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Monday, October 15, 2012

Watching Dr Oz 10/15/12: Jenny McCarthy's Bad Habits, What's Your Energy Drink Type?, Rules for Choosing Energy Drinks

The Dr. Oz Show
Airdate: October 15, 2012
Dr. Oz: Jenny McCarthy's Shocking Bad Habit Health Confession



  • Jenny McCarthy talks openly with Dr. Oz.
  • What's your energy drink type?
  • Dr. Oz gives his rules for energy drinks.

Jenny McCarthy shares her outrageous bad health habits, her faith, and her son's diagnosis with autism. Dr. Oz talks with Kate Geagan about rules for choosing energy drinks and determining your energy drink type. [Gosh that lady in the stock photo has a silly grin! Did she get goofy from that energy drink?]

Photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Dr. Oz: Jenny McCarthy's Shocking Bad Habit Health Confession

She's funny, she's sexy, she's outspoken. Jenny McCarthy is a model, comedian, activist, mother, and a New York Times best selling author of several books including the most recent Bad Habits: Confessions of a Recovering Catholic.

Ms. McCarthy has been a big activist in support of her son who was diagnosed with autism. Her books ranging from marriage to sex to pregnancy to autism to life after marriage [a logical order] have captured an amazing amount of attention.

Dr. Oz asked why she is now talking about faith?
Why not? Why ever? Ms. McCarthy describes her journey through faith as funny and traumatic and she felt she had to tell her story. Her faith is now based on a higher power instead of the Catholic doctrine she was raised within.

In her new book, Ms. McCarthy shared that she and an older sister wet her bed until age 10. The girls shared the bed and shared the belief that Satan could come their bedroom door at anytime. A very religious family the girls had several rosaries in their room and several statues of Mary. It's that fear of Satan, she said, that may have led to both her and her sister wetting the bed. Their mother threatened them with diapers if they kept wetting the bed. Instead of telling their mom what was happening, they would wash their sheets in the basement.

One of her bad habits was smoking. Her father was a smoker and she was always around smoke. In 8th grade she was offered a cigarette and though she so cool because she didn't cough. She smoked for nearly 20 years when she chose to quit. Knowing the first three days would be the worst of it make it easier to ignore that little voice from nicotine saying she's going to die anyhow so why not smoke? After three days that voice went away and she was over it.

Dr. Oz congratulated Ms. McCarthy for quitting smoking and explained that within a few months after quitting the lungs begins to heal.

In her book, Ms. McCarthy talks about her use of the drugs mushrooms and ecstasy as well as vicodin.
Many people around her thought she was addicted to vicodin but she says she wasn't. Ms. McCarthy tore muscles in her back and was bed ridden for almost three and a half months. She said she couldn’t' wait to get off all the pain killers. Once she could get up and walk again she began to detox from the pain killers and was shocked by how hard it was.

When Evan was diagnosed with autism, Ms. McCarthy said she spoke to God and said if Evan was healed she would tell the world how she healed him. With faith, she has hope to get out of bed everyday and work with her son to get him well. It's that faith that she talks about as a public speaker and as the president of her autism group for parents.

In the early days of Evan's diagnosis, Ms. McCarthy said she overheard some women in the grocery store saying someone they knew was healed after the Mormon church sent someone the their house and prayed over them.

When she got home, Ms. McCarthy called the Mormon church and asked if they could send people to pray over Evan telling that although she wan't Mormon she has faith in people who have faith.

The Mormon church sent people out to her and she said it was magical and beautiful to witness. To her, faith is a belief in a high power to get through situations life presents us.

Her best health habit has been going gluten- and dairy-free which she attributes to saving her life. People tell her thatshe saved her son's life by removing gluten and dairy from his diet but in fact Ms. McCarthy feels that her son saved her life. Before the diet change, she would always feel bloated and describes it as putting the wrong fuel in the car. Although she's always had a lot of energy, today Ms. McCarthy says she so much more healthy.

Her morning breakfast routine is a protein shake and about 35-40 vitamins including CoQ10.

Ms. McCarthy went up to 211 pounds during her pregnancy with Evan. Her doctor didn't provide her any resources or information on food and nutrition. He just said to eat and so she did. After giving birth, it took her a full year to lose the weight and get back into her prepregnancy jeans.

What inspires her?
Ms. McCarthy said she's doing it all on her own. As a single mom, she doesn't have a partner to help her out or pay the bills. Maybe that's why she writes a lot of books, she said.

Where does her energy come from?
She gets an IV when she feels run down with glutathione and she gets Vitamin B-12 shots. Evan gets B12 shots too. Evan is doing phenomenal, she said. He hasn't a seizure in years and he's in a normal school. Ms. McCarthy said Dr. Oz's show about arsenic in apple juice was spot on. Blood work completed on Evan showed his arsenic levels were through the roof. She said good for Dr. Oz for standing up to the big guns because he was right about it.

[Click to read the post on arsenic in apple juice from last season - 9/14/12: Arsenic in Apple Juice.]

Over to the truth tube, Dr. Oz asked Ms. McCarthy quick questions hoping for quick answers. What is her guilty pleasure meal that goes into the shopping cart? Frozen pizza.
What part of body does she not like? Hands.
What part of body does she like? Calves.
Favorite exercise? Yoga.
What healthy food always in the refrigerator? Quinoa salad.
If she could come back in life as any person? Bill Gates. She would take his money and feed every hungry person in world.
Never leave the house without? Lipsick.
Favorite pizza topping? Sausage.
Least favorite vegetable? Zucchini.
What makes her happy? Her son giggling.


Dr. Oz Puts Energy Drinks to The Test

Lack of energy is a common health complaint. Many people reach for energy drinks to get going in the morning and make to it through the day. There are over 200 brands of energy drinks on the market in this multimillion dollar business. And they are not just for college students burning the midnight oil anymore, women are a large consumer group buying up these drinks hoping for a power punch.

Kate Geagan, nutritionist and author of the book Go Green, Get Lean: Trim Your Waistline with the Ultimate Low-Carbon Footprint Diet, said it's the number one topic women ask her about. Energy.

Energy drinks are moving away from that student and party scene to market to target women, working women and busy moms.

Dr. Oz: Comparing Caffeine Content
What has made energy drinks so appealing is their caffeine content. How do energy drinks compare other common caffeine providing options?

Chocolate contains, on average, 20mg of caffeine
Soda has about 30mg of caffeine
Tea contains 50mg of caffeine
Coffee comes in with about 135mg of caffeine
Energy drinks have around 300mg of caffeine

Energy drinks could have more than 300mg of caffeine or less. They are not regulated by the FDA so energy drinks are not required to list the caffeine content on the product.

Sugar is another big factor in energy drinks. Many feel they are getting energy from the caffeine alone but it's likely that the sugar plays a big role in that big boost.

Energy drinks often contain a high amount of Vitamin B12, another energy source. Some of that energy boost could be attributed to fulfilling a B12 deficiency.

Dr. Oz: All-Day Coffee Drinker
  • Drinks more than four cups of coffee per day
  • Trouble falling asleep

Sharon is hooked on coffee. Her family doesn't speak to her until she's had her first cup of coffee around 6am. From there, she has up to nine cups of coffee a day with the last cup coming at 4pm and sometimes as late as 6pm. Is it any wonder that Sharon struggles to fall asleep at night? In the morning she's tired, again, and starts the whole cycle over, again.

For the habitual coffee drinker who can't get going without it, Dr. Oz said to have that morning cup. The next shot of caffeinated energy should come from an energy drink at noon then no more caffeine the rest of the day.

Ms. Geagan said this recommendation takes Sharon out of her caffeine routine and changes her coffee pattern. The energy drink at noon will give her the energy to finish her day while staying within safe levels of caffeine intake.


Dr. Oz: Identify Your Energy Type

We all have different energy needs throughout the day. One energy type was discussed in the previous segment, the all-day habitual coffee drinker. Dr. Oz discusses two more energy types and recommends an energy drink to target their needs.

Dr. Oz: Sweets and Carbs Energy Type
  • Doesn't like coffee
  • Afternoon energy crash
  • Look toward candy and carbs for energy
For a quick pick-me-up, sweets and carbs are a go-to for many women. Afternoon crashes happen as a natural cycle of our circadian rhythms. If you don't like coffee, instead of reaching for candy and chips for an energy boost reach for an energy drink in the afternoon.

Dr. Oz: High Calorie Coffee Drinker
  • Crave both caffeine and sugar
  • Drinks 1-2 sweet coffees daily
  • Worried about weight gain

Fancy coffees can pack up to 700 calories each and some people drink more than one a day. Dr. Oz recommends going for a berry flavored energy drink and to drink half in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. One flavored energy drink will have fewer calories than both those fancy coffee's but will still provide the caffeine and energy boost.

Dr. Oz: Rules for Energy Drinks

Not all energy drinks are created the same. Energy drinks are not regulated by the FDA so it's vital to know what you're getting into when you're reaching for energy. Ms. Geagan said the most important time to look at the nutritional panel and ingredients of a product is when shopping for an energy drink.

Dr. Oz: Harmful Ingredients to Avoid in Energy Drinks
Less is more, said Ms. Geagan. The labels of energy drinks may be enticing and the promises may seem too good to be true - they probably are. Ms. Geagan says to stay away from artificial ingredients such as colors and sugars. High fructose corn syrup should also be avoided, said Ms. Geagan.

Sweet, fancy coffees are more like a liquid hot fudge sundae and the same can be said for energy drinks. Some energy drinks can have as much as 54g of sugar. That is the equivalent of 13 teaspoons of sugar or 5 sugar glazed doughnuts. Most people would think twice about downing 5 doughnuts or 13 teaspoons of sugar in one sitting or as an afternoon pick-me-up.

Sugar-free energy drinks can often have artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols - ingredients that end in “tol”). [Click here to read the recent post regarding sugar alcohols.]

A resealable bottle can be a key moderating portions - one half in the am and one half in the pm. A small serving, or shot bottle, may have fewer calories with bigger boost of caffeine but, said Ms. Geagan, the same rules apply to the shot bottle vs. big bottle – look at ingredients, sugar content, portion control.

Dr. Oz's Energy Drink Rules
No more than 10g of sugar per day.
No more than 300 mg caffeine daily.
No artificial ingredients.
Only one energy drink a day.

Pair an energy drink serving with a power snack, suggested Ms. Geagan. Many are reaching for energy drinks because they are actually hungry. A high protein snack will give the body a better slow energy burn - nuts, Greek yogurt, etc. The afternoon energy slump can also be a sign of not enough hydration, a poor diet, and it all catches up with you at 2pm.

Many brands were shown, yet Ms. Geagan explained that brand name isn't as important as fulfilling the rules.


Click the links below to read posts from Ms. Geagan's previous appearances on The Dr. Oz Show:

Dr. Oz: Would I Rather...?

Dr. Oz said he came across a website that played a hypothetical game asking would you rather do one thing over another thing. He asked his audience do play the game and ask him would he rather...?

Would Dr. Oz rather find a cure for diabetes or a cure for cancer? Cancer. There are so many different kinds.

Would Dr. Oz rather have sex three times a day or answer America's health questions? Speaking with his wife in mind, he'll say sex.

Would Dr. Oz rather have a cheeses burger every day or a hot dog every day? Cheeseburger. Hot dogs have nitrates. A real burger is more tolerable.

Would Dr. Oz rather do the show naked or gain 300 pounds? To please the audience, Dr. Oz said he will do last show naked. [Gadzooks!]

Would Dr. Oz rather put vodka or whiskey in his green drink? Vodka. He gets a hangover when he drinks whiskey.

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