with cleaner arteries. Fewer heart attacks.
So yes. Drink it if you must. But pouring it on bread works too.
What About the Gut? And Skin?
Hailey claims it “coats your gut.” Doctors hate this phrase.
“The ‘coating your gut thing’ makes absolutely no scientific sense at all,” White said.
Oil doesn’t create a protective layer like wax in a car engine. It’s liquid. It moves.
That said. It might make you poop.
The fat content triggers your bowels to contract. That’s physics. Or physiology. Something like that. Dr. Mysore isn’t sure if it’s a coating effect or a laxative effect but suspects the latter. So if you’re hoping for relief, go for it. Just maybe use the restroom nearby.
Skin? That’s where the hype breaks down.
Celebrities claim it glows up your complexion. Dr. Rogers disagrees. Olive oil has anti-inflammatory perks sure. But there’s zero evidence that a daily shot improves skin appearance. Eating healthy makes you look healthier generally. That’s a correlation. Not a causation. Don’t drink a shot hoping for clearer pores. Eat a balanced diet. Do skincare. Done.
How To Actually Do It
Want to try? Sure. If you don’t have gallbladder issues, acid reflux, or nausea. Don’t be a hero. Otherwise, it’s harmless.
But why drink it cold? It’s easier to just cook with it. Drizzle it on salads. Dip bread. Put it in vinaigrettes. It helps you absorb vitamins that need fat to work. A salad without oil is basically a sad plate of leaves. Add the oil. Suddenly you’re getting the nutrients.
You can sauté with it too. Just don’t burn it. Heat kills the nutrients and ruins the taste.
The Catch Is Calories
This isn’t diet food. It is fat.
One tablespoon equals roughly 120 calories.
That adds up. Fast.
Dr. Mysore suggests aiming for one to two tablespoons a day. But really? It depends. If you’re trying to lose weight, those extra 120 calories might be the thing keeping you stuck. If you’re trying to gain mass, it’s perfect. Oil is efficient.
“If it’s leading to excessive consumption… you could be adding extra weight you’re not looking for.”
Read that again. Olive oil is healthy. But it’s also caloric. Don’t treat it like water.
Buy The Right Stuff
Not all oil is equal. Look for “extra-virgin.” Look for “cold-pressed.” These terms mean less processing. Less heat. More antioxidants.
Check the harvest date. Fresh matters.
And look at the color. Darker, richer oils usually have more antioxidants. If it’s pale yellow, you might be buying the discount stuff. Store it in the dark. Away from the stove. Light and heat destroy the good stuff quickly.
So should you drink the shot? Maybe.
Will it make you famous? No.
Will it make you immortal? Also no.
It’s olive oil. It’s just really good olive oil. Use it wisely. And maybe stop pretending you’re Beyoncé in your own kitchen. It’s fine to just spread it on toast.
