Dr. Oz Podcast - Supermarket Steak Scam? Dr. Oz Reveals the Shocking Truth! | Dr. Oz | S10 | Ep 102

Aug. 4, 2025 - Dr. Oz Podcast

42:43

Supermarket Steak Scam? Dr. Oz Reveals the Shocking Truth! | Dr. Oz | S10 | Ep 102 | Full Episode

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	Grocery store steak.
	So many cuts to choose from.
	We're going behind the butcher's counter.
	You can slice your meatbill in half if you know what to look for.
	Are you getting the biggest bang for your buck?
	Plus.
	What do you feel that moment you press click?
	Are you addicted to extreme online shopping?
	You're spending between $3,000 and $4,000 a month.
	We'll reveal the warning signs.
	It's literally affecting your brain the way drugs do.
	Coming up next.
	Coming up next.
	Yo, Ray for Season 10!
	Yeah!
	I love you, Becca.
	Thank you.
	Steak!
	Steak!
	Liverwhile loves it.
	It shouldn't just be for the wealthy.
	But some of you are being overcharged for beef cuts at the supermarket.
	Is there a meat conspiracy going on behind the butcher counter at your local grocery store?
	That's the big question.
	Brian Roo from America's Test Kitchen is taking us behind the swing doors.
	He revealed the secrets.
	They may not want you to know.
	We all want our best buck, best bang for the bucket.
	Money's short supplied.
	Meat is something that's desirable.
	What's the first tip you'd offer all of us to make sure it goes as far as possible?
	Well, the first thing you could do, whether you shop in a fancy meat market or a general supermarket, is get to know the butcher.
	Ask them which cuts of meat they like.
	I can guarantee you they're not the most expensive ones in the case.
	They could tell you which cuts of meat to cook which way, what's the best value that particular day.
	You can tap into that resource.
	What's the typical way a butcher can save you money?
	Well, when you're buying a roast, for example, ask them to trim off the excess fat, excess bone.
	So you're just paying for the meat that you're going to eat.
	Okay, now, not everybody will do this, but you'd be surprised if you ask them what they could deliver sometimes.
	I guess it doesn't cost them anything.
	They make a better relationship with you.
	I never thought of asking for that.
	Yeah.
	Why pay for bone?
	She got a pet, maybe.
	All right.
	My residue coupon, Queen Renata, has another great money-saving tip for anyone buying supermarket steak.
	She comes up with the best ideas.
	All right, break it to us.
	What's the secret?
	Oh, my goodness.
	Okay.
	The secret is morning meat markdowns.
	Okay, let me tell you what that is.
	Yeah.
	Yes.
	Now, you go to your supermarket, okay, between 8 and 9 a.m., they're going to be putting out, they're going to be marking down meat.
	And it's going to be about 50% off, might be 40% off.
	And so I call them my morning meat markdown.
	So yes, you want to call your butcher, call your supermarket ahead of time and say, listen, what time are you putting that meat out?
	I need that, okay?
	It's on sale.
	So that's the tip that ain't amazing.
	See how this is $7.30?
	Yeah, look at this.
	It's down to $4.10.
	Morning meat market.
	I had no idea they ever marked it.
	Absolutely.
	I don't think I've ever gone, literally in my life.
	I don't think I've ever gone grocery shopping at 8 or 9 in the morning.
	I suspect most people are like me.
	Well, when you're a couponer like me, that's when you get to the bottom.
	And this is a ribeye steak, too.
	Yeah.
	Nicely done, Renato.
	Absolutely.
	All right, I appreciate it very much.
	No problem.
	All right, come on over here.
	So, Brian, next week, we've got to separate the good meat from the not so good meat at the supermarket.
	So put your butcher hat on.
	Teach us a little bit.
	First of all, they have those labels on them.
	What does that mean, the select, the premium?
	The first thing you want to check out is the label.
	And you're looking for the grade.
	That's prime, choice, and select.
	Now, select is the lowest grade, and you don't typically see that in most grocery stores anymore.
	What you tend to come across is prime and choice.
	Now, prime is a high-end steak.
	It's got the most intramuscular fat, it's the most tender, most juicy, but it also comes with a high price tag.
	What you want to get is choice.
	Now, choice, if you know what to look for, can be just as good as a prime steak.
	So what do you look for?
	You look for the marbling on a steak.
	Marbling is the intramuscular fat.
	It's the fat within the meat.
	These little strips of fat right in here.
	That's what you want to get.
	So if you had three steaks that are all similar cuts, you want to get the one with the most marbling in it.
	Now, the marbling does a few things for you.
	As that steak cooks, that intramuscular fat melts.
	And it's going to give you a greater perception of juiciness and tenderness.
	And it's going to be a lot more flavorful.
	If I want to have a low-fat meal, though, I could get a slight marbled choice cut, and I'm still okay, or does it taste like rubber?
	No, it doesn't taste like rubber.
	It just depends on which cut you buy.
	All right, so choice instead of premium.
	Correct.
	And marbled.
	I like this.
	Save money.
	All right, come on over here.
	The next most affordable thing you got to do is find a steak that you can feed a crowd with.
	Now, Vivian says she and her family love a great steak dinner.
	Welcome to the family.
	All right.
	But it gets a little pricey.
	So what kind of steak do you get to feed a family of five?
	So I like to get ribeye steak.
	It's the best type of steak.
	I've tried other types of meats and it comes out tasting tough and let's be honest, it can get quite expensive.
	Well, I'll tell you, I love ribeye.
	It is very pricey.
	And then some of its alternatives are pricey.
	But guess what?
	Brian has got something else that is the tastiest, most economical choice.
	He says it'll change your life.
	He's bringing it to you here.
	What's this called, Brian?
	This is a tri-tip that's cut right from the sirloin of the steer.
	I'm sorry, it's called a tri-tipo.
	Tri-tip.
	It's cut from the sirloin and the steer.
	It's got a nice amount of intromuscular fat.
	It comes in about a two-pound chunk, so it's enough in one purchase to feed an entire family or a crowd.
	It's really flavorful, and if you slice it thin, it's very tender.
	Vivian, you'd be the judge where there's tender.
	I trust the butcher, but I trust the mom a lot more.
	Yes, it's perfect.
	That's really tender and juicy.
	Would it replace your ribeye?
	I think so.
	There you have it.
	Now, if the taste is acceptable, let's look at the numbers.
	This is Brian's promise.
	It was tasty and it was economical.
	So I'm going to put them up for everybody to say the ribeye that Vivian used to buy would cost her about $70 to feed a family of five.
	About $14 per serving.
	The entire family with a tri-tip can be fed for $40.
	It's a fraction of the cost.
	All right.
	Enjoy.
	All right, next, don't get caught up in the fancy names.
	Ashley and Joy from the audience are here with a little challenge.
	They're wearing blinds for a reason.
	They're blindfolded, but they're going to tell us honestly what they think they're eating, whether it's good or not.
	Ashley, what do you normally order when you go out for a meal?
	Well, I love a nice filet mignon, grass-fed usually.
	So filet mignon, grass-fed, probably costs you a little bit.
	And you guys both have steaks in front of you that are not grass-fed filet mignon, but I'm going to hope that you still appreciate the taste.
	So Ashley, you go first.
	What do you think about this?
	Oh, it's juicy.
	It tastes like it's been marinated for a while, too.
	Joey, your thoughts?
	You know, it's very nice.
	Succulent, Dr. I. Succulent.
	Succulent.
	All right, take a look at blindfolds.
	Congratulations.
	Brian, reveal what they just had.
	Right, so a lot of people think that beef, tenderloin, and flem mignon is the best cut in the steakhouse.
	It is definitely the most tender, but it doesn't have as much flavor as a lot of other cuts.
	So what I've done here is replaced that tenderloin with a hanger steak, and that comes from the plate area of the steer.
	And if you slice it nice and thin against the grain, it's got a lot of beefy flavor to it and a lot of juice too.
	Delicious.
	Ashley, you don't have to break the bank.
	You could actually serve this at home.
	It saves you a lot of money, but actually, I love eating this at home on the barbecue because it's easier to make for me.
	What are you going to say?
	I was going to say that this steak here is a flat iron steak.
	Oh, they're different?
	Yeah, they're different steaks.
	Oh.
	This is a cut that I like to think replaces the Porterhouse in some way.
	It's very juicy.
	Yeah, no, it's like great beef steaks.
	Absolutely.
	How much do you think we overpay for meat?
	Just because we've been led to believe that some cuts are better than others.
	You think we could probably run up half the meat bill word?
	Absolutely.
	You could.
	You could slice your meatbill in half if you know what to look for.
	Wherever your butcher is in your life, find him and talk to him.
	Our investigation in the supermarket steak continues after the break.
	Chef Brian's gonna reveal the cheapest, tastiest steak lurking right under your nose at the supermarket, and he's gonna show you how to prepare it like a pro.
	So you will not want to miss this.
	Did you kill Travis Alexander?
	Yes, he did.
	Convicted of brutally killing her boyfriend.
	The bloody crime scene was everywhere.
	Why her lawyer says taking on her case ruined his life, career, and health.
	Plus.
	This life isn't the way I want to live it.
	Addicted to laxatives.
	I couldn't get through a day because I was constantly going back and forth to a bathroom.
	All nuance.
	That's coming up tomorrow.
	We're back with our investigation in the supermarket steak.
	Brian's investigated, he's cooked, and he's taste-tested all the supermarket steaks.
	You can tell us which is the tastiest and cheapest steak to buy so you don't overspend.
	That's right.
	It is?
	Drum roll.
	Drum roll.
	Flank steak.
	You know, my son has been buying that exclusively.
	And it tastes so good.
	I never even tried it until a few years ago.
	Yeah, it's one of my favorite cuts.
	It's nice and even.
	It goes well in stir-fries, tacos, or just as a straight steak in the pan.
	It's got a nice amount of intramuscular fat, but it's also relatively lean.
	And you can obviously see the grain structure of it, so it helps with the slicing.
	So why don't more people get flank steak?
	Is this a hidden gem?
	It just gets overlooked because it doesn't look like a whole lot, does it?
	No, it doesn't.
	But we can still muck it up.
	Even if you're not.
	So what are some secrets to make sure you don't?
	The biggest mistake we all make is what with meat?
	People don't get the right temperature.
	So they overcook it and they undercook it.
	This is a problem because people tend to follow recipes and they look at the times in the recipes when you need to be going by the visual cues or the actual numbers in the recipe.
	So you need to invest in a digital thermometer.
	You can get them for just a few dollars online and they make a world of difference.
	Even those professional chefs in restaurants use them.
	And look at this chart, guys.
	Depending on if you want it rare or well done, so don't go by the outside or just look at the temperature chart.
	You'll get there.
	Do you ever look at that and say this is rare or not?
	You know, those little chips they have.
	You can hold your fingers together and pinky the thumb when you hold your palm lightly.
	So from that is that's well done.
	So you start off.
	Oh, yes.
	This is rare, medium rare.
	Okay, rare, well done.
	Remember that rare, well done.
	Rare, well done.
	And that with the temperature chart and you're good.
	Okay.
	Then you say we got to pat the meat to dry it off.
	Right.
	So one of the biggest mistakes people make is they don't dry the meat before it hits the skillet.
	This is important because in order to get that nice desirable browning cameraization on the meat, we need to make sure all the moisture is gone.
	Once it's dry, salt, pepper.
	Right.
	So another thing I like about this flank steak is that you can cut it into individual steaks.
	So I'll split this one down the middle.
	Then I'll cut it into a little steak like this so you can have individual portions for your guests.
	So all you need to do is just heat up a little oil in a cast iron skillet here.
	I'll season the steak up nicely.
	A little kosher salt and black pepper.
	The oil will spread.
	And then it starts to bubble a little bit.
	You throw it on.
	Yeah, you'll start to see the oil start to shimmer and just barely smoke.
	And then you make sure it's nice and hot and then you drop the steak right in there.
	You want to hear that sizzle.
	All right.
	Now, once you've regaled your guests with this, there's a big mistake we all make.
	It comes off there and it looks so good, right?
	But watch what happens in this little video audience.
	This is something that many of you are doing.
	You're not letting your meat rest.
	It's still hot.
	You cut it.
	It looks so, ooh, isn't that great?
	Like for a commercial?
	Big mistake.
	Big, big problem.
	Why should you let your meat rest?
	Well, because when you pull the meat out of the skillet or off the grill, that meat's still cooking.
	You need to give it time to come down to temperature where it's even enjoyable to eat.
	Another reason why is that as the meat cooks, all the juices in the meat rush towards the center.
	Okay?
	And if you were to immediately start slicing that, all the juices would pour out onto your board.
	I'll put this here so it stops burning me as you keep talking.
	So you want to let that meat have time so the juices redistribute.
	So five or ten minutes.
	I like to do it on a wire rack here.
	As you see.
	And the reason we use a wire rack is so the air circulates around the meat as it cools.
	Okay, and you're not letting it sit in its juices because you see the juices that come off in the bottom of this pan here.
	If it's sitting in those juices, it's going to wash off that nice chemoized exterior.
	All right.
	And finally, how to cut it.
	Okay.
	Because there are grains here.
	And many of us do this wrong.
	Right.
	And this is probably the biggest key next to temperature to getting a nice tender cut of meat.
	You want to make sure you slice against the grain.
	And that's why I love flanks so much.
	You can really see this pronounced grain.
	So turn it 90 degrees or turn parallel to the counter's edge.
	And then you just want to put your knife 90 degrees to that and give it some thin slices.
	Like this.
	And if you don't do this, the meat's a little chewier.
	Right.
	If you were to cut it with the grain, the meat would be too chewy.
	So this way it just pulls apart nice and easily.
	If I have guests over that I don't like that much with the grains, try it.
	You'll see.
	In fact, at the same table, you get different responses from your guests if you cut the meat a little differently.
	Brian, thank you very much.
	All the wisdom of a chef and a butcher.
	Be sure to check out American Stefan's.
	It's Cook's Country Magazine.
	It's on shelves right now.
	We come back and look inside the chicken nuggets recall that's freaking everybody out.
	Coming up, what's the deal with all the chicken nugget recalls?
	What do you really need to know about your favorite frozen food?
	That's next.
	Muchas and applause
	Today, what is the deal with all the chicken nugget recalls lately, right?
	They're getting wood chips.
	I'm seeing pieces of rubber.
	Literally, that's what the reports are.
	120,000 pounds of nuggets were recently recalled from two major brands for containing contaminants and possible allergens.
	So we're going behind the food headlines to cover what is really going on.
	Who better to help than Chef Robé Ali, who's here to investigate.
	So I ask you, when I read about rubber, I wasn't quite sure how would Evergreen get into the chicken nugget.
	Well, here's the story.
	People started finding little bits of rubber in their chicken nuggets and they started calling in.
	So they did a little investigation.
	And what happened was a piece of like a rubber seal on some of the machinery that they used to make the nuggets fell in there, got mixed in, and it went out.
	I mean, I've heard of rubbery chicken nuggets without rubber in the chicken nuggets.
	It's a little bit much there.
	Right.
	A different brand recalled 70,000 pounds of gluten-free chicken nuggets, not because they weren't gluten-free, but because they were containing wood.
	Why would there be wood chips in there?
	What happened when they did the, they looked into this one, they couldn't figure it out.
	And they said there may be wood in there, so they did the recall.
	So according to the USDA, no one has reported adverse reactions after eating the nuggets.
	The brands, the who did recall chicken nuggets with the potential wood price pieces, said it was an isolated incident, and the recall was being made out of an abundance of caution.
	you say it's often a challenge to determine if there's extraneous material in a chicken nugget.
	Why is that?
	Well, it's partially because of the nature of the way that they're made.
	They chop it up into little bits and pieces, and there's like this big old mix.
	Let's go to that.
	Let's take a closer look at what's actually in the nugget because we'll understand how stuff can slip in there.
	Right, right.
	So, y'all think chicken nuggets are basically a chicken from a chicken breast, chopping it up into pieces, and it looks like this, right?
	So, you paste together a couple of these chicken things that probably looked like that originally.
	Is that what we all think?
	Some people think that what you would think.
	That's what I would hope.
	That's not quite what goes on.
	Explain what happens oftentimes with chicken nuggets.
	Okay, so you have water, you have chicken, soy wheat protein, there's salt, and then there's a little mystery ingredient that really, why is that there?
	Sugar.
	I don't understand.
	I mean, you're probably gonna dunk in some barbecue sauce anyway and get some sugar, so why do you need to do that?
	I don't know.
	Now, here's the thing: there are some guys who are doing it the right way, and there's some guys that are not.
	So, reward the people who are doing the right job.
	I bet you most Americans who are making your food are trying to do the right job.
	If we open our eyes and pay attention, we're going to support them.
	That means more people will do the right job.
	If you ignore them, then you get stuff that's not supposed to be done.
	All right, so teach us how to figure out which is the good products to buy, which ones make sense.
	It's often not a price issue, by the way.
	It's just a big smart issue.
	So, the first thing is we show chicken breasts.
	We need to look for that, right?
	Right, exactly.
	Like, the first ingredient should be chicken, and it should say what kind of chicken it is.
	It is, it should say chicken breast.
	And then the second thing, which goes for everything else, the less ingredients, the better.
	And the rest of the ingredients should be like flour and seasonings that go onto the coating, and that's it.
	And you should be able to pronounce and understand everything that's on there.
	Yeah?
	Chevrolet Bay, I appreciate it as always.
	God bless you.
	We'll be right back.
	Your athleisure wear helps you stay active.
	But what happens when your only activity is just putting those stretchy pants off?
	We're investigating the tricks that these are playing on you, especially when it comes to gaining weight.
	All nuanced.
	That's coming up on Wednesday.
	Today we're talking about a very real addiction that affects millions of people.
	And you may not even realize that you're one of them.
	Do you find yourself with your inbox flooded with promotions from your favorite stores?
	Suddenly, you're filing your online shopping cart, filling it up with things that you don't really need.
	But in just a click, a new sweater, those shoes that look so pretty, a new skin product, you know, you feel that euphoria with every click and purchase.
	And the stress just gone.
	But then the dreaded credit card bills come along with panic and guilt.
	Y'all been there?
	I'm talking about extreme online shopping addiction.
	Retail therapy's gone high-tech and very invasive.
	For many, every sale text or email means temptation and fuel an online shopping addiction.
	You can't afford not to buy something because the coupons they send you.
	The link is right there, constantly reminding you that you want me.
	You want to buy me.
	You need to buy me.
	You don't have to get out of bed.
	You don't have to get off the couch.
	You don't have to leave your office.
	You just click and it's there.
	I'm a realtor.
	I have to look good.
	It does get expensive to keep up to date, to be in fashion.
	You need slacks, you need skirts, you need everything, and you need the bag to go with it.
	I love shoes and pocketbooks, all types.
	Shoes and pocketbooks make me happy.
	Can you grab the milk, please?
	If I'm not on top of house trends as a realtor, how am I going to effectively sell your home?
	You need new dishes, you need new mugs, and then you need new silverware, and it kind of snowballs, and you need new things to go with new things.
	Joyce's husband doesn't agree.
	I think it's a problem because she thinks she needs it, but actually, she doesn't.
	She wants it.
	He might not know how much.
	I handle all the bills, and I was very happy when they went from being delivered in the mail to online because then my husband couldn't see them.
	It made my life a lot easier.
	We have a security camera at the front door and we get notifications on our phones.
	I disabled my husband's on his phone when I know I'm getting a delivery and I fix it after I get the delivery.
	But as a UPS delivery man, Eric knows about the rise in online shopping.
	Most of the time I deliver to the same houses over and over and over.
	It's like, they're addicted to this.
	And now that I see it on my house, I know.
	And that's a problem.
	I'm joined now with Joyce and her honest acknowledgement of what's crapping.
	Thank you for telling the truth.
	How bad has your online addiction gotten?
	It's gotten pretty bad.
	I wake up thinking about it.
	I think about it throughout the day because I'm getting the emails.
	I'm getting the text reminders.
	It's on my social media.
	It's pretty much consuming my day.
	So your husband Eric kindly joins you.
	He's actually in the audience, a safe distance away.
	How bad do you think your wife's online shopping addiction has become and how is it affecting you and the family?
	Well, it's bad.
	It's really bad.
	I get to the point that we're into an argue.
	We told, listen, we have to stop.
	And when I get home, I'm starting to see, why did I recycle so many boxes?
	I said, wait a minute, I didn't shop.
	And then I find that she continues, I don't know what to do, Dr. Haz.
	I really don't know.
	So how do you feel when you realize this is not just about the shopping?
	We see the pictures of the closet full of shoes and everyone gasps.
	But the bigger, more and deeper pain is when your relationship is destroyed or hurt in any way because of this addiction.
	I do feel terrible.
	I feel so guilty and it bothers me because I feel, I feel bad when he's upset at me, but it really doesn't stop me.
	I almost need to do it.
	When I'm buying something for the family, when I'm buying something for the kids or for him, I'm happy.
	Oh, great.
	You know, he needed glasses, his readers, so I don't buy him one pair, I buy him three because I know he's going to break one pair.
	So when he says, oh, I broke my glasses, I'm, oh, look.
	Those seem like excuses to me.
	You have ways of justifying it, but I'm still seeing a relationship that starts to get beaten up a tiny bit.
	But you know, you're not alone.
	And so I'm not going to have you take the heat alone.
	Alicia is joining us.
	She reached out for some help with her online shopping edition.
	Please join me.
	Alicia admits to spending between $3,000 and $4,000 a month on online purchases, mostly clothes and shoes.
	Thank you for being here.
	Thank you, Daddy.
	How bad is your addiction to shopping gotten?
	It's bad.
	It's to the point where I wake up in the morning.
	I want to go online.
	I go to sleep.
	I want to go online.
	I dream being online.
	Click in.
	How was your relationship with your family because of the addiction?
	Well, currently, right now, my husband's in Kuwait, which gives me extra Shopping.
	He's in the armed forces?
	He's in the Army, yes.
	Thank you very much for that.
	Thank you.
	And let's help you to help him and you.
	Yes.
	And right now, I have tons and tons of stuff that since he's been gone to help me cope with him being going, what makes me feel better is shopping.
	What's your lowest point?
	How bad has it gotten?
	My lowest point, I recall, is when he was home one day and he gave me some money to go pay the electric bill.
	But there was a sale going on, so I went ahead and I went shopping figuring like, okay, I'll take care of next week, not knowing that it was, you know, due at that time.
	So he was working at home and we got a knock at the door and it was the electric people coming to turn off the lights, you know, turn it off.
	Turn off the electricity.
	Yeah, because of the fact that I forgot to pay it and it, you know.
	You didn't forget to pay it.
	You decided not to pay it.
	So he was, I gather, a little upset about that.
	He was, and it was embarrassing.
	That was, it was embarrassing.
	I felt like I wanted to just die and just cry, you know, because he looked at me.
	He said, I gave you that money to go pay the electric bill.
	And I was like, I know, I'm sorry.
	Let's dive into why that story has happened.
	But Joyce, if I can just ask you, what do you feel that moment you press click and buy something?
	Oh, it's almost a high.
	It's exhilarating.
	Yes.
	Yes.
	Almost a high.
	It's a drug.
	It's like a drug.
	Absolutely.
	You know, it feels really good.
	Well, it turns out it's exactly like a drug.
	Not kind of, sort of.
	It's literally affecting your brain the way drugs do.
	You know, when you take crack cocaine, you turn on dopamine.
	Sugar does this too, by the way, in the brain.
	And it's tapping your brain saying, this is great, this is great.
	And it's there for a reason.
	Because when you do things that are good for you, you're supposed to feel great, so you do more of them.
	But there's ways of hacking that system.
	Shopping is one of them.
	It makes you feel great where you didn't really do anything great necessarily.
	And for that reason, you get the same drug high, the same addictive reactions, the same interaction problems.
	I mean, Eric's over there loving you dearly, George, but has trouble, real trouble.
	We joke about it a little bit, but real problem with the fact that you're not honest about what you're doing.
	And your husband, I'm sure, he's serving our nation bravely and obviously has integrity to be able to do things he's doing and yet he finds his wife got stolen from him by online shopping or other shopping.
	What I'm doing now is I'm taking all the stuff that I have and I'm actually opening up a little boutique in my house so I can kind of get rid of them.
	That helps a little bit, right?
	Yeah, but it helps.
	But are you open to getting help to deal with the underlying reason that you want something you don't need, that you're willing to compromise the most precious covenant we have with the people we love for an addiction to shopping?
	Are you in for this?
	Absolutely.
	All right, coming up.
	We're going to offer some concrete solutions to help everyone at home with their online shopping addiction because there are a lot of you.
	That's next.
	Did you kill Travis Alexander?
	Yes, we did.
	Why her lawyer says taking on her case ruined his life, career, and health.
	Plus, addicted to laxatives.
	I was constantly going back and forth to a bathroom.
	All nuas.
	That's coming up tomorrow.
	Thank you.
	We're back talking about online shopping addiction.
	It is a serious problem.
	In fact, there's between 5 and 8% of Americans we think who suffer from some sort of shopping addiction.
	We are joined now by Farnouche Harabi, financial expert and host of the podcast, So Money.
	Let's go through the main causes of this shopping addiction, right?
	And there are a couple clear ones.
	I want you to keep track of these and tell me which ones resonate with you.
	The first is anxiety, stress, to deal with the isolation that results.
	Absolutely.
	We feel bad.
	We have a string of bad days or we're just down on ourselves.
	Often we turn to vices.
	And shopping addiction is one of those vices that millions of us turn to.
	Social media.
	Social media.
	I love social media.
	It's fun.
	It's engaging.
	But on the other end of it, it could be really kind of a rabbit hole where you're following these feeds.
	It looks so perfect, right?
	So filtered.
	And then you start to feel bad about yourself and then you turn to your vice online shopping.
	24-7 availability of shopping on everything, including the phone, which is never outside of your hand.
	Right, there's no barrier now to shopping.
	I mean, you literally shop for something.
	It's on your doorstep.
	I saw it the next day.
	And then finally, you know, it's all the targeted emails.
	It's all the targeted ads that we experience online.
	Our web browsers are stalking us.
	They know what we like, they know what we've searched for, and then we get those ads.
	It's really hard to combat.
	So you heard a couple common causes.
	Which ones resonate with you?
	What do you think is going on in your lives?
	The feeds for me, they're automatically there.
	When I go on the social media, you can just click the link and it takes you directly into, oh, just add to cart.
	And if you leave it there, it reminds you to come back.
	To go back and look for it.
	And if you actually go into a store onto a store's website and you drop it in the cart, it tells you again and it'll send you a coupon.
	And then it adds you to the mailing list and it sends you a coupon in the mail.
	Not an accident.
	They're not doing you a favor.
	They're stalking you.
	Stalking.
	You think it's service.
	It's called hunting.
	Right.
	They see you out there, you're a big bullseye, and they just hit the bullseye because you're saying, here I am, here I am, yelling out.
	All right.
	So Farnouche is going to give us some concrete solutions for everybody, everyone out there watching, including Joyce and Alicia.
	We're going to help you all.
	First is unsubscribe.
	You have to do it.
	You got to take it away.
	When you get those emails, which we just talked about, all those targeted emails, all those shop sites, your first instinct should be to unsubscribe.
	You can just follow the link to unsubscribe.
	You'll never get those emails again.
	Don't follow the links to go and actually shop.
	How do you block these sites?
	How do you delay gratification?
	So another tip is to block and delay gratification.
	So this is like a two-step process.
	First, I'd highly recommend, and you can learn how to do this by just Googling it.
	You can block certain websites.
	You can block them on your phone, on your computer, so that you don't get the temptation.
	If you know you're always on this one particular site, just block it, even temporarily.
	And then delay gratification.
	Look, if you've actually put stuff into your shopping cart because you've gotten that far, my tip is just distance yourself for 24 hours.
	Go take a walk, go take a shower, like come back for the next day.
	Why?
	Because we talked about dopamine levels surging when you're about to buy something.
	That's not when you want to be making a rational choice.
	So distance yourself.
	You'll realize the next day you probably don't want the shoes.
	Let's be honest.
	But what if you tried that already?
	What if you unblocked it and everything, and then you leave it and you come back?
	It's like.
	It's not unblocking.
	You're blocking it.
	You're blocking it.
	What I want to hear is you guys, they're chum in the water for you.
	And you have to stop that.
	You can't let them put that stuff around you because you just start gobbling up whatever's around you.
	And part of it, I think, is to allow you to do, because some of it's going to be up to you.
	I think one big tip is you've got to avoid the prime time online shopping.
	So at the end of the day, you have to change your habits.
	And what we find is that prime shopping hours online is after work and before we go to bed.
	So first, you've given us some great tactics like blocking and avoiding prime time problems, but why do you get the emotional support so you don't crave it with the tip of your finger pressing click?
	So, this is really the crux of it, right?
	You have to kind of look within what is the emotional void that you're trying to fill with stuff.
	Because this isn't about easy access or technology all the time.
	Really, at the heart of it is, you know, there's something missing.
	And I think truly to address that is of the utmost.
	And for some people, it means therapy.
	For others, it may mean reaching out to friends.
	I think coming on this show and being open and honest with us and your family and friends is an amazing first step.
	And I want to applaud you for that.
	It's really the first step to recovery.
	Let me ask you, since we do think you're filling a void, all of us, with shopping, what is that void?
	Where do you need help?
	Emotional support.
	I believe mine right now is my husband not being here and, you know, him, me not having no one to talk to at nighttime and the commercials on.
	And I think that's, you know.
	And then I also like shopping when I'm stressed or, you know, or my anxiety.
	You know, so, but right now, I believe it's because of him not being here.
	At least we got a target now.
	Let's focus on what we can do.
	I'd rather he sends you spam mails.
	And you get it from choppers.
	And Eric's here.
	So what does he need to do?
	What's the void that you're feeling where he might be able to help you?
	He could be here, but he works.
	He's always working and there's always overtime.
	And he's also a soccer coach.
	And, you know, I'll never blame my kids for anything.
	But we have kids.
	And whose kids doesn't, you know, doesn't take up a majority of their time.
	There's always something.
	So you're lonely.
	You're both lonely.
	Which is probably a big reason why shopping has become what it has as an addiction.
	I think the real person you got to keep you company with is you.
	It's inside of you, which is, I know not we're going to solve that like this, but at least we know what to aim at.
	And we're never going to get the true sense of fulfillment doing the things you're doing.
	Quite opposite, you chase away people who love you the most, which will just make you even lonelier.
	Furnush, what should someone do if they think they've got an online shopping addiction?
	Because I bet a lot of people at home right now just sort of woke up to that reality.
	Just reach out to someone you trust, a friend, because we've talked so much already about feelings of isolation, feeling lonely.
	And so you can only control what you can control.
	Control your environment, control your community, reach out to people.
	And if you have a friend and you're watching, and oh, I have a friend who has online shopping addiction, be the friend.
	Call your friend, show up, initiate activities together, and then over time, you know, break the ice and talk about how you're really feeling.
	You have to get this out.
	You cannot keep it bottled up.
	All right.
	It's okay.
	Just God bless you both for being here.
	Thank you, Furnush.
	Thank you very much.
	If you think you have a shopping addiction, find out more helpful tips on our website.
	Be right back.
	Your athleisure wear helps you stay active.
	But what happens when your only activity is just putting those stretchy pants off?
	We're investigating the tricks that these are playing on you, especially when it comes to gaining weight.
	All nuanced.
	That's coming up on Wednesday.
	Itch, you scratch it, and then you repeat, right?
	We all do it.
	We itch, scratch, repeat.
	Itch, scratch, repeat.
	We're hardwired.
	And chances are, if you're an eczema sufferer, this is an uncomfortable, embarrassing, and cumbersome cycle that you and your skin are all too familiar with.
	So I brought in board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, who's here on behalf of my trusted sponsorship partner, you're in to help you break that cycle.
	Thanks for always doing it.
	So itching is a natural response, but sometimes it gets out of hand.
	And eczema is a classic example.
	So explain what it is and what causes it.
	So there are several different types of eczema, but one of the most common is called atopic eczema or atopic dermatitis, which is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory condition.
	It affects 30% of children and 15% of adults.
	And unfortunately, the prevalence is on the rise.
	And it seems to be, it runs in families, and it's triggered by certain things.
	There's some environmental factors, irritants, allergens, changes in the weather, and just simple stress can flare it up as well.
	And it can be really disruptive to not only the person, but also family members as well.
	So it's really a quality of life issue.
	Remind everybody of the classic symptoms.
	So as you can see, this type of eczema is characterized by red, inflamed, dry, and really itchy skin.
	It's intensely itchy.
	So people start to scratch it, which ends up making it worse, not better, but worse.
	And then over time, the skin can actually thicken as well.
	Another key factor here is that it's chronic and relapsing.
	So you have these flare-ups and recurrences, and then you'll have periods of rash-free skin.
	So that's your opportunity.
	So let me show you what experts believe happens in an eczema cycle.
	And we built a little model that'll help you understand what's going on beneath the surface of the skin.
	But let's just say this is the surface of the skin.
	And down beneath here is the insides.
	Now, the surface of the skin, hopefully, most of you have skin looking like this, right?
	It's normal, fine, no problems.
	With atopic eczema, right?
	Something irritates your skin.
	So you start to get a little bit of itching, and then as the irritant becomes more prevalent, you'll start to itch harder and harder and scratch.
	And as you scratch it, you'll start to now see that you have the beginnings of an eczema flare-up.
	And this eczema flare-up becomes problematic because once it's there, it's harder to stop it.
	And you know, you get little wrinkling of the skin.
	You can sort of see how it looks irritated.
	It looks dried out.
	And of course, the more you itch it, the more you get problems.
	So you don't just get this little scaling, you'll actually get more significant breaks in the skin, which complicates your life that much more.
	So what is the goal when you're treating eczema if you don't want to be like me and itch away at everything?
	Right, you don't want to get to that point where you're breaking down in the skin.
	So when you have a severe flare-up like this, you may need to go to a dermatologist to get a prescription steroid cream to calm this down.
	But since atopic eczema is a chronic relapsing condition, the long-term goal is to prolong those flare-free periods and reduce the risk of recurrence.
	So the number one, most important thing you can be doing for your skin is moisturizing every day with a product that's specifically made for eczema-prone skin.
	All right, so what do you recommend for long-term management of eczema?
	So Dr. Oz, I like to recommend Userin's eczema relief cream.
	It incorporates oatmeal, ceramides, and licorice root extract.
	It's an over-the-counter product that can be used every day to reduce the irritation and dryness of the skin, and it almost forms like a protective seal over the skin to soothe irritation and redness.
	And it's steroid-free, which means you can use it every single day, which is key.
	Userin conducted a study in which they looked at four out of five children that were using Userin's eczema relief cream every day, and it showed that they were flare-free for six months with everyday use.
	And if you're a parent with a child and that type of eczema, six months of no flares is a very, very big deal.
	It is, absolutely.
	And for the adults that were using it, they showed improvement of their mild to moderate symptoms within two weeks of daily use.
	All right, so we gave Userin eczema relief cream to two of my viewers to try.
	Teresa has been using the cream every day for a few weeks, and Patricia has been using the cream for a few months.
	So, Teresa, we're going to start with you.
	So, describe what your skin looks like.
	You have a picture, I believe, before you started using this approach.
	Yeah, well, first of all, eczema came into my life out of nowhere while I was pregnant with my second child.
	Congratulations to the baby.
	Thank you.
	And actually, he actually has a little bit of eczema too, and I've started using it on him.
	But first, I started taking care of my diet, thinking it's from the diet.
	You know, I cut out dairy, I cut out a lot of things, driving myself crazy.
	Then I started using all the natural creams, you know, YouTubing and Googling, and literally took over my life and changing detergents, changing sheets, and everything that you can think of.
	And some of it went away, like I mentioned, but the knuckles, the parts that get constant, you know, touch, as I'm a busy mom of two, constantly rubbing off on zippers and such, they actually kept saying, and in fact, getting more irritated and cracking, and that was just uncomfortable.
	And just having that on your hand, and it just never was getting a chance to recover.
	And anything that I was using was going to take longer to recover.
	So, oh my goodness, look at this.
	Yeah, huge difference.
	Huge difference.
	She's just trying to get us to pay attention to the ring.
	This is really about the ring.
	This is your marketing.
	This is another thing.
	How do you look at the ring when you have this eczema here?
	So I have to get rid of it.
	Are you surprised by what Teresa is saying?
	So, no, you know, as a dermatologist, we hear a lot about eczema and how it affects people's, how it affects people's lives.
	There are real physical, psychological, and social issues that come across that are really important with atopic dermatitis.
	I mean, people have trouble, they feel itchy in their clothes, they're sometimes embarrassed to show their skin.
	And also, it can really affect your sleep pattern.
	I mean, if that's happening in your family, it's extremely disruptive.
	I wanted to mention actually, as I started using it on my son, he's been having a better sleep for sure.
	Are you happy with your result?
	Absolutely.
	Good for you.
	Yeah.
	Now, Patricia, you've been using Ucerin eczema relief cream for about six months, so a little longer.
	Yes, well, we've been using it actually for a very long time.
	We've been using Ucerin.
	My daughter actually started with eczema when she was about one and a half.
	She's eight now, so we've been using Ucerin for a very long time, but much more consistently every single day we use it.
	And we have had zero flare-ups, so I'm very excited that I don't have any flare-ups.
	See, Dr. Roz, Patricia knows you have a child, a young child with eczema.
	It is a very big deal to be using it every day to prevent the flare-ups.
	If you can prevent the flare-ups for months on end, and the kids are sleeping, it's a really, really helpful thing.
	How does your skin feel differently now?
	It's actually soft, it's moisturized, and usually in the winter months is when I'll get a flare-up.
	This winter, I have no cracks on my hands.
	My legs, where I usually will get eczema, are free of it.
	So it's amazing.
	But the key question is: are your friends jealous of you and your happiness?
	Totally.
	Does it make you feel good?
	Totally.
	Quite the opposite.
	Thanks to our trusted sponsorship partner, Userin, meeting tomorrow at 12 p.m. Eastern Time.
	The first 5,000 people to go to Dr.Oz.com will receive a coupon for a free tube of Ucerin's eczema relief cream so you can feel as wonderful as these women do.
	And I'm not going to stop there.
	My entire studio audience is also going home with not one, but two tubes of Userin's eczema relief cream.
	One for you and one for your friends so they're not jealous.
	We'll be right back.
	Today, the new science that says your brain power changes with the seasons.
	Your brain may have to work harder depending whether it's hot or cold outside.
	Who loves the cold weather here?
	COVID lovers?
	Yeah, I don't.
	And who's missing the sunny and hot days right about now?
	We were all a little different.
	Here's the deal.
	A recent study looked at brain activity and memory in the warm and cold temperatures.
	So for sustained attention tasks, people's brains had to work harder in the summer compared to the winter.
	So don't get frustrated if you're having a hard time getting through your summer beach read when it's, you know, because in the summertime your brain has trouble doing that for a long period.
	However, working memory, that's tasks like remembering a phone number or, you know, you know, the last thing in your shopping list, people's brains had to work harder around that when autumn came compared to spring.
	That's a medical mystery as to why this happens, but it might be because of our circadian rhythm and changes in daylight.
	So here's the deal.
	In winter and in spring, your memory is a little bit of a leg up, right?
	So maybe that's why there is no school in this summer.
	Think about that.
	Proving that there is a best time for everything.
	Next time you think your memory or your attention span is lagging, I give you permission to just blame it on the weather.
	Together, everybody, change is happening.

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