The Wizardry of Oz

“I don’t really eat big meals, but I eat continually,” says Dr. Mehmet Oz, a  cardiothoracic surgeon and an award-winning author. His mainstays are heart-healthy and fiber-rich foods that help keep him full all day. For grazing, Dr. Oz lives on nuts (an Iowa Nurses Study found that eating 1 ounce a day cut the incidence of heart disease by up to 60 percent), bananas (potassium has been shown to slow the agin of your arteries and helps regulate blood pressure), and baby carrots (they’re packed with nutrients, and the high crunch factor makes them a good snack). Here’s his other faves.

The Magical Breakfast Blaster: Oz and his family love this smoothie for breakfast as a way to deliver nutrients and long-lasting power. The psyllium helps fill you, while the flaxseed contains omega-3 fatty acids that are beneficial to your heart.

½ large banana, peeled and cut
1 scoop (½ cup) soy protein
½ tbsp flaxseed oil
¼ cup frozen blueberries
½ tbsp apple juice concentrate or honey
1 tsp psyllium seed husks
8 oz water

Peel bananas; break into chunks. Combine all ingredients in a blender, with a few cubes of ice if desired. Cover; blend until fairly smooth.

Steel-cut oatmeal: It’s loaded with heart-healthy fiber, which keeps you full for hours. Oz often eats a bowl for breakfast.

Dried soups: Every day, Dr. Oz stuffs a handful of chilled almonds and walnuts into his mouth on his way to surgery and eats three or four dried soups when he returns famished five hours later. He opts for black bean, chick pea, and cous cous for the protein and low salt. Best, since he makes them one at a time while doing his paperwork (the glamorous life of cardiac surgeon), he has a break of 20 minutes between each one so he feels himself getting full and avoids overeating.

Tuna or swordfish: Cajun style, rare as possible inside. Fish makes up the majority of his diet, due to its bounty of omega-3 fatty acids and its lack of saturated fat—both of which keep the heart clean.