Strong Kids Healthy Kids on the Dr. Oz Show

Yesterday on Oprah and Friends radio show, Dr. Oz discussed my book Strong Kids Healthy Kids.

What was not discussed, to my great chagrin, was the issue of diet and obesity.

This issue is of great concern to me, having two daughters in public school where the cafeterias are obesity central.

I was quite shocked that Dr. Oz failed to ask me a single question on the issue. Either he didn't read my book or found what I had to say on the issue too diametrically opposed to his views. But whatever the case may be, he ignored the issue. A shame, because he has the power to sway millions of Americans as to how they should eat for optimal health.

If your child is eating real food, you are on the right track. Real is defined by foods that once either walked, crawled, swam, flew or grew.

If your child is eating food that was manufactured, you are on the wrong track.

The mainstay of your child's diet should be fat and protein. Next in line -- vegetables and some fruit.

Refrain from grain in all its forms. In the end, grain is nothing more than sugar, and sugar is caustic to the system. Perhaps this is why Dr. Oz did not bring up the issue. He would have had to debate me on this since he supports eating grains and is essentially anti-low carb. Low carb diets have been shown over and over again to be healthful as well as the most potent formula to combat obesity and diabetes.

It's a tad sad when an expert as famous as he is side-steps science in favor of a personal agenda. This is not to say Dr. Oz is purposefully keeping the truth from the public. It is to say, however, that he has an immense responsibility to learn all there is to know on the subject if he is going to place himself in the public eye and wield such enormous influence.

Comments

[DrCharlesMartin]

Congratulations for getting on the show! At least some good information reached millions, and that has to be helpful. We have to do everything we can to put the brakes on the type 2 diabetes epidemic that is raging across the U.S., and a great place to start is with the next generation. We write extensively about a variety of related issues, especially how gum disease and elevated blood sugar interact and increase serious health risks, at http://dentistryfordiabetics.com/blog.

- Charles Martin, DDS
Founder, Dentistry For Diabetics

[Fred Hahn - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks Charles. I'll have to check out your blog. Thanks for reading!

[jbilgihan]

Yes - he has an agenda. An agenda to promote what is legitimate nutritional science. Avoid grain. Seriously.

We've been harvesting and consuming grain from the moment we could and we've gotten by okay. Entire cultures eat rice as a staple in their diet. I agree that processed food is where the problems are but baking and eating bread, rice, etc. has been a part of the human diet for almost our entire history.

Absolutes are bad - and this is coming from a Vegan, but at least I have legitimate reasons that are environmental and ethical to avoid meat.

People need to be more active and eat simpler food.

James

[Fred Hahn - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi James and thanks for reading. Truth be told, we have not been eating grain products from the moment we could as you put it. Agriculture has only been around for at most 10,000 years and humans have been around a lot longer than that. Grain consumption is the new nutritional kid on the block.

And we have not fared OK since we've adopted grain consumption. Most Western diseases like heart disease, gum disease, gastrointestinal disorders, etc. began when we included grains into our diets. If you are really interested in the subject I suggest you go here and read this paper. http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles/Cereal%20article.pdf

As a Vegan you clearly have a need to eat grain or you'll not survive. I won't debate the environmental issue with you except to say there is a lot more to it that you think.

And yes, we need to eat simpler, real foods. As for activity, I'd say instead we need to strength train and de-stress more.

[eeVas]

To me one of the biggest hang-ups in this country regarding food is the concept of "junk food."

I believed we ate healthy because we stayed away from junk foods. By that I mean chips, cookies, candy. The way junk food was defined 30 years ago. We didn't see them as forbidden fruits - we just had them in the house vary rarely.

But I have discovered lately is that "junk food" is not the enemy. It is the chemicals of modern food. We were never a family to buy the frozen lasagna, but we did use cans and jars of various types to add to our semi-homecooked meals.

What we do now is go for the natural ingredients.

"Junk Food" now can be a can of spaghetti sauce if if is filled with corn syrup. But the cake can be good if it is rare, and made at home with real ingredients.

[Fred Hahn - Huffpost Blogger]

I agree with you to a point. All cakes no matter how they are made are full of sugar and/or refined ingredients none of which are 'good' for us.