As an olive oil producer, you might wonder why I spend time talking about sports science, cellular stress, or nutrition for athletes. Here’s why: Personal Purpose Meets Performance Nutrition
I am on a personal journey to become the best freediver I can be — a pursuit that forces me to listen, find and understand the body’s limits, its vulnerabilities, and its incredible ability to adapt.
I believe in sharing what I learn, with family, with friends, with clients, with anyone interested in health, high performance, whether in sport, work, or simply life.
“The olive oil I produce is intentionally high in biophenols, crafted to enhance its stability, sensory character and nutritional richness — not just for flavor.”
And last but not least, I am Italian; for us, culinary excellence is central, and I believe a technical, high-performance diet doesn’t have to exclude pleasure. In fact, it should enrich it. We crave for beauty and pleasure, no reason to deny it to our souls.
This isn’t marketing. It’s an experiment. It’s real food, used with purpose. And olive oil when made a certain way belongs at the very core of that.
Culinary Nutrition for Athletes: Where Food Meets Function
FFreediving, like any high-performance sport, pushes the human body through cycles of effort, adaptation, and recovery. Nutrition is not just fuel — it can become a way to influence how the body responds to stress.
The right foods can:
- Support energy metabolism
- Contribute to oxidative balance
- Help maintain focus and clarity under pressure
- Provide nutrients important for muscles, nerves, and joints
This is culinary nutrition: not just eating clean, but eating intentionally, using natural compounds found in real food to support performance.
The Key Elements of a Performance-Oriented Diet
- Color-rich, natural carbohydrates
Fuel glycogen stores – Support immune response – Contribute to gut balance - Complete proteins with easy digestion
Muscle repair – Hormonal balance – Tissue rebuilding - Functional fats – and here’s where my olive oil comes in
Not all fats are equal. In a high-performance diet, it’s critical to reduce or eliminate:
- Saturated fats from industrial meats and processed dairy
- Refined oils (palm, soybean, sunflower under high heat)
- Trans fats and hydrogenated oils in ultra-processed food
These should be replaced with functional fats like:
- Cold-extracted high-biophenol olive oil
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Microalgae omega 3
- Avocado and flax
These provide essential fatty acids and natural compounds that are part of a balanced diet supporting normal body functions.
4. Antioxidant and polyphenol density
From plants, herbs, spices, and from high-biophenol olive oil.
What Makes our High-Biophenol Olive Oil Different?
It’s simple, we engineer it differently. Most commercial olive oil is mild and stripped of polyphenols — the very molecules that give it character. Our oil is the opposite: thanks to early harvest and cold-pressing, it is made from cultivars known for polyphenol density, and we lab-test for oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol, and oleuropein.
These are polyphenols naturally present in olive oil, which contribute to its taste, pungency and antioxidant properties in the oil.
So Why Does Nutrition Matter in Freediving – And in Any Demanding Sport?
When we are diving, in apnea, we face:
- High oxidative stress
- Pressure-induced inflammation
- Hypoxia-reperfusion cycles
- Cognitive fatigue
In this context, every nutrient matters and olive oil, when crafted at the right standard, becomes more than a fat. It becomes a concentrated source of natural compounds characteristic of high-quality olive oil.
Italian Food Meets Precision Nutrition
I refuse to believe that performance food has to be bland or boring. We have a culinary heritage that is rich, complex, and fundamentally functional if used correctly. Eating for performance should still be a joy.
A performance diet should not feel like punishment. If it’s all boiled chicken and supplements, you’re doing it wrong, and you’ll eventually quit. As an aspiring athlete and a food producer, I believe pleasure and precision can coexist.
Culinary nutrition is not a restriction — it’s a refinement. Imagine:
- A warm bowl of farro with roasted vegetables, drizzled with green, grassy fresh peppery olive oil
- A slice of grilled sourdough rubbed with garlic, topped with sardines, lemon zest, and a touch of sea salt
- A fresh tomato and fennel salad, lifted by the richness of raw green olive oil and a drop of aged balsamic
These are not just meals. They are tools for recovery, fuel for focus, and moments of joy in a demanding life.
The goal is to eat like someone who loves their body and their food.
Final Words
Reducing unnecessary fats and focusing on nutrient-rich foods isn’t about deprivation — it’s about intention.
When you replace what harms you with bioactive oils, precision-sourced produce, and real ingredients, you notice the difference — in your mood, recovery, and resilience.
Whether you’re chasing a record underwater or managing recovery from a heavy training cycle, your food is your first tool and your most personal daily choice.
I produce this olive oil not only for taste, but because I use it myself, every day, in my training.
And I believe that sharing it is part of the journey — a way of extending what I learn, and of making performance taste like something real.
APPENDIX
Olive Oil Polyphenols and Regulation
Scientific research has investigated compounds such as oleocanthal, hydroxytyrosol, and oleuropein, which are naturally present in olive oil. These contribute to its distinctive sensory profile and antioxidant activity in the oil.
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2011), the only authorised health claim for olive oil polyphenols is:
“Olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress.”
This effect is obtained with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil containing at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives.
Other authorised nutrition and health claims for olive oil include:
- “The replacement of saturated fats with unsaturated fats in the diet contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels.”
- “Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress” (where the oil provides at least 1.8 mg per 100 g).
By integrating high-biophenol olive oil into a balanced diet, athletes and non-athletes alike can enjoy its taste, cultural heritage, and natural compounds as part of everyday nutrition.
The presence of compounds such as polyphenols and vitamin E can vary significantly between different olive oils, depending on cultivar, harvest time and production methods. To verify whether an oil meets the conditions for the authorised EFSA claims, we recommend reviewing the producer’s chemical analysis. If such data are not available, consider choosing a producer who provides transparent information on these values.
Some Scientific Validation of Olive Oil Polyphenols found In EVOO
Oleocanthal
Oleocanthal is a phenolic compound naturally present in extra virgin olive oil. It is associated with the characteristic pungency and peppery sensation in the throat that many oils present. Researchers have studied its potential biological activity, but its most tangible role in food is as a marker of freshness and sensory quality.
Hydroxytyrosol
Hydroxytyrosol is one of the most abundant polyphenols in olive oil. It is recognised for its strong antioxidant activity, which contributes to the stability of the oil itself. According to EFSA, hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress when consumed in sufficient amounts.
Oleuropein
Oleuropein, found in olive leaves and present in varying amounts in EVOO, contributes to the bitter taste of certain oils. It has been widely studied for its chemical and nutritional properties, and is part of what gives early-harvest oils their distinctive intensity.
Implications for Nutrition and Athletic Performance
High-biophenol EVOO is not just a source of monounsaturated fats but also contains natural phenolic compounds that:
- Contribute to the oil’s sensory profile (bitterness, pungency, freshness)
- Help protect the oil itself from oxidation and degradation
- When present in sufficient amounts, contribute to the authorised EFSA claim: olive oil polyphenols contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress
For athletes and anyone with an active lifestyle, this means EVOO can be valued not only as a culinary ingredient but also as a daily food that provides both flavour and naturally occurring compounds linked to recognised nutritional functions.
Incorporating High-Biophenol EVOO into the Diet
To to make the most of its sensory and nutritional qualities;
- Use Raw or Lightly Heated: To preserve polyphenol content, use EVOO in dressings or add to cooked dishes after removing from heat
- Daily Intake: Consuming 20 grams daily can provide significant levels of polyphenols, which contribute to the recognised EFSA claim on protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress – ONLY – when present in sufficient amounts.
EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):2033