Why food quality is important, and a deep dive on my favorite fat source with TJ Robinson

In Ben’s opinion, olive oil is without a doubt the most important oil that we have in our diet. With that being said, today’s guest is TJ Robinson, the man behind the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil that gets so much love on the show. After all the hunting TJ does around the world, it was his turn to be hunted by Ben, and the resulting conversation the two have on today’s show is worth its weight in gold. TJ had an olive oil epiphany after tasting true fresh-pressed olive oil while on a trip to Sicily during his days as a chef and never looked back. Since then, he has been traveling the world to work with the best producers out there.

Ben and TJ do some live testing of different varieties today, and TJ covers the fascinating and intricate ways high-quality olive oil gets produced and assessed, its many complex flavor profiles, and huge health benefits. We hear about the different varieties and TJ’s artisanal process compared to the regular and scam-ridden industrial-scale operations. TJ takes care not to mix strains, makes sure to bottle correctly, and strives to get the product to his club members' pantries as quickly as possible. Ben also expresses his love for this food type and speaks about how its antioxidants and polyphenols work wonders for inflammation and wrapping cells’ phospholipid bilayer with the right oil type.

Thanks to my favorite olive oil company Fresh Pressed for sponsoring the show - if you want to try a full-sized bottle of my favorite high quality, super fresh extra virgin olive oil for just $1, while supplies last, check out getfresh35.com!

Timestamps

• The centrality of good habits in achieving your goals. [0:17]
• Enjoying real food like olive oil by cutting hyper-palatable food out, and today’s guest. [2:29]
• The many benefits of olive oil and why Ben is totally obsessed with it. [5:28]
• Keeping the phospholipid bilayer of your cells composed of olive oil fats. [10:02]
• The story of TJ’s epiphany tasting fresh olive oil for the first time in Sicily. [12:01]
• Good versus bad olive oil and the mafia that controls America’s bad olive oil supply. [16:17]
• Timeframes from pressing day to when TJ’s oil reaches customers. [17:46]
• Health benefits of low yield artisanal methods that keep varieties separate. [20:25]
• Working with Flos Olei winners and what goes into its competitive judging process. [22:50]
• A live tasting with Ben and the different markers of an olive oil’s smell and taste. [25:59]
• Moving from smelling to tasting the sample of olive oil and the polyphenol cough test. [30:13]
• Olive oil as a healthy fat, decreasing inflammation, and what foods to pair varieties with.[33:33]
• Whether you can spot a good olive oil in a regular shop without having a press date. [39:23]
• How to store olive oil, when to consume it by, and what deteriorates its quality. [43:36]
• Colorants, diluting, and how the olive oil Mafia tampers with bad oil it supplies. [44:38]
• The discovery of the inflammation curing oleocanthal, a natural ibuprofen, in olive oil. [46:41]
• Membership details and the benefits of signing up for TJ’s club: a $1 bottle and more! [48:46]