A woman decided to drink two tablespoons of olive oil a day for two weeks and has revealed the impact it had on her health.
Olive oil is known as the 'liquid gold' in the Mediterranean diet, and has long been hailed as a superfood and healthy fat.
While it's not known if olive oil is the main contributor, the Mediterranean diet has been linked to various health benefits, such as a decreased risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
With this in mind, Lynsey Hope wrote in her Women's Health column about the effects of the oil, and if it's worth its hype.
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Having taken some 'advice' on TikTok, people said that ingesting two tablespoons on an empty stomach every morning is the best way to get those benefits.
But did it work?
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Day 1
Hope bit the bullet and immediately went for the expensive and 'good quality' extra virgin olive oil, and shared the 'fresh' and 'fruity' taste she immediately noticed upon swallowing.
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That was, until her taste buds caught wind of a 'burn as it hit the back of the throat'.
“Afterwards I felt nauseous and a little dizzy,” Hope revealed, which is a sad way to start the challenge off.
Days 2-4
As it didn't begin in the best way, you'd expect everything to calm down at some point.
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However, Hope said things began to change for the worse, leading to an impact in her daily life.
She wrote: “The symptoms were not severe so I persevered in the hope they might settle down.
“I struggled to manage my usual gym routine and found I was craving dry foods, such as toast, to settle my stomach.”
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Days 5-7
After a week of oiling her mornings, she admitted feeling 'a little sick' and wondered why people told her to take the oil on an empty stomach.
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While people claimed that fishermen in the 60s would drink a glass of olive oil to prepare for a day of fishing out at sea, she didn't find anything that scientifically backed this up.
So, she created a new plan.
Days 8-10
Long gone was her empty stomach and olive oil nightmare combo. Hope decided to start talking the shot of oil after a bite of food instead.
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“On day eight, I took my shot after breakfast. I didn’t notice the usual rush of nausea so kept up the change,” she said in her article.
Hope explained: “By around day 10, even though I was still drinking two tablespoons a day, I didn’t feel unwell at all. If anything, my gut health improved.
“By the end of week two, I was feeling lighter, more energised and surprisingly full between meals.”
Days 11 to 14
It seemed that this was the turning point she had been looking for.
Up to two weeks in, Hope said she started to experience fewer cravings for snacks, writing: “I felt less hungry than usual… I was snacking far less late morning and early afternoon and could only attribute this to the olive oil.
“My skin and hair were noticeably improved too and several people asked if I was wearing a different foundation – I wasn’t, so it must have been the effects of the oil.
“Despite the extra daily calories and fat… I didn’t put on any weight.
“My family had suffered colds but I seemed to dodge it.”
Conclusion
“While I don’t think everyone needs to drink olive oil daily – and even though it was hard going at first – I’ve been shocked by the wide-reaching benefits,” Hope shared.
Hope even said she was 'going to try to keep up' the daily routine.
Britt Jones