Diets In Review is pleased to have guest blogger, Amy Vermeer, share what she learned at a recent event featuring Oprah’s favorite doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz. Read more about Amy’s healthy approach to living through holistic nutrition at eatlivelaugh.com.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has become increasingly well known through his appearances on the Oprah show, appeared at the 92nd street YMCA in New York City for a discussion on the secret to staying young and healthy. He began by speaking to his latest book “You: Staying Young” and about how we should all be focusing on news we can use, a subject we can all relate to as we are bombarded by messages daily with all types of information that may or may not be useful for ourselves and for our families. Additionally, he spoke about how in this latest book his focus is on the primary caregiver, which in most cases is the female in the household. As he states, the female is most likely to take information learned and pass that on to her family as well as to use this information for leverage towards action steps in her household. This is by no means to discount men from reading the book, but is an accurate depiction of how typical households function.
Dr. Oz proceeded by speaking about how sick we as Americans all are, in fact we are twice as sick as Europeans. With being sicker, we as a population are costing 2X as much to care for, creating a huge burden on what we call a “healthcare system”. We need to stop relying on the system and start focusing on ourselves. Can you believe you have a 2 in 5 chance of encountering a medical error? According to Dr. Oz that is the statistic in New York State, and New York is looked upon as being more advanced than other states. What does that mean our chances are if we live in other areas of the country? Dr. Oz reinforced the need to get second opinions and to encourage friends and family as well; your health is not to be taken lightly.
Dr. Oz then moves on to his 5 Life Adjustments, they are as follows:
• Blood Pressure 15/75
• No Cigarettes
• 30 minutes of daily physical activity
• A healthy diet that is easy to love
• Stress control
These 5 elements are essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall well being. If one does not concentrate on these “life adjustments” then we will likely encounter belly fat, which according to Dr. Oz is a more important health measure than your weight on a scale. Essentially, if your waist, which entails the amount of belly fat on your body, exceeds the following equation: Total height/2 (ie. If you are 5’6” then your total height in inches is 66”/2 = 33 inches), then you are at a much more serious risk for high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. A scale is not an accurate measurement as it does not take into account several important elements such as muscle mass. Muscle does weigh more than fat and when you are working out and building muscle, your weight is likely to increase while your waist size is likely to decrease.
We then touched on supplements and the importance they have for our bodies as we do not all ingest the right foods to naturally absorb all the vitamins and minerals essential for regular function. Dr. Oz recommends taking a multi-vitamin, rich in vitamins A, C, and F, all of which are anti-oxidants that allow for regeneration. In addition, we need to ensure a regular intake of Vitamin D and Omega.
A last essential element briefly discussed was sleep. Woman on average need 7 hours while men need 7.5 hours. Dr. Oz jokes that men are more needy, hence their need for more sleep.
As time runs out for the great knowledge sharing of Dr. Oz, he proceeds to open up the floor to any questions in the room. The first question, how can I maintain my health while enjoying my regular martini? I think it might be time for that gentleman to purchase Dr. Oz’s book!
Click here to learn more about Dr. Oz’s book, YOU: On a Diet.
Thank you, Amy!