Shopping With Dr. Oz in Mind

Yesterday I went with my mom to a health food market to find parsley tea because "it helps reduce inflammation," she tells me.

How does she know this? Well, Dr. Oz of course.  My mom, Sandra, along with millions of other Americans, watches "The Dr. Oz Show," the award-winning TV program of cardiac surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz.  Oz is also the director of New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program, a best-selling author and vice-chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University, a few of his many accomplishments.  On TV, he offers advice on everything from remedies for ailments to the types of foods that will slim your bottom.

When we found the aisle with herbal teas and asked the saleswoman to point out the parsley tea, she walked over to where it's kept, and the spot on the shelf was empty.

"Did Dr. Oz recommend this?" she said peering at us above her eye glasses.

"Yes!" my mom enthusiastically answered.

"Well, that's why we're out of it, for now," she said.

The expression on my mom's face kind of reminded me of mine when I buy raffle tickets at an event and later find out during the drawing that I missed the grand prize by only one number. Rats!

The saleswoman appeared to be a Dr. Oz skeptic as she encouraged my mom to use common sense when purchasing his recommendations.

While the saleswoman was talking, if a bubble could have appeared on the side of my mom's head with one of her thoughts, like in comic strips, it would have read, "You probably follow Dr. Oz's recommendations, too."

And that's just what my mom said to me as we left the aisle.  Yes, I know her well.

We wound up perusing another aisle with dried fruit and the tart dried cherries jumped out at me.  Why?  Two days prior I watched "The Dr. Oz Show" with my mom.  He took the cameras into his home to reveal his health secrets.  I remembered he said tart dried cherries are a good nighttime snack because it contains melatonin.

Wow.  I don't know Dr. Oz personally, but I don't think he's into mind control.  What then makes viewers retain his suggestions?  He appears to be that really, really sincere physician who genuinely cares about your well-being.  He's an affable, family man and seems to practice what he preaches.

In a time when there's rising costs in health care and health insurance, increased rates of diabetes and breast cancer cases and other diet related diseases, it's great many Americans are becoming proactive in maintaining good health.  Even if it makes Dr. Oz recommended items fly off the shelves.

My mom doesn't fill her kitchen cabinets with everything mentioned on the show, and does use common sense when purchasing.  She's a smart cookie, surviving a more than 30-year career in the U.S. Postal Service.  She actually keeps a notebook full of useful information learned from the show, and is able to discuss with her own doctor.  So the fact Dr. Oz is in a sense empowering or at least sharing information viewers might not have known, is a good thing.

Yes, my mom is a determined woman, so she'll go to another store to find the parsley tea.  I think I'll give the tart cherries a try.

You Don't Eat No Meat?

                                         A scene from the film, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

Saturday I went to a local comedy show, and the comedian spoke about his wife who is a vegetarian. Once he said the word "vegetarian," the audience began to boo.  Then he asked the vegetarians in the audience to raise their hands.  I guess I wimped out, but I wasn't going to raise my hand and be assaulted with the angry glares of adamant meat-eaters.

Why are some people so adverse to and offended by those of us who choose not to consume meat?  This isn't the first time I've been put in the situation where my admitting I don't eat red meat or poultry was like wearing the scarlet letter  "A."  Well in this case, "V," and maybe it should be in green.  Most vegetarians I know don't go around preaching on soap boxes.  It's a lifestyle choice, which might not be for everyone.

Every Monday is Meatless Monday.  An initiative of The Monday Campaigns Inc. in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future, Meatless Monday is a global movement to improve physical health and environmental health by encouraging people to not eat meat on Mondays -- the typical beginning of the work week.

Maybe if we can all be vegetarian for a day, there would be a lot less veggie hate.