Breakfast With Olive Oil Gives Your Brain The Best Start
Updated January 27th 2025
Summary
- Including extra virgin olive oil in your breakfast recipes is a great way to boost brain health.
- Polyphenol-rich olive oil including Oleocanthal can reduce inflammation – key to brain health.
- Quality extra virgin olive oil like Morocco Gold listed as one of best foods for improved brain health.
Contents
Starting your day with the right foods can do wonders for your body and mind. For those prioritizing brain health, breakfast isn’t just the most important meal of the day—it’s an opportunity to fuel your brain with the nutrients it needs to function at its best. One simple addition to your morning routine can make a significant difference—extra virgin olive oil.
Renowned for its heart-friendly benefits, this golden elixir is also a secret weapon for boosting brain health. Packed with polyphenols, including the potent anti-inflammatory compound oleocanthal, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) deserves a spot on every breakfast plate.
With winter mornings getting dark and cold, it’s tempting to skip breakfast for an extra few minutes in bed but the health benefits of including extra virgin olive oil in your breakfast are remarkable.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil At Breakfast Is A Great Way To Boost Brain Health
Did you know, for example, that extra virgin olive oil can help to protect the brain from damage? This is largely due to the oleocanthal in olive oil which has anti-inflammatory properties that protect the brain from inflammation. The polyphenols in olive oil also help to reduce oxidative stress and improve blood flow to the brain. The Mediterranean diet is rich in olive oil, as well as healthy fats, vegetables, and whole grains. In addition to its brain-boosting benefits, extra virgin olive oil also has a host of other health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. So next time you’re looking for a healthy way to start your day, reach for the extra virgin olive oil.
A quality Extra virgin olive oil, like Morocco Gold, is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that can help regulate blood sugar levels and control appetite. In addition, extra virgin olive oil is a good source of antioxidants and vitamin E, which are essential for maintaining good health.
Psychology Today List Extra Virgin Olive Oil As One Of Four Brain Boosting Foods
If health experts and researchers haven’t convinced you yet, perhaps Psychology Today will. The publication lists extra virgin olive oil as one of four foods specifically beneficial for the brain, alongside berries, omega-3s, and dark leafy greens.
Its endorsement is backed by numerous studies pointing to olive oil’s protective abilities, not just for the heart but for mental clarity and cognitive health. Whether it’s helping to stave off age-related cognitive decline or simply improving daily alertness, EVOO is a must-have for anyone looking to support their mental edge.
Adding extra virgin olive oil to your breakfast routine is an easy way to improve your overall health and a great new report from Psychology Today shows you how it can be used to power your brain at the start of the day. They explain:
In addition to making changes to the general composition of your breakfast, you may want to consider adding in some specific foods that are linked to brain wellness because they’re rich in key brain health nutrients like omega-3 fats, plant nutrients, fiber, and certain vitamins and minerals. Extra-virgin olive oil is packed with plant nutrients and healthy fat and is linked to better brain health. It makes a delicious drizzle on top of eggs and other savory breakfasts!
Polyphenols and Oleocanthal: The Secret Behind the Brain Benefits
Polyphenols are natural compounds found in extra virgin olive oil that provide anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. Among these compounds, oleocanthal takes center stage as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.
What is Oleocanthal? It’s the polyphenol that gives good-quality olive oil its signature peppery kick. Beyond its culinary appeal, oleocanthal has been compared to ibuprofen for its ability to reduce inflammation. What makes this significant is the link between chronic inflammation and cognitive decline. Scientists believe a diet rich in polyphenols like oleocanthal can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Benefits of polyphenols and oleocanthal include:
- Fighting Brain Fog: Reducing inflammation clears the way for better focus and easier recall.
- Improving Memory: Antioxidants fight free radicals, which are known to damage memory-related brain cells.
- Boosting Neuroplasticity: Polyphenols help brain cells adapt, learn, and communicate more effectively.
For those who find joy in optimizing their health and longevity, adding a polyphenol-rich food like extra virgin olive oil to your breakfast is an effortless, rewarding habit worth adopting.
Olive Oil Tapenade Is A Great Addition To Easy Breakfast Dishes
You don’t need to reimagine your entire breakfast routine to benefit from olive oil. Adding this versatile ingredient in creative yet simple ways can elevate your morning meal.
One delicious way to enjoy EVOO at breakfast is by adding an olive oil tapenade to your dishes. Made with a blend of olives, capers, garlic, lemon juice, and a generous glug of EVOO, tapenade is rich in flavor and nutrients.
Following the Mediterranean Diet offers lots of great options to make the first meal of the day a bit more inspiring. Especially if you have a bottle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil – like Morocco Gold – close at hand.
Tapenade is a simple yet flavoursome choice – made from crushed olives, capers and a good quality olive oil, all mixed together into a smooth paste. Although it is very easy to make yourself there are also some great pre-made options out there too. It is incredibly versatile and can be used as a spread on anything from crostini to meats, fish and vegetables. It’s easy to see why it’s a firm favourite of followers of the Mediterranean Diet.
How to pick the best Olive Oil For Your Tapenade
When choosing an olive oil to use in your tapenade recipe, it’s important to go for the best olive oil you can afford. Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality, best olive oil you can get. Genuine extra virgin olive oil is rare and as a result is slightly more expensive.
The chemical characteristics of extra virgin olive oil (as with all vegetable oils) give an indication of the care with which it was made and stored: how the fruit was grown, transported and harvested, how it was pressed into oil, and how the oil was packaged and bottled. Stringent chemical analysis also helps to determine if the oil is adulterated in any way. The chemical standards for extra virgin olive oil are the highest of all the grades and, as such, offer a guarantee of quality.
Morocco Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Morocco Gold comes from a single source, from the Beni-Mellal region of Morocco. The olives are harvested by hand, early in the season whilst the fruit is still young and green. The olives are handled with care and attention throughout the harvesting and pressing process to ensure that only the best olives are used for Morocco Gold.
Uniquely, we include the results of our chemical analysis for acidity, peroxide and ultraviolet testing on each-and-every bottle of Morocco Gold so that our customers can see at a glance the guarantee of extra virgin olive oil quality.
Morocco Gold comes from the Picholine Marrocaine olive, which is characterised by its green, fruity flavour, with hints of almond and herbs, also it’s high level of polyphenols that give Morocco Gold it’s health enhancing qualities as well as it’s taste.
It does not have the ‘aggressive’ pungency of some extra virgin olive oils, giving Morocco Gold a well-balanced and satisfying finish. This also makes Morocco Gold highly versatile in how it can be used, either taken directly, dipping with bread, drizzling over salads, sautéing vegetables, the uses are limitless.
Why not try this delicious breakfast recipe to show off your Olive Oil Tapenade to its best?
Tapenade Crostini With Sunny Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of whole grain bread
- 2 teaspoons of Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive tapenade
- ½ cup microgreens
- 1 pat vegan butter
- 2 large eggs
- Pinch salt
- Black Pepper
Method
- Toast bread in toaster or toaster oven. Drizzle with Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder, and top with olive tapenade and microgreens.
- Heat vegan butter over medium heat in a small frying pan. Crack eggs onto pan, being careful not to break yolks. Let eggs cook until whites are cooked but yolks are runny, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat if yolks are beginning to harden.
- Top toast with one egg, sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper.
