The Dr. Oz Show
Air date: December 21, 2011
The Secret Reasons You're Exhausted
- Dr. Oz reveals the four secret reasons why you're exhausted
- Three rooms in your house that may be making you gain weight
- Alton Brown's list of superfoods for weight loss
- A protein packed chocolate pie from Alton Brown
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Dr. Oz puts 24 women in a 24-hour exhaustion study to determine the cause of their lack of sleep and find out what is zapping their energy.
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For the first time in their lives, their exhaustion is being addressed and understood. Each woman in the study juggles their world from the time they wake up until they go to sleep – career, kids, household. Every one else gets their needs met before these women and it's been happening for a long time.
The women were asked to bring a sample meal of what they might eat on a typical day, their over-the-counter medications as well as one family member that keeps them awake at night. It wasn't a child or a snoring spouse, they brought their pet.
Four Secret Reasons You're Exhausted
Heidi Skolnik, nutritionist, says that these remarkable women work all day then come home and take care of the home and family. They are exhausted but they continue to take care of everything. Underlying all this work are nutritional practices that are contributing to exhaustion and practices that could help to restore energy.
Exhaustion Secret #1 - Carb Coma
Thanksgiving day is not the only time we experience the carbohydrate coma. We often over eat on daily basis. Ms. Skolnik explained that a hormone is released when you eat carbs telling the body to slow down, to sleep.
And what is our response to the carb coma? To snap ourselves to attention we often turn to sugary foods and caffeinated drinks.
One audience member says that she commutes two hours to work each way and feels hungry all the time and ends up eating all morning long. Her favorite snack food looks healthy on the surface, dried cranberries but Mr. Skolnik shared that one cup of dried cranberries contains 100g of carbs which would put anyone right to sleep.
Ms. Skolnik recommends eating a hard boiled egg and cup of tea in the morning. The egg provides protein and the tea gives a little bit of caffeine without the crash that comes from drinking multiple cups of coffee. Once at work, plan your snacks for the rest of the day right down to the time and turn to fruit and nuts for healthy snacks.
Exhaustion Secret #2 – Low Testosterone
Shawn Talbott, PhD, exhaustion expert and author of The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy, joined Dr. Oz to talk about hormones – specifically testosterone. It's not just a male hormone. No, testosterone is present in both male and females and is responsible for driving the libido in addition to energy production.
She's tired when she wakes up and when she goes to bed, she works all day then takes care of the family at the end of her long work day. Dr. Oz tested this audience members hormones with a blood test and found that her testosterone level was 7, the normal range is 8 to 48. Dr. Talbott explained that low testosterone levels leads to burnout and exhaustion.
To support a more balanced testosterone level, Dr. Talbott recommends exercise, proper nutrition, and taking Tongkat Ali, or Malaysian Ginseng.
Dr. Oz shared that most of the women on the stage have one thing in common with over 80 million American's in the country, they tested positive for pre-diabetes. He explained that the same remedies shared by Dr. Talbott for healthy testosterone levels are also recommended to support blood sugar balancing.
Exhaustion Secret #3 – Hidden Side Effects of Pain Relievers
She takes over-the-counter pain medications a couple of times a week for PMS symptoms. She works out 5-6 times a week and believes her bed may be causing pain as well. Working in a dental office, she can't be in pain while working so turns to the OTC's for support.
Dr. Oz explained that OTC pain relievers can have the side effect of sleepiness. He says we, as a culture, need to get more comfortable using other methods to relieve pain.
For muscle pain relief, Dr. oz recommends putting a few drops of peppermint oil on a washcloth and rubbing into the muscle area. He says there is no need to take a pill for something that can be relieved with other means.
Exhaustion Secret #4 – Pets in the Bed
Many people are exhausted due to sleeping with their pets. Surprised? Dr. Oz says that half of pet owners experience exhaustion due their pets, who share their bed, moving and waking throughout the night.
A sleep study of audience member Cindy, found that she got only four hours of sleep the night she was tested. That surprised her too. The reason is that Cindy woke up nearly every time her dog moved on the bed. Even though she didn't remember the number of times she was woken up, her R.E.M. sleep was interrupted.
Louise Murray, DVM, of Bergh Memorial Animal Hospita, says that active pets need lots of activity. Dr. Murray says if our pets have their own bed to sleep then we will get more sleep. [I know what I'm going to do next week: make two pet beds and, alas, kick my foot warmers off my bed!]
Dr. Murray also recommends giving your dog a puzzle toy to entertain them and provide mental stimulation. A Kong toy with treats or the dog's dinner tucked inside will give the dog an outlet for energy.
[Please do not leave your dog unsupervised with these puzzle toys. The dog of a friend got his tongue stuck in a toy when he was home alone. The tongue swelled, circulation was cut off and the dog's tongue was amputated. I'm not saying that will happen to everyone's pet, I'm just saying to monitor your dog while using puzzle toys.]
Is Your House Making You Fat?
Maybe it's not the pizza and cookies contributing to the extra pounds. Organizational expert Jill Pollack visits a viewers home to see if clutter is the cause of weight gain.
Five garbage bags of clutter were removed from her house. Our homes are a reflection of what is going on in our minds and bodies, explained Ms. Pollack. If we release the clutter we can clear up space not only in our house but space in our life that when freed up can allow us to improve our lives.
Three Rooms That Can Contribute to Weight Gain
Kitchen
A bulging fridge can lead to a bulging waist line. If you can't see into the fridge from all the expired left overs, how are we going to choose healthy foods? Ms. Pollack explained that left overs should be stored in clear containers labeled with the date. [If you find you don't finish your left overs in time, put a serving or two in the freezer instead to keep it longer. Make one night a week a freezer left over night.]
Ms. Pollack found a candy jar on the kitchen counter, and several around the house, which encourages grazing. Put the candy away for a sometimes food.
The pantry was over flowing with junk food. If you have to have the junk food in the house, says Ms. Pollack, put it up higher, out of reach and put the healthy foods at eye level in the prime real estate spot.
Dining Room
Limit the color red in the dining room. The color red makes us hungry and stimulates the appetite. It get the bull excited and gets your appetite excited too. Ms. Pollack recommends changing the dining room color to blue which suppresses appetite. If you don't want to paint then add blue accents such as place mats and flowers. Dr. Oz explained that the color blue in nature is typically a warning sign that food has gone bad. There aren't too many healthy foods that are blue, of course there are blueberries and blue potatoes, but in comparison to other food colors there are fewer blue foods.
Bedroom
Ms. Pollak said there should be no clutter in the bed room. Organizing the bed room will contribute to a better night sleep.
What's in your closet? Clothes with the store tags still on are called aspirational clothes clothes. The clothes that you hope to fit into soon and, typically, were such a great deal you had to buy them. Ms. Pollack says that you might think it's inspiring to have these clothes to aspire too, in reality it ends up being a reminder that you're not to your goals yet – steering you right towards the candy jar! Keep clothes that are comfortable and attractive and that fit.
Superfoods to Lose Weight with Alton Brown
Alton Brown, Food Network star and host of The Next Iron Chef, came across shocking and disturbing photos and had to admit that those photos were him having enjoyed, too much, the foods he was cooking. The next day he vowed to lose 50 pounds and he did just that and has kept it off for two years. He says it's easy to put on weight slowly then you wake up one day and hits you across the head.
Do you feel responsible for people eating too much?
I'm not forcing people to eat but TV Chef's need to take some responsibility for this country's obesity issue.
What do you tell over weight fans? Do you want to tell them they are unhealthy?
Mr. Brown says that he would like to tell people they have an unhealthy relationship with food, but he doesn't. Instead of telling people they're in a bad place, he would rather share viewers success stories and share healthy recipes with his viewers.
How did you lose the weight?
Will power and recognize patterns question your relationship with comfort foods and go-to foods. In addition to congratulatory responses from viewers, surprisingly Mr. Brown also received angry responses. Viewers told him that if he was making great food on TV then he should be as chubby and over weight as they were. [Jealousy!] Mr. Brown shares that people would give excuses for not losing weight, most commonly saying they didn't have time or money to do it. In response, Mr. Brown says that he lost weight by changing his diet.
How did you keep going to your goal?
When he lost the first 15 pounds he felt 10 years younger and felt another 10 years younger with the next 15 pounds. Now that he has lost all 50 pounds he says he feels like a teenager. Mr. Brown says that feeling younger became addictive, he wanted to continue losing the weight to continue to feel healthier.
Alton Brown's Super Foods
Mr. Brown has put together three lists of foods to focus on and one list for foods to stay away from.
List #1 - Eat Every Day
Dark leafy greens
Nuts
Carrots
Green tea
Whole grains
Fruit
Everyday, Mr. Brown works to get in all of these foods. He puts portion sized fruits in the freezer, like grapes, so that in the morning making a smoothie is quick and pre-measured.
Oatmeal is another great breakfast food with soluble fiber that supports healthy LDL cholesterol levels.
List #2 - Eat Three Times a Week
Yogurt
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Sweet potato
Avocado
Oily fish
Tofu
Mr. Brown travels with sardines so that he knows he has a healthy food ready to go. Tofu is an important part of his diet since he keeps meat low on the frequency list. He says it's a great source of protein and a versatile ingredient but not a daily food.
List #3 – Eat Once a Week
Red meat
White starch – such as breads
Dessert
Alcohol – Mr. Brown likes to have a martini and it comes with a olives, a fruit that is on his everyday list.
List #4 – Zero Times a Week
Never, ever, ever foods for the rest of your life!
Fast food
Soda
Processed meals
Canned soup
“Diet” anything
Food labeled diet give us a false sense of sweetness requirement. Mr. Brown believes in owning up to flavor. “Diet” foods convinces us that we need a high level of sweetness every day, it tricks the brain.
Dr. Oz says that most people don't normally put chocolate pie together with weight loss. But, says Mr. Brown, there's a secret ingredient in his pie that makes it different – it's protein.
Use a shelf-stable, silken tofu - not the hard refrigerated tofu – that is soft, creamy and high in moisture. Silken tofu is great in baked goods and hard tofu is great in recipes as a substitute for beef. The tofu is a complete replacement for eggs and dairy and gives a custard consistency. The protein in the tofu will set the pie instead of the dairy making a more healthful pie than many other desserts. Place the mix in a store bought pie crust, chill and serve.
Mr. Brown contributes his weight loss success to concentrating on what he can eat instead of what he can't eat. With this recipe, Mr. Brown says that he can have two slices per week instead of one slice of a standard pie. Dr. Oz shared the numbers. Mr. Brown's pie has only 230 calories per serving instead of 413 calories per serving of a standard pie. Those calories come from protein instead of saturated fat in a standard pie.
Dieting in America is typically about what you shouldn't have and not on what are the best foods to fuel the body through this process. Load food with positive nutrition, Mr. Brown encourages.
Bonus!
Magnolia bark supplements for chronic exhaustion and supports sleep.
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