By 8am, many British mums have packed lunches, hunted lost PE
kits and soothed tantrums on barely any sleep. Into that chaos, a
surprising new ritual is creeping in: a quick morning shot of olive
oil.
The fad started on TikTok, with influencers swapping their first
coffee for extra‑virgin olive oil (EVOO) and claiming flatter
bellies and glowing skin. Now it is being whispered at the school
gate as a possible fix for energy, bloat and cravings.
From TikTok olive oil shots to the school‑run mum hack
Videos show users downing a spoonful of what they call “liquid
gold”, then raving about better digestion, fewer snack attacks and
clearer skin, with stars like Kourtney Kardashian, Beyoncé and
Gwyneth Paltrow cited as olive‑oil devotees.
Beyond TikTok, mums are swapping notes online, with threads
dubbed things “The Greasy Shot” drawing comments like ‘it tastes
like salad dressing without the vinegar, but my bloating
disappeared’.
For exhausted new parents, that taps into real problems: studies
suggest up to 47% of mothers deal with post‑partum constipation,
painful bloating and a stubborn “pregnancy” tummy, all on top of
broken sleep and mid‑morning sugar crashes.
What a morning shot of extra‑virgin olive oil really does
The protocol promoted by some British gastroenterologists is
quite simple: 15ml of cold‑pressed extra‑virgin olive oil, about
119 calories and 13.5g of fat with roughly 10g of oleic acid, taken
first on an empty stomach.
That small dose stimulates the gut hormone cholecystokinin,
telling the gallbladder and pancreas to release bile and enzymes
before breakfast. The oil also works like a gentle lubricant, which
can ease post‑partum constipation, with many women noticing easier
transit and less bloating within 7 to 14 days.
There is a microbiome angle too. Polyphenols in high‑polyphenol
EVOO, including oleocanthal and hydroxytyrosol, feed friendly
bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and calm inflammation along the
gut lining, which may reduce that hard, gassy balloon of a
tummy.
Bigger clinical trials on the Mediterranean diet, where people
use EVOO as their main fat, link this pattern to less
atherosclerosis, better endothelial function and healthier
cholesterol levels. Those gains came from regular daily use in
meals though, not from a magic shot on its own.
How tired mums can try the olive oil
shot safely
NHS and British Dietetic Association advice already encourages
swapping butter and other saturated fats for unsaturated oils like
olive oil to support heart health. A morning shot only fits that
picture if it mainly replaces, rather than simply adds to, the
other fats you eat.
For a mum‑friendly routine, swallow your 15ml of EVOO about 30
minutes before your first tea, coffee or breakfast, so it can coat
the stomach and small intestine. Knocking it back with very hot
black tea or coffee can irritate the gut and blunt that soothing
layer.
Choosing the right bottle matters. Go for cold‑pressed
extra‑virgin in dark glass, and skip supermarket oils labelled
“Light” or “Mild”, often around £3.50, which are usually refined at
over 200°C and have lost virtually all their polyphenols and
antioxidants.
To weave the habit into a school‑run morning without extra
mental load, tiny tweaks can help.
- Keep a dark glass bottle by the kettle and pour 15ml into a
small glass the night before, so you can drink it while the toast
cooks. - If the texture makes you gag, stir in 5ml of fresh lemon juice
to sharpen the taste and help absorption, knowing it is comfort
rather than miracle detox.