Drinking olive oil: How much, in the morning or evening, straight or with lemon? Experiences with the olive oil shot

Drinking olive oil might sound strange at first. Nevertheless, for many people, a small shot of extra virgin olive oil has become a permanent part of their morning routine – as an olive oil shot, straight from a spoon, or with a squeeze of lemon. Read on to find out how much makes sense, whether morning or evening is better, what is behind the trend set by Bryan Johnson, and what experiences people have with the daily shot.

Drinking olive oil at a glance

• Amount: A shot is 10 ml (around 9 g, about 80 kcal). For the only EU-approved claim regarding olive oil polyphenols, 20 g of olive oil per day are necessary – you can simply add the rest via salad or vegetables.
• Timing: Morning or evening is a matter of taste and habit. There is no reliable data for a fixed time – what matters is that you do it daily.
• Which oil: Only extra virgin olive oil, preferably fresh and with a high polyphenol content. You can recognize this by the sharpness and bitterness – and by the laboratory report.
• Straight or with lemon: Both work. Lemon makes the shot milder, but doesn't change anything essential about the oil.

The Solio ritual Solio: high-polyphenol olive oil with 954 mg/kg View product →

Why people drink olive oil straight

Olive oil is one of the best-studied foods in the Mediterranean diet. However, most people only consume it incidentally – a little on salad, some in the pan, often from an oil that has been sitting open on the shelf for months. Those who use olive oil for drinking turn it into a conscious, daily portion: always the same amount, always the same oil, always at the same time.

Then there is the taste. A fresh, early-harvested olive oil tastes green and bitter and leaves a distinct scratchy feeling in the throat. This gets lost in a salad – but if you drink it straight, you notice immediately whether an oil is fresh or not. We explain why this is the case in Why Solio tastes bitter and peppery.

How much olive oil should you drink per day?

A shot of 10 ml per day has proven effective – approximately one tablespoon. That is about 80 kcal. More is not automatically better: olive oil is a fat and provides energy accordingly.

For olive oil polyphenols, there is exactly one EU-approved claim (Regulation (EU) No. 432/2012): "Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress." The positive effect occurs with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil – provided the oil contains at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g. So, your 10 ml shot is a good start; you can easily reach the 20 g via salad or vegetables.

How many polyphenols your oil actually contains depends heavily on the variety, the harvest time, and its freshness. Read more about this in our guide Polyphenols in olive oil.

Drinking olive oil in the morning or evening?

The honest answer: There are no reliable studies on a "correct" time. Most people drink their olive oil shot in the morning – often on an empty stomach, before or with breakfast – because it is easiest to anchor a habit there: brush teeth, glass of water, shot.

Those who prefer to drink it in the evening are not doing anything wrong. Regularity is more important than the time of day. A ritual that runs automatically lasts longer than any perfect protocol.

Drinking olive oil straight or with lemon?

Drinking olive oil with lemon is one of the fastest-growing variations. The acidity of the lemon removes some of the oil's sharpness, making the shot more pleasant for beginners. On the internet, this combination is often advertised as a "detox" or "liver cleanse" – there is no scientific basis for this.

This is how you can do it:

• Straight: 10 ml in a shot glass or on a spoon, leave it in the mouth briefly, swallow. The scratchiness in the throat is normal – it is the sign of a fresh oil.
• With lemon: 10 ml olive oil plus a squeeze of freshly squeezed lemon.
• In everyday life: If you don't like the shot, add the same amount to yogurt, avocado toast, or cooked vegetables.

Is drinking olive oil healthy?

Extra virgin olive oil primarily provides monounsaturated fatty acids (about 75% oleic acid) and – depending on quality – many polyphenols. Two claims are proven and approved: Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, and olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress (with 20 g of olive oil daily).

Many other effects discussed online – weight loss, digestion, skin – are being researched but are not proven. You can find a detailed classification in Is olive oil healthy?. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine – a varied diet remains the foundation.

Is drinking olive oil unhealthy? Not for healthy people in normal amounts. Keep in mind the calories – and that old, oxidized oil tastes particularly unpleasant when drunk straight. If you have gallbladder or digestive issues or are taking medication, you should clarify larger quantities with a doctor.

Bryan Johnson and his daily olive oil shot

Drinking olive oil became well-known primarily through Bryan Johnson, a US entrepreneur who optimizes almost every aspect of his daily life with his "Blueprint" protocol. According to his own statements, high-polyphenol olive oil is one of the cornerstones of his diet – several tablespoons a day.

His reasoning is based on data on the Mediterranean diet, the fat profile of olive oil, and the polyphenols. Important for context: Large studies like PREDIMED have investigated the Mediterranean diet as a whole, not just olive oil. An effect on aging is not proven – and Bryan Johnson is optimizing hundreds of parameters simultaneously.

Solio therefore does not adopt the protocol, but only the simplest idea from it: one shot in the morning, every day. Incidentally, Bryan Johnson does not recommend any specific product and has nothing to do with Solio.

Drinking olive oil daily: experiences

How a new routine feels is individual. This is what people who have incorporated the Solio shot into their morning daily say:

What appears in almost all experiences:

• The first shot surprises. The scratchiness in the throat is unusual. After a few days, it becomes part of the ritual for many.
• Habit is the key. Those who link the shot to a fixed moment (after brushing teeth, with coffee) stick with it.
• Freshness makes the difference. A freshly bottled oil tastes pleasantly green and fruity when drunk straight, while an old one tastes flat or rancid.

Try it for 14 days and see if the ritual fits into your everyday life – without expectations, without promises.

Which olive oil is suitable for drinking?

When drunk straight, every weakness of an oil is immediately noticeable. Therefore, pay attention to four things:

1. Extra virgin olive oil: the highest quality grade, mechanically produced. Read what that exactly means in What is EVOO?.
2. High polyphenol content: from around 250 mg/kg, an oil is considered polyphenol-rich. Reputable providers show the laboratory report.
3. Freshness: Harvest date and bottling date are more important than the best-before date. Polyphenols decrease over time.
4. Small, dark bottle: A 250 ml bottle is empty in about 25 days if you take one shot a day – the oil isn't sitting open for months.

Our Olive Oil Test 2026 shows how different oils perform in the lab.

The Solio olive oil shot

Solio is made exactly for this ritual: an olive oil with a high polyphenol content from Apulia – 954 mg/kg polyphenols (HPLC, Laboratory Report ChemiService No. 2530163), early-harvested Coratina olives, freshly bottled monthly in dark 250 ml bottles. One shot (10 ml) in the morning, one bottle lasts about 25 days.

FAQ

How much olive oil should you drink per day?

A shot of 10 ml (about a tablespoon) a day is a good guideline. For the EU-approved claim regarding olive oil polyphenols, 20 g of olive oil are required daily – you can easily reach that with salad and vegetables.

Is it better to drink olive oil in the morning or in the evening?

There is no reliable data for this. In the morning, it is easiest for most to anchor the habit – consistency is the key.

Can you drink olive oil straight?

Yes. Extra virgin olive oil can be drunk straight without any problems. A fresh oil scratches slightly in the throat – this is a quality feature, not a defect.

What is the benefit of olive oil with lemon?

Mainly a milder taste. Claims regarding "detox" or "liver cleanse" are not scientifically proven.

Does drinking olive oil help with weight loss?

No, there is no evidence for this. A shot has about 80 kcal. Olive oil is most useful when it replaces other saturated fats.

What is an olive oil shot?

A fixed daily portion of extra virgin olive oil – usually 10 ml – that is drunk straight, often in the morning. A fresh oil with a high polyphenol content is best suited for the shot.

Does Bryan Johnson recommend Solio?

No. He speaks about high-polyphenol olive oil in general in his routine; that is not a Solio endorsement.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) No. 432/2012 – List of permitted health claims made on foods (olive oil polyphenols; replacement of saturated fats).
• Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, et al. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(25):e34. PMID: 29897866
• Laboratory report ChemiService No. 2530163 (Solio, polyphenols via HPLC).