Take a stand, Doctor!
“Have you watched Dr. Oz lately?”
“A few episodes, but I usually fast forward to get to the info.”
“I think I’m going to stop recording it. Every day it’s something new—some new supplement I need to take, a new diet, a new way to lose weight. Before I can try one diet, he’s recommending something else. I can’t keep up.”
That’s the heart of the conversation I recently had with my friend. Like many American women, Carla’s constantly trying to lose ten or fifteen pounds. She’s within what most charts would define as a healthy weight range, mind you. But for most of her life, she was solidly at the bottom of that scale, and she’s not comfortable with the extra pounds she now carries.
So how’s Dr. Oz keeping her fat ?
While he clearly has the heart of a teacher, and his genuine desire to help people comes across in his manner and speech, he’s inconsistent.
Regardless of what you think of them, Dr. Furhman, Dr. Ornish, Gary Taubes, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and even Dr. Atkins, each have (or had) a specific philosophy for weight loss and maintenance. Most of those philosophies are tied to overall health.
Dr. Oz and his producers need material to fill his daily platform. My guess is that he also wants to provide as many options for weight loss as he can, hoping different things will stick with different people. To some extent I’m sure that’s true.
But here’s the problem. There’s way too much information, much of it conflicting, coming at the regular viewer. And much of that is often dumbed down, trying desperately to stick to a “moderate” approach, as if the viewing public can’t handle the truth about sugar, alcohol, and refined carbs.
Bringing on different experts and discussing their philosophies is great, but the viewer’s often left confused about what Dr. Oz, the resident expert believes. When there’s a new eating plan proposed every few days—even when there’s overlap among them—the viewer is left trying a little of this and a little of that, often with very little success.
Dr. Oz viewers should use other resources (books, videos, lectures, audio) to understand what other experts say. Choose a philosophy and view The Dr. Oz show through that lens. (I’m open to other ideas, but I’m confident that a high raw diet is the best foundation for my healthy lifestyle, until someone proves otherwise.)
Dr. Oz should be bold. Continue to discuss preventative health, the proven benefits of certain supplements, various exercise programs, advances in medicine, and healthy recipes, but he must choose the eating-style he believes is most beneficial and stand behind it.
He can allow for some flexibility, but Dr. Oz should drill down on what makes the most sense for longevity and health. I doubt his plan would exactly match my own beliefs, but he’d carry a lot more people in the direction of truly healthy living.
With his current approach, he’s leaving a lot of people scratching their heads and wondering what to eat.
Live the difference!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Very good post. I’ve also felt a wave of information overload regarding Dr. Oz’s take on diet. I know he promotes nuts (the kind you eat, not those in my life!) but that’s about it. I really can’t get a fix on the Oz way to eating. You should forward this post to him.
Are there lots of nuts in your life?! I hope not too many. Regardless of what Dr. Oz is saying today, I hope you’ve discovered an eating-style that works for your health. (High raw vegan, maybe?)
Candice Davis recently posted..Raw Food for Real People! Michelle’s Low-Tech Raw Pad Thai
YAY for you, Candice – speaking some SANITY into this “what one should eat” advertising driven campaign! Personally, I don’t pay any attention to what Dr. Oz says, I’ve always felt that his opinion follows the latest $$ trail. No wonder people are confused! Even those of us committed to the raw food lifestyle, can be tempted to wander into foreign territory. The only worthwhile thing I’ve ever heard him mention was some type of daily green smoothie. Thanks for clear insight!!
Nancy, you’re tough! LOL! I really do think his intentions are good, but I still say his show leaves people confused. (I say it, because people keep saying it to me.) I record the show and fast forward through a lot, but I try to do my own research when he mentions something that’s new to me. And I’m only going to take so many supplements. He had a great show about eating for cancer prevention a few weeks/months ago. And I’ve still got his show with Dr. Fuhrman saved to watch. I have a feeling your lifestyle is healthy enough that you’ll be just fine without the extra info!
Very good write-up. I own a Max Muscle Sports Nutrition store in St. Louis Missouri, and after every Dr. Oz show we have people call or come in asking for the latest “magic weight- loss pill” that Dr. Oz talked about that day. At Max Muscle, we will not carry a product until the studies show that it is safe and effective. We will tell customers that they should start with a good, healthy meal plan and exercise program. Some people do not want to hear this and continue their search for the “magic pill”. Thanks again for the post! Daniel Nobel/ Owner/ Max Muscle Sports Nutrition St. Louis
Yes, the Magic Pill. I spent years searching for it myself. A vitamin store near me has a huge banner over the door: WE CARRY DR.OZ RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS. I think his intentions are good, and many of his recommendations are solid, but a lot is lost when those recommendations are viewed through the average American quick-fix lens.
I disagree with some points in this article. Yes Dr. Oz does provide a LOT of information regarding weight loss, diet and nutrition. Yet the key point is that Dr. Oz is a medical doctor, not a weight loss guru. I don’t think there is an “Oz way of eating, ” to quote another commenter. He simply provides a platform to introduce various methods to a healthier lifestyle. I feel we often become to quick to jump on a particular bandwagon, whether it be Atkins or Raw, without investigating what works best for us which ultimately leads to failure. I personally have watched and recorded a few of Dr. Oz’s shows, and I have taken bits and pieces (things that I felt were reasonable for me) on my journey to better health. And this is what I believe the focus of the show to be, not to promote one idealogy or another but to provide options.
I understand your point of view, and if that works for your learning style that’s great. Some people have the time, knowledge, and analytical skills to pick and choose in that way. However, as a medical doctor whose focus is on healthy lifestyle, Dr. Oz has positioned himself as a weight loss guru/expert. I agree that he should analyze all the popular diets for his audience, but I still think he would be of greater service on this particular subject if he laid out a healthy eating-style he stands behind. It doesn’t have to be a hard core “Oz Diet,” but it should provide a framework people can easily follow (with flexibility to fit different lifestyles).