My Beef with Dr. Oz.

For the record I have always liked Dr. Oz.  I have even been known to watch his show occasionally.  I think he does a good job of breaking down hard to digest scientific information and making it palatable for mainstream America.  My problem began when I became active in Prop 37, California’s attempt to label genetically engineered food.  Dr. Oz up until this point had always been a strong advocate of organic and a voice of reason in a sea of insanity about the dangers of GMOs.  In an article published in Cornucopia Institute, Dr. Oz once told millions of viewers, “I want you to eat organic foods” and “your kids deserve better than to be part of a national chemistry experiment.” Oz is also quoted as having previously said “Our children should not serve as the human equivalents of lab rats.”

I gotta say I LOVED the man for saying this and respected the hell out of him.  But as love often does…mine started to fade…when suddenly, out of nowhere, he changes his tune.  In a Time Magazine article,  Dr. Oz claimed that conventional (non-organic, potentially GMO) foods are “nutritionally equal” to organic foods and Oz went on to call organic foods “elitist.”  When an interviewer asked about his choice of words and apparent change of opinion he was quoted as saying, “I was trying to be self-deprecating [in the article]. That was the whole point— which obviously didn’t hit the target for some folks.” No Dr. Oz, It DID NOT!

He then goes on to say, “I think America’s big battle is not between your buying the highest quality produce available on the market, or the boxed, frozen variety. It’s whether we’re eating fruits and vegetables at all. And that was the point I was trying to make. Canned foods, because canning technology is improving, there’s less salt required in them. Many vegetables are pretty tasty that way. Canned asparagus is terrible out of a can, in my opinion. But corn is reasonable coming out of a can. And a mother should feel comfortable, if it’s a low-sodium variant, having corn come out of a can as opposed to giving her kids some muffin, which is also inexpensive, but doesn’t have any nutrient value to it. That was where I was trying to push some buttons on that article.”

REALLY Dr. Oz?  You are trying to push some buttons with canned corn?  My first question is, are you really trying to defend what is likely a can of GMO corn since 88% of all corn in the US was GMO in 2012 (lastest data I could find)?  But if that wasn’t bad enough, the corn that you are suggesting a mother should feed her kids over a muffin raises blood sugar to about the same degree (glycemic index of corn 55/vs blueberry muffin 59).  If you REALLY want to make your point PICK THAT CANNED ASPARAGUS!

I agree with Jefferey Jaxen who says EXACTLY what I am thinking.  “It appears Doctor Oz now faces the largest “moment of truth” of his career as a doctor and a public figure. The wiggle room is gone, having been replaced by a collective worldwide voice, relentless daily pocketbook voting, and data to further drive the final nail into the sealed GMO coffin. Commanding the increasingly educated audience Doctor Oz has patiently built, coupled with now megaviral attention, he stands on the precipice of greatness. A rare opportunity to be the voice of a generation that has been waiting for a mainstream public figure with integrity to say what we all already know.”

I am hoping beyond hope that Dr. Oz will “win back my love” and finally take a stand for what I and countless other health care practitioners know and see in our patients…GMOs are unsafe, untested on humans, and we the American public should not be experimented on without our consent.  And for GOD’s sake at least label it!

Source:  Glycemic Index:  http://www.weightawareness.com/topics/doc.xml?__topic_id=111&doc_id=1298

Jeffrey Jaxen’s article:  http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/04/20/gmo-yes-or-no-dr-ozs-moment-of-truth/