Why I Started Adding Olive Oil to My Protein Shake

Sometimes the most useful health ideas aren't complicated.

They're the little things you hear someone say almost in passing.

Recently, I was on an Isagenix training call featuring Dr. Paul Arciero, a nutrition and exercise researcher whose work includes protein pacing.

During the call, he was talking about protein intake and how he uses protein shakes to help supplement his daily protein.

But then he mentioned something I wasn't expecting.

He adds olive oil to his protein shakes.

Olive oil?

In a protein shake?

That got my attention.

I'd already heard other doctors and health experts talk about the benefits of getting good-quality olive oil into your diet. I understood the general idea, but like a lot of good health advice, knowing something is good for you and actually making it part of your routine are two different things.

Then I heard this.

Just put some in the shake.

That's simple enough.

So I started doing it.

And here's what I like about the idea: I'm already making the shake. I'm not adding another meal, another supplement, or another complicated routine.

I'm simply taking something I'm already doing and making a small adjustment.

That's exactly the kind of health strategy I like.

Ask the Experts: What's So Special About Olive Oil?

There's good reason olive oil—particularly extra-virgin olive oil—gets so much attention.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats, particularly oleic acid. The FDA has recognized qualified evidence that replacing fats higher in saturated fat with oils containing oleic acid may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Extra-virgin olive oil also contains naturally occurring phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties. Research continues to investigate their potential effects on oxidative stress and inflammation; a recent systematic review of randomized trials found evidence of improvements in certain biomarkers, although the certainty of the evidence varied.

Perhaps more important than any single compound is the bigger dietary picture.

Olive oil is one of the primary fat sources in the Mediterranean diet. A major randomized trial found that a Mediterranean-style diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts reduced major cardiovascular events among people at elevated cardiovascular risk. Harvard also points to olive oil as one of the healthy unsaturated fats characteristic of this eating pattern.

In fact, the FDA's updated definition of foods that can qualify for the “healthy” claim specifically includes olive oil.

That's enough to make me pay attention.

Jim's Take

I'm not suggesting that adding olive oil to a protein shake is some kind of health breakthrough.

That's not the point.

What interested me was the simplicity.

I'm already having a protein shake. Adding some extra-virgin olive oil gives me another way to incorporate a healthy fat into my diet without having to think much about it.

And that's becoming a theme in how I approach healthy aging:

Don't always look for a complete overhaul. Look for small improvements to things you're already doing.

Add some protein.

Do one more strength exercise.

Spend a few minutes working on mobility.

Get a little more sleep.

Add some olive oil to something you're already eating.

None of these things individually transforms your health.

But stack enough good habits together over enough time, and I think they can make a meaningful difference.

And ultimately, that's what I'm after.

Not perfection.

Just doing enough of the right things to keep feeling good, staying active—and playing golf for a long time.

Try This This Week

If you already make protein shakes, consider trying a little extra-virgin olive oil in one and see what you think.

I was expecting to notice it more than I did.

Sometimes the easiest health habit is simply the one you can actually stick with.

— Jim