Blogging never ceases to amaze me. I have had some pretty once-in-a-lifetime moments where I have attended cool events and had the chance to meet some of my favorite celebrities. One opportunity I recently had was the chance to meet Dr. Oz in NYC. I didn’t know that much about Dr. Mehmet Oz prior to meeting him. I knew (of course) that he was buddies with Oprah and that he wrote books but I didn’t realize how inspirational, genuine and incredibly smart he was until I attended a taping of his show (I’ll share more on that in a future post).

As part of a round table of bloggers, we covered topics about sleep, caffeine, sugar, tiredness, kids, vaccinations, sex, and his incredible incentive with Weight Watchers called Transformation Nation. Dr. Oz took his time with each of our answers and stated that the information he was providing wasn’t new or revolutionary; but rather, it was information that isn’t getting out to the public as well as information that people are simply not applying to their lives. Subtle changes like getting sleep and eating right has the power to transform and changes people’s lives where they will not only feel rested and energized but it can change their overall outlook on life. I definitely had a few ‘wake-up’ call moments during this chat that I hope to be applying to my own life (more on that as well). I’ll also be sharing more about this incredible visit over the coming weeks but for now here are some of Dr.Oz’s tips for well-being and overall health.

1. Sleep. Dr. Oz stated that he doesn’t set his alarm to wake up, but rather, he sets it when it’s time to go to sleep. This really resonated with me because I have been a walking zombie for the past few months. Although life with a baby has something to do with this, it also means that I should be hitting the hay earlier. In fact, Dr. Oz recommends that adults should get 9 hours of sleep every night. I’m not sure if I can get that anytime soon but shutting down and going to bed earlier is definitely manageable.

2. A Child’s Diet. I asked Dr. Oz about my daughter’s unwillingness to try vegetables. I used the term defiant but Dr. Oz said that a child actually has more taste buds than an adult where they crave sugar . He also said that his own children had an all-white food diet when they were small. He recommends that parents should have a child try a new food 12 times and not to give up if they seemingly don’t like something.

3. Caffeine. I am a coffee junkie. I think about my huge cup of coffee the second I wake up but I know I need to cut back, which may also help that whole sleeping thing. Dr. Oz stated that caffeine isn’t necessarily bad and he suggested switching to green tea, which is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. I bought a new box of green tea and have been switching up my orders at the cafe.

4. Eating right. Dr. Oz eats the same thing every day. Although he said people call it ‘boring,’ it is what fuels him and keeps him energized. His breakfast of choice is FAGE yogurt (my favorite!) with berries an a green drink that is packed with spinach, celery, apples, etc. He also doesn’t recommend skim or no-fat products because when fat is taken out it is often replaced with sugar. He told the group that there is nothing wrong with a little fat in the diet and recommends low-fat or reduced-fat products.

For more information on Dr. Oz, please visit: http://www.doctoroz.com/

I was not paid for this post. I did receive a book for attending.

Thank you to One2One Network and Selfish Mom for this awesome opportunity!