Recipes · Health Shot
Olive Oil & Lemon Morning Shot
Reader ratingsOne spoonful of good extra-virgin olive oil shaken with fresh lemon juice and a little warm water — the Mediterranean-kitchen shot, with a peppery finish.
Olive oil with lemon (ladolemono) is the classic Greek dressing for vegetables and fish; taking a spoonful neat is a folk habit in parts of the Mediterranean that the wellness world has since adopted.
Safety
- Fat makes the gallbladder contract. If you have gallstones, gallbladder disease, biliary pain or pancreatitis, skip this, and ask your doctor if you have been told to limit fat. Oil-and-lemon "gallstone flushes" do not remove stones: the soft, stone-like lumps people pass are made from the oil itself, and big oil doses can bring on gallbladder pain. Never scale this up.
- A tablespoon of oil is about 120 calories, so count it if you are watching weight, and expect heartburn or loose stools if you are prone to reflux or are not used to a spoonful of straight oil.
- Do not take a spoonful of oil if you have trouble swallowing, because inhaled oil can injure the lungs, and it is not suitable for young children. Lemon juice can wear tooth enamel, so rinse your mouth afterwards.
- A shot is a small extra, not a substitute for a meal.
Why it’s good for you
Extra-virgin olive oil supplies monounsaturated fat and polyphenols such as oleocanthal and hydroxytyrosol, and the lemon adds vitamin C and a sharp edge that makes a spoonful of oil easy to drink.
Evidence
Limited evidence
Mostly small, early, or laboratory studies.
The best evidence is for olive oil in the daily diet, not for a morning shot: in a 200-man crossover trial, 25 mL a day for three weeks nudged HDL cholesterol up on all three oils tested, and only the high-polyphenol oil lowered oxidized LDL, while a meta-analysis of eight crossover trials (355 people) found high-phenolic oils gave a modest drop in systolic blood pressure (measured in just 69 people) and a small drop in oxidized LDL but no change in total, LDL or HDL cholesterol. The PREDIMED trial in 7,447 high-risk adults linked a Mediterranean diet with about 4 tablespoons a day of extra-virgin olive oil to roughly 30% fewer major cardiovascular events than a low-fat diet, though it tested a whole diet and was reanalysed after protocol problems, and US cohort studies tie more than half a tablespoon a day to lower mortality. One tablespoon is a quarter of PREDIMED’s dose and nothing shows that lemon or morning timing adds anything.
General information from research and traditional use — not medical advice, and not a treatment for any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, check with your clinician first, and seek care for symptoms that are severe or do not improve.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil, lemon juice and warm water into a small jar with a tight lid, and add the pinch of salt if you like.
- Seal the jar and shake hard for 15 seconds, until the mixture turns cloudy and pale. It will start separating again within a minute.
- Shake again, then drink it in two or three sips, ideally with or just before breakfast rather than on a completely empty stomach.
- Follow with a glass of plain water and rinse your mouth, since lemon is acidic.
Tips
- Choose a real extra-virgin oil, not "light" or "pure" olive oil, which is refined and has far fewer polyphenols. A peppery catch at the back of your throat is a good sign: it comes from oleocanthal, which showed ibuprofen-like activity in lab tests.
- Oil goes rancid with heat, light and time. Keep the bottle in a dark cupboard away from the stove, and use it within a few months of opening.
- You get the same oil and the same lemon, and probably more enjoyment, drizzled over a salad, beans or roasted vegetables. If the shot is not for you, that is a perfectly good swap.
- Make a batch of dressing instead: shake 1/4 cup oil, 3 tbsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a jar and keep it in the fridge for a week.
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