Any of you heard of Dr. Oz? Well, I’m pretty sure he’s the new craze for better health. My mom will often call me and say “Dr. Oz was on Oprah today. Did you see it?” and I always reply “No”. Which makes me a little irritated because I’ve been trying to catch a show with him since he first appeared on that show.

So, because I keep hearing what wonderful advice Dr. Oz has, I decided to do some research on his life-changing diet and lifestyle changes. I actually even signed up to become a member of Oprah.com so that I can get Dr. Oz’s newsletter. Dr. Oz really has awesome information.

I found out that Dr. Oz is a heart surgeon. He makes some powerful statements, and it’s enticed me to want to buy all of his books in order to keep abreast of his ideas. After my devastating doctor visit when I learned I was on my way to heart disease (plus the fact that I have diabetes) has put me on a path to get as healthy as I possibly can for myself, as well as for my family. I don’t want to die when I’m fifty. I want to live to be here for my children; I want to live for myself!

O.K. I want to give you all the information I can provide to you from the expert Dr. Oz so you can be empowered to change your life too. Dr. Oz teamed up with Dr. Roizen to lay out an incredible diet plan. All of the following information is taken from Oprah.com.

Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen say there are five ingredients that should be banned from your diet forever.

The first ingredient to avoid is hydrogenated oil, which often masquerades as partially hydrogenated oil. Dr. Roizen says we should also eliminate sugar and high fructose corn syrup from our foods. "We eat 63 pounds of [high fructose corn syrup] a year, which puts 33 pounds on the typical American," he says.

Enriched flour is the fourth ingredient to avoid. "[Enriched] means they took all the good stuff out and put a little back," Dr. Roizen says. In 1960, Americans didn't use enriched flour, but today we consume 63 pounds a year, he says.

The fifth offenders are white foods—including bleached flour.

Your favorite snack foods won't advertise their artificial ingredients—Oprah's medical experts say you have to read the small print for yourself.

After you've read the ingredients on the label, check out how much saturated fat and sugar is in your food. Dr. Roizen says you want to buy foods that contain less than four grams of saturated fat and less than four grams of sugar per serving.

Keep in mind—polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good for you and help fight depression.

Breakfast is also a key component to Dr. Oz's diet plan. "People who eat breakfast every day are thinner," he says. "Jump-start your metabolism with breakfast—don't miss it!"

When soggy cereal and steel-cut oatmeal loses its appeal, whip up one of Dr. Oz’s and Dr. Roizen's favorite breakfast treats.

The Quick Magical Breakfast Blaster
2 servings, 136 calories per serving

1 scoop (1/3 cup) Soy protein (like Nature's Plus Spiru-Tein)
1/2 tablespoon flaxseed oil
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 large ripe banana (or other fruits of your choice)
1/2 tablespoon apple juice concentrate or honey
1 teaspoon Psyillium seed husks

Peel banana; break into chunks. Put all ingredients in a blender. Add 12 ounces of water and ice, as well as powdered vitamins. Cover, blend until fairly smooth.

Dr. Oz suggests that people walk for at least 30 minutes each and every day. "Walking is the foundation for all other exercises because it increases your stamina and prepares your body for strength training," he says. You should strive to walk 10,000 steps a day.

The second step is to build muscle by lifting weights for 30 minutes a week.

Dr. Oz says you have to work up a sweat for about an hour a week. "The number one predictor of how long you're going to live is how well you can exercise your heart," he says. "If you can push yourself to sweat for an hour a week, that's great. You can break it down into three little segments of 20 minutes each."

Let met tell you, the above is such wonderful information. In fact, as soon as I got my hands on this information I went running with it. I got back to the gym. I got even more strict with my diet. The first week I tried the above advice I lost four pounds. It’s truly amazing life-changing guidance. I hope you will give it a try too.

Before I leave you this week, I want to encourage you to go to Oprah.com and read for yourself, Dr. Oz was on Oprah again for a second-part series on aging. So, in closing I want to give you another one of Dr. Oz’s breakfast drinks; it’s called his “green drink.”

• 2 cups spinach
• 2 cups cucumber
• 1 head of celery
• 1/2 inch or teaspoon ginger root
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 apples
• Juice of 1 lime
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

After everything is combined in a blender, this recipe makes 28 to 30 ounces—about three to four servings.

Stay healthy, and have a great week!