Healthy Food
FOR MORE
DELICIO
RECIPES, P US
ICK
A COPY OF UP
THE OZ FA
MIL
KITCHEN! Y
44
MARCH 2016 (201) GOLD COAST
says finding his niche in a cookbook was
“easier than most endeavors” because
the subject matter is a focus of the
family’s everyday life.
“I put together the hard science to
supplement the recipes,” Dr. Oz says,
“but the nutrient benefits are an excuse.
The main excuse to eat the food is
because it tastes good.” He adds that
readers who commit fully to the book’s
recipes and healthy eating tips will feel
satiated, have more energy and develop
better sleep patterns.
Regarding his favorite recipes, he brags
that his wife “makes a mean beet” and
recommends thinking of beets as something more than just “coloring at the side
of the plate.” Like-minded readers may
want to turn to the “Vegetables” category
of the book and try their hands at the
recipe for braised beets with orange and
pecans. Another of his personal favorites
is the Almost German Chocolate Cake,
a dessert he enjoys every year on his
birthday.
Dr. Oz also contributed the foreword
to the book, using that space to detail the
impact Lisa and her family had on his
own appreciation of food. Having grown
up on the “Standard American Diet” –
one that focuses on convenience and efficiency rather than health or pleasure – he
admits to not understanding the power of
food until hearing his future wife and
in-laws discussing its nutritional value
and bonding during its preparation and
consumption. “The entire experience,”
he writes, “was a celebration of life.”
He and Lisa made such celebrations a
priority in their own home while raising
a family, though Lisa modestly credits
her four children for developing their
own healthy eating habits, claiming only
“through osmosis” did they learn from
their parents. “We didn’t sit them down
and tell them how to eat,” she says.
They did, however, understand the
importance of setting the right example,
and The Oz Family Kitchen, Dr. Oz says,
is another way in which the couple
has communicated their values to their
children.
“They’ll have those recipes forever,”
he says. “This book is written for the
kids, and it’s great that everyone else
gets to see it, too.” ◆