Olive Oil

Food · Fat & Oil · Food, Typed Supps

The fat that helps you absorb the nutrients in everything else on the plate.

Stage by stage

Intake (Already liquid fat): Its liquid fat structure requires no real chewing to begin digesting.
Stomach (Immediate fat digestion): Fat digestion begins immediately given its already-liquid form.
Small intestine (Helps absorb other nutrients too): Its monounsaturated fat and polyphenols are absorbed, while also helping absorb fat-soluble compounds from other foods eaten alongside it.
Bloodstream & heart (Cholesterol balance): Circulates supporting a healthier balance of blood cholesterol types; polyphenols add antioxidant activity, especially extra virgin varieties.

Timing

Extra virgin retains more polyphenols than refined olive oil.

Time to effect

Weeks: Regular intake contributes to healthy cholesterol patterns over time.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free.

Satiety

30 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — low. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

5.4 kg CO2e and 3822 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Olive oil" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Pricey — roughly £12 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Monounsaturated fat
Polyphenols (extra virgin)
Vitamin E

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 883.1
Protein: 0g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 99.9g
of which saturated: 15.5g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 0mg

Food vs. supplement

Beyond its own nutrients, olive oil’s fat is often what makes fat-soluble vitamins and plant pigments (like beta-carotene in carrots or lycopene in tomatoes) absorbable in the first place — a role no supplement pill on its own substitutes for at the dinner table.

Kitchen tip

Extra virgin, cold-pressed varieties retain more polyphenols than refined olive oil - store it away from light and heat to keep them intact.

Common myth

“All olive oil has the same health benefits.” In reality: Refining removes many of the polyphenols responsible for much of extra virgin olive oil’s studied antioxidant activity.