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June 5, 2024 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:48
The Truth About Omega-3 Fortified Foods: Are They Worth It? | Dr. Oz | S7 | Ep 61 | Full Episode
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Omega-3 fortified foods.
They're being added to just about every food in the grocery store.
Not all Omega-3s are created equal.
Are they worth your money?
We put them to the test in our Food Truth series.
The results are in.
Plus, it's the body part America is suddenly obsessed with.
What's up with Big Bots?
From shapewear to products to plastic surgery.
What you need to know.
Coming up next.
We'll save lives today.
We are ready to get healthy!
On today's show, we're answering the burning questions that get asked all the time.
First up, omega-3 fortified foods.
They've been added to just about every item in your grocery store.
Are they worth it?
Are you really getting what you're paying for?
Then, we're going to answer what's happening with butts.
Is this obsession healthy for us?
And finally, we investigate how plastic is affecting your health with a social experiment of our own.
Two families did a 21-day plastic purge, found out how they did and what simple things you can do to make your home healthier by cutting back on the plastic.
So we got all the answers on today's show.
Now, since the first year of the show, I've always said omega-3s need to be a vital part of your daily diet.
And now, they are being marketed to you in some everyday foods.
But are they worth it?
And are you getting the right amount of omega-3s?
Take a stroll down the grocery store aisle and you'll notice a big trend.
Omega-3 is everywhere.
It's in pasta, cereal, granola bars, juice, yogurt, salad dressings.
It's now even in pet food.
Omega-3 Fortified Foods is a $35 billion industry.
There's no question our bodies need omega-3 fatty acids.
The healthy fats, found naturally in foods like salmon, walnuts, and chia seeds.
They help fight off heart disease, depression, inflammation, even Alzheimer's.
I actually think that omega-3s are the most important food that we eat.
That's why for the past seven years, I've been saying...
The best thing you can do every single day of the week is 600 milligrams of DHA Omega-3.
But are foods fortified with Omega-3 really the best way to get your daily dose?
And are they worth the extra money?
So, are Omega-3s added in foods like milk and peanut butter and eggs worth your money?
And you can get the amount of Omega-3s needed each day from that source.
Michael Moss is here.
He's the best-selling author of salt, sugar, and fat.
When you stroll down the aisle, you all see this style.
You see those labels that say, with Omega-3 or superior Omega-3s.
You all see that, right?
Is it a marketing ploy?
So consumer groups say that when we see nutrients on the label, our eyes light up and we tend to think those products have fewer calories, they're healthier for you, and the products sell.
And I know from my own research that this has become a big marketing tactic for the companies.
But here's the thing, the numbers don't add up.
In many cases, including this, the amount of nutrient added isn't enough to make a major impact on your health.
What does the FDA say about fortifying foods in general?
So the Food and Drug Administration has this policy guideline where they talk about adding nutrients to food and drink, and they frown on adding nutrients to things like fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, because, as well as snack foods like candy and carbonated beverages, because they're worried that our diet will get out of whack and we might get too little of the nutrients or too much.
Too much of a good thing can be a problem.
Totally.
So when you look at these foods that are fortified with omega-3s, how much more, on average, do consumers have to pay to get that?
All right, well, hang on to your wallet, Oz.
On average, only maybe 10% to the cost.
But for those brands that really wow you and you're loyal to, they can add $1, $2, as much as 50% more of the cost.
So I think to assess whether that makes sense or not, we need to understand more of what these labels really mean.
So let me take folks through that on Beechat.
Let's go to the basics.
First of all, not all omega-3s are created equal.
They're not all the same.
Not all of them provide the same health benefits.
So let me walk you through very specifically the ones that I focus on.
There are basically three types of omega-3s.
There's the EPA and DHA omega-3s.
There's no test on this, but it's really easy to understand.
These are the ones that are important.
They're mostly found in fatty fish like salmon and tuna and sardines.
You know why they're there?
Because they're very flexible.
So when these are cold water fish, these fats never harden up.
These are the ones that are crucial in your diet and they're generally associated with lower disease risk.
So remember, EPA, DHA, those are the ones you want.
Now, they're also ALA omega-3s.
These are good.
They're found in plant sources like nuts and seeds.
But there's no way to know how much ALA will be converted back to the kind that you actually need in particular for things like your brain.
Now, we don't actually have a number.
What's the perfect number of omega-3 you have to have in your diet?
But I've always recommended about 600 milligrams a day of the DHA and EPA, the ones we get from the fish and lake sources.
So, what does that mean?
How much is 600 milligrams of omega-3?
What does it look like?
So, Michael, you brought me a couple examples.
They look very gourmet samples, but explain them to us.
Who cooked I like these things.
So sardines, this little bit of amount here, almost your daily amount, 532 milligrams of omega-3.
Salmon, 1500 milligrams.
Just from this much?
Just from that much.
Hey, and if this is too fancy, yesterday I went in the store, bought a can of wild salmon, made like a tuna fish sandwich out of it.
I'm sure I met your 600 milligrams easily with that one sandwich.
I love the fact it's accessible and the price point there.
And affordable.
So, how many people like sardines?
Like three people up there.
Now they're being polite.
See, I actually love these.
They crumble in my fingers like this.
Wow.
I've always adored these.
And you need to develop a palette for this a little bit, for my friends.
You can mix in your salads.
Forgive me my mouth to school.
You like sardines?
Yeah, absolutely.
Do you mind?
Geez.
Don't leave me alone here.
Sardines for all of you.
All right.
So listen, I love them.
You all know that.
But many of you are not eating this sardine or that little bit of salmon.
You're just not doing it.
I know you're not doing it.
That's where the food companies come in.
So I was curious.
I wanted to know just how much DHA and EPA omega-3s are actually being added to our foods.
And to find out if you can get the right amount of omega-3s you need in a day from only these fortified foods, I did a little study.
I sent an investigative reporter and one of my core team members, Elizabeth Leamy, to find out.
If you're like me, the worse you eat, the more obsessed you become with eating better.
That's why I'm interested in food supplemented with omega-3.
For me, and even more so for my daughter.
After all, this is the fatty acid that's supposed to make you healthier and protect your brain.
So we decided to do some comparison shopping.
First, we bought three popular everyday foods, milk, eggs, and peanut butter.
Then we bought the same foods, this time fortified with omega-3s.
Next, we had our medical unit take off the labels and mail the foods to a certified lab where they underwent a series of tests to show just how much omega-3 was in each.
Would the regular milk, eggs, and peanut butter have any omega-3s?
And would the foods fortified with omega-3s actually contain the amount promised on the label?
And which type of omega-3s would we find?
Today, we reveal our results.
Elizabeth Leamy is here.
Do I smell like sardines?
Just a little.
So you went out there shopping and pushed the cart through to the grocery store.
What did you find when you're looking for omega-3s?
Well, you know, I knew that they were adding it to milk, baby formula, things like that, because I've bought those before.
But who knew that they're actually adding omega-3s to pet food?
I mean, this is now a $13 billion a year industry.
Amazing.
And they add it in different ways, right?
For steak, you don't just inject it in there.
You have to feed the cows omega-3s.
And other things like, I guess, the milk, they've sort of added afterwards.
And they have new technology to make it not taste fishy, which is why it's so successful now.
Doesn't smell like me.
All right.
So when we come back, our test results.
She's being quiet, which means bad news for me.
When we come back, our test results are in.
Are you getting your money's worth to find out if Omega-3s and their fortified foods with them are really worth it?
You'll have to stay with us.
Next, how much omega-3s are really being added to your food?
Is what you're reading on the label accurate?
We test your favorite staples and the results will surprise you.
The best vitamin-portified foods you should be eating.
Next.
Packing on the pounds?
Your thyroid may be to blame.
How to control it starting now.
Plus, Bishop T.D. Jakes.
I want to show you how to get back on track and step into your destiny.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
So we decided to do some comparison shopping.
First, we bought three popular everyday foods, milk, eggs, and peanut butter.
Then we bought the same foods, this time fortified with omega-3s.
Next, we had our medical unit take off the labels and mail the foods to a certified lab where they underwent a series of tests to show just how much omega-3 was in each.
So omega-3s are being added to some of your favorite everyday foods, but is what's on the label actually in that food?
And could you get your daily amount of omega-3s from these fortified foods?
Michael Moss is back along with Elizabeth Leamy and the results are in after all that past thing.
As a reminder, we're trying to get about 600 milligrams of those good omega-3s every single day.
So let's start with eggs.
Walk us through regular eggs and compare them to the fortified versions.
Yeah, this was pretty interesting because regular eggs, it turns out, do have some on their own.
22 milligrams per egg of omega-3s.
But let's take a look now at the fortified eggs.
I'm trying to figure out how they get that in there, or is it through the chicken or what?
But anyway, 89 milligrams, almost four times as much.
Again, probably from feeding the chicken's different feed.
You're probably right.
Which makes sense.
Next we talked about milk.
This is a big issue for a lot of moms.
Yeah, so in lab speak, there were undetectable levels in the regular milk, which basically means none.
But the fortified milk, good news there, the fortified milk had 27 milligrams of omega-3s in one cup.
So not as much as an egg.
But a lot more than none?
A lot more than none.
And finally, peanut butter, a place where I didn't even know they were adding omega-3s.
They sure are.
Once again, in the regular peanut butter, undetectable levels, zero.
Not there naturally, but when they fortify it, as much as 41 milligrams in two tablespoons.
And these were EPA and DHA, the ones you like.
So, Mike, when you look at these results, what catches your attention?
What are you surprised by?
I mean, I think it's so great you're doing this investigating because there's a fair amount of food fraud out there where you're actually not getting what the label says at all.
But in this case, the problem is they're delivering exactly what they say they're delivering, but it's really not enough to make a big impact on your health.
You say that, but let's go through this.
I did a little math here.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter, two eggs, and a cup of milk.
You put it together, you're almost halfway to the 600 milligrams just with this, which is easily achievable.
And since folks normally would get none, And if you're a picky eater, like my eight-year-old, this could be the way.
So isn't that a reasonable contribution?
You get halfway towards requirements?
You know, halfway is there, but I still think going for real foods at salmon, those sardines we still smell, canned salmon, that's the way to go in my book.
So what surprised you, Elizabeth?
You know, I was surprised that there were so many available, and there was one little footnote from our lab testing which blew my mind.
The peanut butter had sardine oil in it.
It did!
Which most people think of that as a vegetarian food.
And I suppose there might be other foods that also are similar because fish is the main source of omega-3s.
I feel validated.
All right, let me give you one the bottom line.
Testing showed that generally what's on the label for these foods was accurate, which is good news.
See, I think if you got the extra money, make sure you get the fortified, the additional omega-3 foods.
I'm okay with it.
But listen, let's be clear.
The easiest and the best way to get your omega-3s, the kind you need in your diet, is to eat that little piece of salmon we showed earlier, three or four ounces of it, or those sardines that I love.
Get it from real sources.
And you know what?
If you can't do that, get one of those little omega-3 supplements.
It'll do the trick.
I'll be right back.
Next, it's the era of the big booties.
But why the fixation?
We're uncovering what's happening with butts in America.
Like, wow.
Everybody wanted a big butt.
From pills to serums, what women are doing to achieve that famous Hollywood backside.
Next.
Earlier this year, Vogue declared that we're in the era of the big booty.
Today, Instagram feeds are loaded with bellfees.
Those are butt selfies, folks, so you don't follow this stuff.
We even launched a program called Hashtag Squat Goals to help you build up your glutes.
And guess what?
Nearly a million of you engaged.
Since today's show is about answering burning questions, I've been inundated with questions about this topic.
In fact, it's talked about so much, there's even a documentary film called Bottoms Up that examines this growing trend. - For hundreds of years, the a** has been glorified It's not going anywhere.
Now every culture, whether it be Latinos or Europeans, they all want.
Craziest things now is how far women are going to have round behind.
I think music video changed the booty.
When you look at music historically there's always been songs that have celebrated more curvaceous figures.
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
You other brothers can't deny that when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face you get sprung.
All the women were voluptuous, thick, natural, and that's the beauty of it.
You can get the booty that you want, you just have to be willing to do the work for it.
But nowadays, it's not like that.
Everyone is getting work done to look like that.
It has to do, I think, a lot with the media.
There are certain actors and actresses in the media that are role models, and people want to look like their role model.
With the Nicki Minaj's and the K Michelle's, you're seeing, like, this super exaggerated version of the big butt.
Everybody thinks they have to have a big butt to get put on.
These women, that's not how they really are shaped.
Women are putting anything in their body.
Some people are willing to go to crazy, you know, means, methods in order to have bigger behind.
Pop culture and lifestyle commentator, one of my core team experts, Tia Brown is here.
I just saw you in that documentary.
You're obviously passionate about this.
What started this whole trend?
Well, you know, trends are so big in Hollywood with body.
I think people really attribute the butt trend to Jennifer Lopez.
Do you guys remember when she wore that green dress in 2000?
And, you know, before that, people were really into, like, the slender trend.
Maybe either you're skinny or you have very big boobs, right?
The fake boobs were a big thing.
And then J-Lo came out in that dress, and you saw her backside.
And it was like, wow.
Everybody wanted a big butt.
And then the Kardashians literally built on it.
Literally.
Pardon the pun.
I have to always bring it back to the way the average woman feels about her body.
When you see these bottom sides that aren't real or are made incredibly good-looking with artificial means, you have to think, well, my goodness, why can't I be like that?
Absolutely.
Whenever they have a trend that is so extreme that the average person can't get there in a healthy way through exercise, it makes people self-conscious.
And unfortunately, because so many people are now using plastic surgery to get the enhancement, it gives a false sense of confidence.
The best thing to do is really love the body you have, right?
So we want to compliment young women and men on the natural bodies that they are given to make sure that they are happy with what they have.
See you say that, and I applaud you, but I know, I know folks at home are listening and think, ah, come on, I want to look like J-Lo.
So, here's what we're going to do.
I'm going to walk you through the different ideas out there, and I'm going to give you my bottom line on them.
We're going to do it together with Tia.
Absolutely.
First off, let's start with the stuff you can get on the web.
There are all these creams out there.
They literally will tell you that they'll make your butts look bigger.
I'm telling you.
And I'm just telling you, there's just zero chance the moisturizer is going to make your butt bigger.
It's going to affect your skin.
I know you know this.
I'm making it real clear.
Nothing's happening.
They may have all these pills.
They have herbs in these things that are untested, made in some foreign country.
They've got these fly-by-night companies making promises and claims that there's no way I think they could possibly work.
And when they get on the FDA's radar screen, they'll get shut down.
No wonder, however, women are turned into alternative means.
So let's just say these things on the web don't do them.
But there are lots of other ways of cashing in on the craving people have for a big bottom.
So walk us through what works.
So butt padding is really, really big.
So a lot of times, women will take garments that allow you to put extra cushioning in them.
And then you have panties, I would say, that you can build on, right?
So you can kind of build a butt.
Like, you know how you go to build a bear?
So this one has...
This has one type of kind of a cutlet in it, and then you can put more than one in it.
This is essentially what it is.
It's like a chicken cutlet.
And then you can stack your behind to be bigger and bigger.
But the thing is, at some point, you have to take this off, right?
Right.
You know?
These are actually kind of my favorite out of all of them because they're body-contouring garments, which allow you to kind of...
Look like this.
Is that right?
Cinch in what you already have.
So with these, you have to have a little bit of butt meat already, right?
You can't come...
Butt meat?
You have to have a little bit of butt meat.
You have to have a little bit...
I think I've heard that term before, butt meat.
Butt meat.
I'm glad I didn't say it.
So listen, I call this the diaper booty, right?
Because it gives you an effect like you have on a pamper, right?
It looks a little bit...
You called it a cutlet earlier.
These are cutlets that go in it, but the effect that it gives is almost like you have a diaper on it.
Yes, it does.
And then this one, it works with what you have naturally.
So I would say this one is almost like, you know, how a lot of women use Spanx to kind of, you know, cinch in everything you have.
I have on a Spanx today.
But this will also enhance your backside.
So all of these type of garments are kind of really what I think are best ways to work with what you naturally have.
You can give an illusion of having a behind, but at the end of the day, you know how you're shaped.
And unless you exercise and work out, you're not going to have a firmer, bigger butt.
This looks like a jockstrap.
What is this?
It does.
So...
Where's the front?
What people really want is the waist-to-hip-to-butt ratio.
So you have all of these garments that really cinch in your waist, bring in right here to kind of make your thighs stick out, and then your butt is going to look a little bit bigger.
So this is another type of kind of a garment that helps with body contouring.
But again, it's working with what you naturally have.
And what about this old-fashioned idea?
Could this possibly work?
Old-fashioned thigh master where you work it out.
It's going to give you the best results to enhance your natural body and your physique.
It does take work.
And no, you won't have J-Lo's booty, but you'll have your own best butt, which is what you really want because you can sustain it.
You love it!
So I'm going to do a deal for you.
When we come back, I'm going to talk to you about plastic surgery that can work here, but we have made you, just for you guys, a nine-minute video, a workout you can do every single day.
I'm going to show you a little clip from it, give you a flavor of what you can do just by working out without doing anything else.
Take a look.
Hi, Dr. Oz.
Now, I too wanted in on the bigger butt trend because, believe it or not, for years I was self-conscious about my own flat butt.
Now, I know many people think that surgery is the only way, but I actually achieved the same results in 11 weeks with just exercise.
Now, the plan is simple and is something you can do at home if you have dumbbells.
I simply weight trained my lower body for two to three days a week, focusing specifically on exercises that targeted my glutes and my hamstrings.
If you just trust the process, your body and your booty will thank you.
Next, would you go under the knife to enhance your backside?
Butt augmentation surgeries have skyrocketed.
We're seeing women from all walks of life.
Should you give in to this popular trend or just embrace your curves?
I would do it in a heartbeat.
Next.
Packing on the pounds?
Your thyroid may be to blame.
How to control it starting now.
Plus, Bishop T.D. Jakes.
I want to show you how to get back on track and step into your destiny.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
I don't want a bigger butt.
As plastic surgery is becoming more readily affordable, you can finance it, a lot of women are doing body contouring and basically what that is is they slim out the waist and take the fat from there and put it on the behind and hip.
We're back.
We're talking about what's really happening with butts in America.
I'm here with another expert from the documentary Bottoms Up.
Dr. Michael Jones is here.
He's a plastic surgeon, one of the busiest practices for butt enhancements in the country.
So walk me through this latest rise in operations to enhance our backsides.
Well, let me tell you, I mean, when I first started doing butt augmentations back in 2003, probably in that year, we probably did maybe 30 to 40 a year.
Whereas now, our practice in 2015 with offices in Lexington Plastic Surgeons offices in New York, New Jersey, DC, Atlanta, and even LA, we are probably going to close this year with probably 750 butts done this year.
Now, this procedure that we do, we do exclusively the fat transfer to the butt.
It's also commonly known as the Brazilian butt lift.
And we're seeing women from all walks of life, school teachers, police officers, African Americans, Latinos, Caucasians, Asians, and even some men that are coming forward having this procedure done now.
Do people come in and say, I want to have a backside ex-celebrity?
Are they that specific in what they desire?
Some.
There's a subset that will come in saying, listen, I want a butt that looks like Kim Kardashian.
I want a butt that looks like Nicki Minaj.
But I would say that the vast majority come in saying, listen, I want a certain shape.
I want an apple bottom shape.
I want a heart shape.
This is an example of what you get from that Brazilian butt lift, I gather, this image right here.
What does it actually entail to do that operation?
Well, to do the Brazilian butt lift, it's really a twofer.
You're getting two procedures for one.
We're going to be liposuctioning your entire midsection, so we're taking fat from the abdomen, and we're taking that fat and we're contouring and shaping the butt with that fat.
So if a person desires an apple bottom, we're going to take more of that fat and put it along the sides to get more rounding.
If they desire a heart shape, we're going to put it more on the sides as well as the lower sections.
And if they want an urban booty or a bubble butt, then we're going to put it more towards the upper part of the butt.
It's a build-a-butt operation.
It's a build-a-butt operation, but it's what we do because we feel it's the safest procedure.
Now, there are other medical procedures to enhance the butt using silicone implants.
We have chosen in our group to not utilize those types of implants because there's a high risk of complications using those implants.
You think it's going to last, this trend?
I think it is.
I think that we're seeing so many media icons that are promoting this very voluptuous figure.
I think that, you know, on a serious note, there are many of our patients that come in with those types of garments that Tia was showing you earlier.
That really have very poor self-esteem.
They don't even disrobe with the lights on in front of their significant others.
So we're not only trying to help them empower themselves and have more self-esteem, but also just letting them feel better about themselves.
Let me go to the audience.
I want to know what you guys think.
I'm particularly interested in how many of you would get through one of these operations and whether it just makes you feel bad to see breasts like this.
Breasts, bottoms like this.
Breasts, too, by the way.
I mean, this is sort of the core of so many of these plastic surgical procedures.
I'll put hands up, folks who have comments.
Who would think about getting a butt implant or who feels badly when they look at some of these synthetic butts out there, whether they're made with pads or with a plastic surgeon's scalpel?
Thoughts?
I'll ask guys if you want.
So go ahead.
What are your thoughts?
I would do it in a heartbeat.
You would?
Yes, I am.
I'm post-menopausal, and losing weight and regaining the shape is a lot more difficult.
And now that I know that they can take it from your waist and put it from around here and put it where it belongs, in a heartbeat.
I just need the money.
Any ideas?
We'll work on that, too.
Five questions.
A twofer.
All right, listen.
Like any trend that encourages women to embrace their curves, you know, I like it.
However, however, when it's synthetic and the trend is hard to achieve, naturally, it's going to make you all feel inadequate.
I want to thank Dr. Jones for your kind commentary.
The documentary Bottoms Up is now available for rent.
To purchase it, you can go to drraj.com for more information about how to do that.
We'll be right back.
Next, we can't go five minutes without being in contact with it.
Plastic.
But do you know all there is to know about plastic and our health?
A link to ADHD. What happens when these families go without it?
Our 21-day plastic purge, coming up next.
Ever since it was invented 100 years ago, plastic is becoming grained in our lives.
Most of us probably can't go in a few minutes without touching plastic.
The burning question remains, what is it doing to our health?
Now, I was curious about the concerns of all these plastic chemicals we're exposed to, so I sent my core team expert, Elizabeth Leamy, to investigate and launch an experiment to see if two families could live with less plastic in a 21-day plastic purge.
Plastic is in most every room of every house in every town, which brings us to this town, East Northport, New York.
We're here to team up with a street ready to take on our 21-day Plastic Purge Challenge.
Over here in house number one, we have the Martin family, weighing in with two kids, two pets, and a very relatable stumbling block when it comes to tossing plastic.
Convenience drives most of our plastic use.
With the sports, we use a lot of water bottles, sports drinks.
They'll take something in Tupperware for lunch, a plastic fork or a plastic spoon, snack bags.
I can't see us really getting through our day without using something plastic.
Across the street in house number two, the Valenti family is seeing double when it comes to plastic trouble.
With four boys, all under the age of six, it's a necessity to make my life easier.
After having my twins, there's a lot more garbage being changed out at least twice a day.
Their formula tops and their formula bottles, their regular bottles, plastic just seems easier.
Safety reasons, plastic futures in my home has doubled.
But both moms are motivated to purge.
So are you ready for the challenge?
Yeah!
Week one, I had our families tackle their kitchens, weeding out unnecessary plastic.
I have plastic cups.
Making eco-friendly choices.
Week two, I had them clear out plastic from their bathrooms, bedrooms, and playrooms.
And that meant toys, too.
What are you doing?
They're plastic.
We gotta get rid of them.
No, we can't.
Week three, our families had to rethink their cleaning products and garbage solutions.
So how did our plastic purgers do?
You're about to find out.
Elizabeth and moms Christine and Liz are here with the plastic that they have purged, which is a ponderously large amount.
So Christine, what did you learn from this whole experiment of purging plastic?
I learned that there's a lot of plastic that comes in and out of my home very quickly, whether it's yogurt containers, cleaning containers, it's everywhere.
Literally?
Yes.
And Liz, your daughter, I understand, became the police for plastic.
She was.
She was our plastic police.
She went through the house and took out all the plastic, and she kept a little bag in the kitchen that she would fill, and every night go out to the dumpster and do her little...
Don't you love when kids do that?
She was so into it.
It was so great.
Kids will get into it if we actually pay attention to it, which is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about this topic.
Elizabeth, what do you have to know about plastic in our body?
What does it really do to our health?
Well, there are two chemical categories that we're really worried about when it comes to plastic.
So BPA, which is usually found in the hard plastics, and phthalates, usually found in the soft plastics.
BPA has been linked to inflammation, to obesity, even some kinds of cancers.
The phthalates have been linked to ADHD, also asthma.
The FDA says we're not usually exposed to toxic amounts, but why not try to reduce your exposure even further?
So Elizabeth, if you're okay with this, let's walk folks through these different plastics that you're concerned about, and what we can do is this plastic project.
Start with week one.
Pay attention, I'll come back to you in a second.
So Elizabeth, week one is all about focusing on the kitchen and BPA. Explain what that is and what people do.
So the classic example of BPA is those reusable plastic water bottles.
The old ones people thought they were doing a great thing by using those, but oftentimes they did have BPA in them.
A more mysterious source of BPA, cash register receipts often have a BPA coating on them.
So weird.
But in terms of the families and their homes, The kitchen is the place.
And probably the worst thing you can do is if there's BPA in your plastic, put it in the microwave and the BPA may come out of your plastic.
So if people learn nothing else from this segment, don't microwave plastic.
It's so easy to come up with alternatives.
Just put it on a china plate or a glass dish.
Use a stainless steel water bottle.
Okay, think about it, guys.
You're pulling the plastic out and into your food.
Next big category, week two, is to clear the plastics from our bathroom and all the toys we have for our kids, and that's really about phthalates.
So again, we are doing BPA here, phthalates here.
What are the concerns?
Right.
So phthalates, again, are these softer plastics.
In fact, the chemical is specifically used to soften plastic, make it less breakable.
So classic places where you would find it would be children's toys, especially older toys, shower curtains, raincoats.
One good classic The flu that there might be phthalates present is that new plastic smell like when you unwrap a shower curtain.
Pee you!
And there's a simple solution, too.
Air it out outdoors before you use it.
Once that smell is gone, some of the phthalate off-gassing is done.
You can tell from that smell that it's not right for us.
It's not good.
Something very foreign.
All right, so there are many ways of getting plastic out of our lives, but you have to also understand how it got into our food supply.
So I want you to take this picture.
You're not going to believe this.
This is an image of plastic in the ocean.
My friends, these patches, these islands of plastic, they go on for thousands of miles.
And then the fish end up eating that plastic, and either they die or we catch them and we eat the plastic.
Now, I'm gonna change your lives.
I don't like to scare folks, but I'm gonna show you something.
This is real.
We just found microplastics, small bits of that plastic, That's what it looks like in salt manufactured in China.
So to be clear, literally they took the salt out and that was what was left.
And those little pieces of colored material, those are pieces of plastic that were left behind.
They're so small you can't see them.
So you're salting your food and literally salting it with plastic, which really worries me, which takes us to week three, which moves us beyond just our homes to the world outside of our homes.
So we want you to rethink your garbage and your cleaning products.
Right, so we did a lot of reducing the first couple of weeks, and here we were talking about reusing.
Reusing the plastics you already have, or swapping in other products that can be reused for a lot longer.
Because something like cleaning supplies is classic.
I mean, it comes in a plastic bottle, we throw it away in a plastic garbage can, or plastic garbage bag, then into a plastic garbage can.
Plastic, plastic, plastic.
So much plastic on the planet.
So to help out, we found a way of creating a 21-day plastic purge made a cheat sheet out of.
There is what it looks like, right?
Don't worry about all those little details right now.
I want you to print it off the website.
When we come back, I'm going to go into detail about what those little circles mean.
Because up next, the super easy plastic swaps that you should try today.
Next, we're revealing our absolute favorite fixes for cutting back on plastic.
Easy swaps that could change your life.
Right now.
Plus, Bill Nye, the science guy, shows us what he does to reduce excess plastic in his own home.
Coming up next.
Help us change the face of addiction in America.
Tonight, take part in our National Night of Conversation.
Ask your kids how they're coping with life and if drugs and alcohol are tempting them or their friends.
To spark your discussion, I've posted the top 10 things you don't know about drugs on DrRoz.com.
Then show your support by posting your empty dinner plates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to signify that this special meal is more about the conversation than the food.
You can use hashtag Night of Conversation.
Let's save some lives tonight.
Hey Christine.
Just check in to see how the Plastic Purge is doing.
Hi, Dr. Oz.
This is week two of our Plastic Challenge.
What is this?
I'm going to take the plastic out.
Plastic time!
Hey, Liz.
Thanks for the updates.
One of the most difficult things is everything that's pre-packaged.
The deli meat is in plastic.
The pudding is in plastic.
The snacks are in plastic.
Michael is eating from our ceramic bowl, where he used to eat from a plastic bowl.
How's that working out, Mike?
We're back with super easy plastic swaps you'll want to try right now, Now, we've been sharing fix and fails all this month, and Bill Nye, the science guy, is about to reveal his absolute favorite fix for cutting back on plastic.
But first, I want practical advice from the two moms who tried my 21-day plastic purse.
Come on in, join me.
This is up to you now.
I want to know what you really did.
Liz, we'll start with you.
You found something that you think will change people's lives.
Yeah, what we found was really easy was swapping out the plastic snack bags for the wax paper bags.
Instead of using the plastic wrap, definitely use foil.
And, of course, in the microwave, you don't want to use the plastic wrap because it melts onto your food.
You say, of course, but you know most people do that.
Yeah, but we shouldn't.
We shouldn't.
Alright, so what do you do instead?
A damp paper towel.
If you dampen the paper towel, it keeps your food a little moister.
Oh!
It's a good little tip.
It's a good thought.
Alright, what do you have, Christine?
What do you do?
I have baking soda.
I've replaced all of my cleaning products in bathroom and kitchen with a glass cheese shaker.
Filled it with baking soda, and it is cheaper, safer for my children if I have to clean with them in the bathtub.
So you literally use it like you're putting cheese on something like that.
I sprinkle it around my tub, sprinkle it around my sink, and then take a washcloth or a sponge and clean everything out.
If you want to have a little bit more of a disinfectant, I add a little vinegar and water.
And that way, I've had a really hard time with cleaning my bathroom and my kitchen with the kids around because I don't want them ending up to touch the bleach or touching something that's, you know, Plus, you don't have plastic containers with this.
Have your family ever mistaken this for a cheese shaker?
Yes.
My husband told me I do have to label everything because if I leave this out on the counter and I make macaroni on the same night, there might be some mix-up.
What does it taste like when you eat it?
I'm kidding.
I'm kidding.
All right.
Thank you very much.
I love you guys.
All right.
All right, let's bring out my friend Bill Nye to answer a few burning questions and find out about his favorite super easy plastic swap, Bill Nye.
- Are we gonna dance?
- Are we gonna dance? - If you want, you can show me this year.
If you want to follow.
That's another issue.
Is that right to follow?
Because of the right hand out?
Yeah, in traditional dancing, yeah.
I've never followed, but now I've learned.
That's a whole thing.
All right, I'm not going to go there.
All right, let's talk a little bit about...
It's a whole thing.
It's a whole thing.
Eco-consciousness.
Sure, yes.
That plus your bow ties are something you're known for.
Yes.
So why are you worried about plastic?
Because it's in everything, and that ocean trash is horrible, man.
That is the worst thing.
If you live in some exotic place, like Oklahoma City...
Half a dear friend of mine lives, actually I should have said broken arrow.
Half of the oxygen you breathe comes from the ocean.
So when we mess up the ocean, which we are doing, not on purpose, just kind of by accident with plastic trash, we are affecting all of us.
And so we don't want to do that.
And so what we want to do is find ways to not use as much plastic, and especially not dispose of it, which I'm...
I still think most folks in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma City, or New York City, or L.A., or anywhere, still believe they can't make a dent in the environmental changes.
Oh, no, my friends.
This is the big idea.
This is a huge idea.
Moses on the mountain.
Yes!
Well, that's not me.
Every single thing each and every one of us does affects everybody in the whole world because we all share the air.
And if everybody's using a water bottle and throwing it away, if everybody's using biphenyl A and throwing it away, it ends up everywhere.
And this ocean business you brought up is a serious problem.
So, along this line, you know, there are people that may have a cool idea.
You know what I'm talking about?
What's that?
The worms.
Let me show this if I can to everybody.
This is something I just learned about.
Bill Sanders says this is actually a group of worms.
What are they eating?
Styrofoam.
They don't work here.
They don't work here yet.
But look at this microscopic image.
Walking around, you think you might.
See the worms?
They ate away the plastic here.
Well, they eat the plastic, and they're able to do it because there are bacteria in their stomachs.
So it's their guts.
And it could change the world.
And this would be one more thing where my idea, one of my ideas, thanks Bill, is to treat the world, the earth, like a house.
And here's what I mean.
We all say the earth is our home.
The earth is our home, which is true.
We would take responsibility for the house.
We could do that.
Bill Nye, thank you very, very much.
Bill's got a wonderful new book out.
It's called Unstoppable!
Harvesting Science to Change the World.
We'll be right back All this season we're celebrating our nation's nurses We're calling our campaign Hashtag Nurse Nation, and at the heart of it, our search for a nurse to join our core team of experts to provide wisdom, commentary, and advice.
Now we're introducing our candidates, and we want you to weigh in.
All this week, you can go to DrOz.com and tell us your favorite.
We'll announce our choice on November 25th.
Show your appreciation and be a part of #NurseSearch. - This holiday season when it comes to gift giving, I want everyone to think outside the box, instead think inside a jar.
This is a new DIY trend that's perfect for everyone on your list.
It's cheap, it's easy, and everybody, including me, can do it.
I'm going to show you exactly how.
I took a look at some of the gift jars my staff picked as their favorites.
I got a bunch here.
I'm going to share them all with you.
The tea jar is filled with over 50 cups worth of tea, including loose leaf green tea.
It's got a strainer in there.
See right there?
Yeah, it's got sticks of honey to actually make everything you need, plus a tea ball so you can put the loose tea inside of it.
Makes the perfect gift for any mom.
In fact, my mom is going to enjoy this.
She's getting this for Christmas, but don't tell her because she won't come on the show.
All right, next, a jar with my favorite healthy snacks has popcorn in it.
You can also add...
A bag of some nutritional yeast to the jar.
So they got everything they need.
Put it back in there.
They just put it in a brown paper bag.
Heat it up.
And you've got your little gift for them.
Perfect for my executive producer, Stacy.
She loves popcorn.
Again, don't tell her she's getting this.
Next, I decided to put my own little spin on this trend.
There's an art form to this.
This is my emergency jar.
You've got to put the big stuff in first.
All right?
So I've got tape here in case someone's cut and you need to bandage them up.
A little gauze like that.
Sift it to the bottom.
Then you can add whatever you want.
There's a multi-purpose device, you got scissors here, put it with the heart sharp part down, tweezers, a flashlight, of course, you always need a flashlight, and then put the batteries in for that flashlight, some burn cream, believe me, you get everything in there, even band-aids, and a little bit of ibuprofen, because who knows what might have hurt, and all these things, including antacids, fit in there.
Look, who would have thought all that would have fit?
And it does.
And you know what?
I can even put purple gloves in there if I want.
So add a little love.
Finally, an anti-aging jar over here.
You know, this is so simple to make.
You basically take coconut oil, you microwave it so it melts, add some peppermint, some sugar.
You can put it on your face.
You can frankly put a candle in there probably as well.
I'll give this to Daphne.
She loves this kind of stuff.
She can re-gift it.
Alright, I got all these other ideas here.
You can follow my step-by-step instructions for how to make all these products on my Facebook page, along with other DIY gift ideas.
Make some yourself.
Send me the concepts.
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