Tag Archives: Dr. Oz

What are Some Good Reasons for Eating Nuts?

In my own search for alternative sources of quality protein to take the place of the artery-clogging red meat I have added chia seeds and hemp seeds for starters.

Dr. Oz has some further suggestions in his blog post Three Health Benefits of Nuts.

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Some of the benefits he enumerates include:
“• The omega-3 fats in nuts, especially walnuts — which have six times as much as the next nearest nut — protect against heart disease.
• The fiber richness of nuts helps you lose weight. A small handful about 30 minutes before a mealtime fills you up enough to keep you from overeating.
• And (news flash) it turns out that these crunchy treats help tame type 2 diabetes.”

For some folks, the only downside of nuts is that their fats make them high in calories. A couple of good ways to include some nuts in your diet without knocking your calorie consumption out of the park is to find ways to add small quantities of them to your regular meals.

You can use them as a garnish on salads, adding protein and healthy fats without too many calories. Ditto your morning breakfast, I love walnuts on top of my oatmeal. Use your imagination and you can make some heart-healthy changes in your daily diet and boost your protein consumption, too.

Tony

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Filed under arterial plaque, arteries, chia seeds, Dr. Oz, fat, snack foods, Snacking, Weight

The Miracle of Green Tea

green-tea-health-benefitsI am a big fan of Green Tea.

To read further on the subject, check out these posts:

Green Tea for St. Patrick’s Day – and Every Day;

Green Tea Helps to Fight Flu;

Dr. Oz on Chia Seeds and Green Tea.

Tony

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Dr. Oz Cover Story on Food in This Week’s Time Magazine

I am the biggest fan of Dr. Oz. Ever since I read YOU on a Diet back in 2006. He wrote it with Dr. Michael Roizin. There is a revised edition from 2009 that you can pick up on Amazon here for $6.98. I recommend it. Dr. Oz writes for the man on the street who wants to eat healthy and not spend a fortune in the bargain.

This week’s cover story is wistfully entitled Give (Frozen) Peas a Chance And Carrots Too. Love the word play on give peace a chance.

This week’s issue of Time Magazine

He opens the piece talking about how unsightly a block of frozen spinach looks coming out of the package. Doesn’t look very appetizing. Doesn’t compare with buying fresh organic leaf spinach grown in soil an hour ago in your locale. But it’s worth it because it is so much healthier than “the green ice from the supermarket. Right?”

“Wrong.” Dr. Oz writes, “Wrong. Nutritionally speaking, there is little difference between the farmer’s-market bounty and the humble brick from the freezer case. It’s true for many other supermarket foods too. And in my view, dispelling these myths–that boutique foods are good, supermarket foods are suspect and you have to spend a lot to eat well–is critical to improving our nation’s health. Organic food is great, it’s just not very democratic. As a food lover, I enjoy truffle oil, European cheeses and heirloom tomatoes as much as the next person. But as a doctor, I know that patients don’t always have the time, energy or budget to shop for artisanal ingredients and whip them into a meal.”

Write on, Dr. Oz!
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Filed under arteries, blood pressure, body fat, cholesterol, Dr. Oz, fat, Fiber, general well-being, healthy eating, heart, heart problems, Weight

Dr Oz on Eating Watermelon

As regular readers know, I have been a big fan of Dr. Oz. I loved his books and have enjoyed his articles and TV show, too. Lots of healthy ideas from the good doctor. Lately, he has recommended some things that did not seem up to the standard of early recommendations. I was thrilled, however,  to stumble across a recent article of his on the value of watermelon.

I wrote up a bizarre experience in September of 2010 that culminated in my wanting to drink a watermelon. Last year, I wrote How Healthy is Watermelon.

Last November Dr. Oz wrote a blog item on the value of eating watermelon year-round.

He gave the following reasons:

Watermelon degunks arteries. Swapping water for watermelon juice reduces body fat, lowers LDL cholesterol, and — the biggest effect — cleans heart-threatening plaque from arteries.

It drops your blood pressure and boosts circulation. Watermelon is one of the few food sources of citrulline, a protein that’s a real powerhouse. Got borderline hypertension? Other studies have found that citrulline lowers systolic blood pressure by as much as 9 points, enough to prevent full-blown hypertension. That’s because it helps produce nitric oxide, powerful stuff that opens and relaxes your arteries. Citrulline also helps with wound healing and cell division, and turbocharges blood flow, enhancing circulation to all your vital parts (much the way Viagra does).

It’s loaded with lycopene.This potent plant polyphenol is thought to fend off heart disease and some cancers (though prostate cancer looks like a bust). Tomatoes are considered lycopene all-stars, but cup for cup, watermelon has 40% more. Watermelon may help you think faster, too.

It’s naturally low-cal. There are only 96 calories in 2 fill-you-full cups of sweet watermelon.”

Watermelon is easily one of my personal favorite foods and I eat some after every bike ride.

Reader and Vita-Mix lady, Lea Ann Anderson shared her Vita-Mix Watermelon Sorbet Recipe with us last June.

Tony

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Filed under Dr. Oz, Weight

Exercise More; Live Longer – Dr. Oz – Time Magazine

I was cleaning up a pile of old magazines and ran across an issue of Time Magazine. It was the one on The Science of Living Longer. Naturally, I had to read some of it before disposing of it.

Most of us think of exercise in terms of losing weight, but it is also an important factor in living longer. There were a lot of fascinating facts on extending one’s longevity, but a two paragraph item by Dr. Oz struck me and I want to share it with you.

“Daily rigorous physical activity not only helps strengthen bones and the heart, but it also teaches balance, critical in preventing the falls that have become a leading cause of death as we age. For all the medical tests we have in our modern arsenal, the ability to exercise remains the single most powerful predictor of longevity. If you can’t walk a quarter-mile in 5 minutes, your chance of dying within three years is 30% greater than that of faster walkers. My emphasis.

“Humans are designed to be physically active throughout their lives, so don’t take it easy on yourself. Shoot for at least three 30 minute workouts weekly – and break a sweat. You should also add a half hour a week of weight lifting and another half hour of stretching. I complete a simple daily 7-minute morning routine that I recommend. You can find it at doctoroz.com.”

Mehmet Oz is the vice chairman and a professor of surgery at Columbia university, a best selling author and the hose of the nationally syndicated tv talk show- The Dr Oz Show.

Tony

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Filed under aging, Exercise, life challenges, men's health