Dr. Oz 90-Day Diet

The Dr. Oz 90-Day Diet is an extension of the previous diet recommendations by the same author, simply named the Dr. Oz Diet. As heard and seen in many public arenas, including Oprah and various national news programs, Dr. Oz’s prescription for health and well-being is based on nutritious food choices and moderate physical fitness with a few twists added here and there.

What is the Dr. Oz 90-Day Diet?

Officially titled "The 90-Day Live Longer, Feel Younger Plan", this diet program focuses on healthful lifestyle changes. The first area of change is nutrition, specifically what to avoid putting into your body at all costs and what to include regularly to your daily or weekly dietary intake. The second and equally important component to Dr. Oz’s strategy is physical activity, which includes cardio, strengthening, toning, and stretching.

Nutrition Guidelines

According to Dr. Oz and co-author Dr. Roizen, there are specific foods that are making us age faster and get sicker younger. The following list includes the foods to avoid in your diet and the reason why they are harmful to your body:

Sugar: white sugar alone is one of the main reasons you may be craving sugar and sweets on a regular basis. It is best to combine sugar with fiber, such as jam on whole grain bread. When combined with complex carbohydrates, protein, and/or healthy fats, sugar absorption is regulated and cravings kept away, since insulin reaction is more moderate.

High fructose corn syrup: biologically, high fructose corn syrup blocks the function of a hormone called leptin. This is not advantageous to the body, because leptin is responsible for appetite control.

White flour: otherwise known as enriched wheat flour, there is no nutritive value to white flour. It is a highly refined, processed food ingredient that is stripped of any benefits of the whole grain in which it originated. It is critical that whole wheat and whole grain foods be chosen instead for the fiber and many other nutrients, including essential B vitamins.

Saturated fats: known as the "bad" fats, these fats are solid at room temperature and include such items as lard and vegetable shortening. These are extremely detrimental to our arteries and heart muscle.

Hydrogenated fats: when various fats undergo a process of hydrogenation for longer shelf life and preservation, trans fats are formed. These trans fat have been found to be as dangerous, if not more, to our arteries and heart muscle as saturated fat.

You may be wondering what foods the Dr. Oz 90-Day Diet plan gives a thumbs-up to including in your dietary intake. Here you have it:

• Healthy oils: olive oil, canola oil, flax seed oil, sesame seed oil, and grape seed oil due to their unsaturated fat content.

• Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts – all raw because heat when roasting damages healthy oil that provides benefits to the body.

• Pomegranates: one of the newest "health" foods to hit supermarkets and restaurant menus, these fruits are loaded with antioxidant properties to ward off cancer and the effects of aging. Look for whole pomegranates for their nutritious seeds or 100 percent pomegranate juice.

• Spinach: jam-packed with an antioxidant called carotenoids, this green leafy vegetable fights off macular degeneration, a common ailment of aging. Spinach is also loaded with folic acid important for brain and organ function.

• Tomato sauce: Dr. Oz makes it clear that 10 tablespoons of cooked tomato products need to be consumed each week. The reason behind this somewhat odd prescription is due to the well-studied positive effect of lycopene against free radical damage. Lycopene is also known for its ability to protect against prostate cancer in men.

• Garlic: not only for its role in supporting good intestinal bacteria, garlic has shown positive evidence for reducing the risk of many cancers and promoting healthy arteries.

Exercise Guidelines

Dr. Oz states a rather cut and dry recommendation regarding getting active. Basically, he suggests that it is mandatory for you to walk 30 minutes a day, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. He also advises yoga and strength training. In fact, he claims that, for good health, a 30 year old female should be able to do 45 bent-leg push-ups while a 30 year old male should be able to do 35 traditional push-ups.

Weight Loss vs. Wellness

You may be wondering where the weight loss topic is hiding. Indeed, Dr. Oz’s 90-Day Diet is not only about shedding extra pounds. It is much more focused on anti-aging regimes and overall disease prevention. However, there is a direct underlying theme related to weight loss. In fact, Dr. Oz’s idea here is not to present a diet, as in a quick fix, fad, lose-5 pounds-a-week plan. His approach is more about eating well, with weight loss simply a natural result.

Does It Work?

By eliminating many high calorie foods, such as saturated fats and hydrogenated fats, you will end up reducing caloric intake. Since weight loss is all about giving your body a deficit of calories, yet still providing the nutrition and energy it needs to run smoothly, Dr. Oz’s guidelines will do just that. However, it must be made clear that this is not by any means a rapid weight loss plan. Instead, it is probably the slowest weight loss results you will know. Given the testimonials, though, people do shed pounds. It is also an extremely safe and harmless program to follow for virtually everyone. Be sure to check with your physician before starting any diet or exercise plan, however. You can find all you need to know in Dr. Oz's book, You: On A Diet.