DoctorOz: Weird Eating Habits Judged by Experts!

Today, no lunch buddy or dinner date is safe. I ask you to turn in your friends and family to settle the question, is that food habit normal or nuts? I brought in a panel of experts to weigh in. Psychologist Dr. Jen Hartstein is joining us. Etiquette expert Thomas Farley, he's also known as Mr. Manners. We'll find out why in a second. And nutritionist Heidi Skolnick is back as well. So let's get into the turn-ins. First, I want you to meet someone, guess what, her mom is about to call her out. On her food habit, take a look. Check out my daughter's food habit. My daughter eats her candy like a beaver. She nibbles the chocolate off, then she goes through it layer by layer. It's ridiculous. I need to know, is this normal or not? Come on down, come on down. So, let me find out what the story is here. Welcome to the show. Thank you. Are you happy about your mom doing that? No. Oh. Debra, why'd you turn your daughter in? Why would a mother do that? So, here's the thing. She, when Jennifer gets that Kit Kat out, it's a whole process with her. So, she opens it up very slowly. It's like a ceremony. So, my other daughter will look and she'll go, Mom, are you kidding me? Are we going to get through this or not? So, um... So that's why I sent it in. I want to know the way she eats this. Is that normal or nuts? Or nuts. That's the question. So do you eat other foods like that? Do you eat your broccoli like that? Yeah, actually, I do. Well, I have to cut it up specifically. Very particular. I actually brought you one here. If you don't mind, would you mind demonstrating that? Sure. And explain the ritual to me. Okay. Well, you have to break it in half first. In half, of course. I should have known. Okay. You know, a lot of us have these habits when we're young, but we sort of grow out of them. It didn't happen with you, I guess. No, it didn't. And it lasts longer, too, because if I didn't break it, then I would just eat them right away, and it's more calories, so it times it out. Audience, what do you guys think? Is eating a Kit Kat like a beaver? Is eating a cat like a beaver, period? Is it normal or not? What do you guys think? Normal? They're not sure, Jennifer. That's why I brought an expert panel in today. Jen, let's hold up your wand. What do you think? It's actually pretty normal. It's normal. Mm-hmm. Mr. Manners? I'm going to go with nuts on this one. Ooh. Yeah. So I'm going to say normal, but with some exception. Which is? Which is that it's wonderful to savor your food. And in fact, kids do it all the time. Like if you watch kids eat an ice cream, it's a project. And they're really sort of, you know, it's a candy bar. They get the chocolate and they taste that. And then there's the nuts and then there's the caramel. And they're really, we call it mindful eating as an adult to pay attention to what you're eating and savor it. So that's a wonderful thing. It's only when it becomes a little bit more extreme and it expands into, like, every food that it can really become problematic. And I think I'm sure that's right. Before I get to the psychological backup here, this was a manners issue here. I don't know, advising someone on proper etiquette. Dining etiquette, what would you say about the way that Jennifer's eating? Sure, so this is probably a whole lot more common than most of us would think. Doesn't mean it's normal. It's common. It's more common. Yeah, yeah. I'm sure we all know somebody who's a noisy eater and who deconstructs his or her food when they're eating. The issue, though, is that it's distracting other people who are around. So I would say, in private, eat any way you like. But when you're around others, this is really going to get on their nerves. It's going to ruin their enjoyment of their own food. All right, Jen, take it away. So I mean, I think that there is an element of normal to it. Heidi spoke to the fact that it does slow us down. It does make you enjoy your food more. And it does actually have some potential benefit because we are more mindful of what we're eating. And therefore, you might actually eat less, which could lead to better health benefits at the end of the day. The time we have to worry about it is when it does get into that spot where you can't eat foods kind of in a is acceptable to everybody else, and then it could lead to some disordered eating because maybe we're very specific or very kind of careful in ways that we don't need to be in how we're eating. So the consensus is you're normal. Okay, good. But Mom probably knew that a little bit anyway. Here, take it back to your seat. Thank you. Don't eat it while I'm talking. All right, next I've got a friend who's getting turned in for what she won't eat. Take a look. Dr. Oz, my friend Mary is terrified of tomatoes. Eating them. Touching them. She hates everything about them. Take a look. I'm slipping some tomato into her food without her knowing. Really? Oh my gosh. I can't eat it. Can't eat it. Can't eat it. Hey! I need to know, is this normal or nuts? Oh, come on down. Come on down. I don't know, Mary. Why do you hate those tomatoes so much? Oh, my gosh. The texture is slimy. You bite into it, it keeps pulling out of the sandwich. I just can't stand it. Actually, I got a high five on this. This is so well done. So, how long have you been doing, Mary, a hard time about this? We've been friends for over 15 years, and I just thought for her 30th birthday, we had to prank her. Like, we had to get her to eat some tomatoes. When's your birthday? It was yesterday. Oh, my goodness. Happy birthday. Thank you. Thank you. This is, I think, the perfect birthday present for you. So what lengths have you gone to to try to get Mary to eat tomatoes? I just, all the time, tell her that she needs to eat them, that they're good for her. And, I mean, she will avoid eating certain foods just because of the tomatoes. She's missing out, Dr. Oz. Again, you know, like Jennifer earlier guessed, eat the Kit Kats. We have habits when we're young. Most of us outgrow them. Never happened to you? No. Was there a sentimental moment that you just decided you hated tomatoes? No. It's just something about it. Like, growing up, I would have a separate dish from the rest of the family. I could not stand it. All right. Audis, being this picky, normal or nuts? They all say normal because I like that, too. All right, let's take the panel up. Hold your votes up here. Jen, you want to start us off? All right, so believe it or not, this kind of is nuts, but not as bad as it could be. So we do know that picky eaters happen in childhood, and sometimes that goes into adulthood and actually is being explored as a disorder called selective eating disorder, right? So it is some disordered eating behavior, but it's not as bad as it could be. So it's kind of a little bit on the nuttier side, but, you know, not awful. All right, Mr. Manners, is it polite not to eat tomatoes? I'm going to do the impolite thing and say this is nuts also. So, uh, The key here is you're entitled to dislike anything that just happens not to match your palate, but when you're around somebody who really enjoys that food, or especially if you're in somebody's home and they're so proud of the dish they've made for you, if you're whining about how you don't like it, that's not very polite. She's always very polite about it. I will say that. How about the disgust she has for what you're eating? Yes. Heidi, what do you think? So I'm gonna say normal, I was gonna say nuts, but because it's kind of restricted to one food and you're polite about it, we all have food preferences. Often it's a texture thing that kind of drives it. Again, if it was more extreme where you're like, oh, this is gross and I can't eat it and it interfered with your social life. Or you went running out of the room because the plate was on the table in front of you. Then we would move it over on that line toward, you know, there are people with anxiety and OCD And other issues that really affect their. They're eating and become prohibited, and then it's an issue. But if it's just a food preference and you can get the sandwich without the tomatoes, okay, that's your preference. So, unfortunately, the panel consensus generally is that you're a little nuts, but I love nuts with people. I think your friend does, too. Thank you, Dr. Oz. Take care. Thank you. Thank you. Bye, Ashley. Thanks for turning her in. All right, now, I'm being told to read this as a surprise for me. The next person being turned in is someone who's not expecting it. It's a surprise, and my staff is turning me in. Are you kidding me? See? I'm being turned in. All right, take a look at what they got on me. These guys. Never trust them. You know, Dr. Oz is definitely a food pusher, but he means well. He just wants to share with everyone. Taste this. You do the tasting. Can I share with you? Which one do you want to try? You want to take a bite there. Give it a taste. He's like, here's some treats from Turkey. Here's some honey from my bee farm. I'm trying to help. Here's some gluten-free cookies. Have them. And I'm like... No, Dr. Oz is always offering me berries. Do I always want them? Not really. But do I take them? All the time. I want you to taste this because you'll like this, I think. I want you to taste this. You better taste it if you like it. It's the best. So bottom line, Dr. Oz loves giving people food. Food, Dr. Oz. Dr. Oz, food. They go hand in hand. But is he normal or nuts? I am as guilty as charged. I am a food pusher, I'll admit it. I grew up in a family where you showed your love for people by giving them food. Anyone else like me? Yes. So, whatever, you guys are always sending me presents to the studio, and I feel guilty, just like a little muskrat, to holding them in there and chewing them up myself. So I take them around the offices, and I hand them out to all the producers, and many of them very politely accept them. I don't know if they like them or not. I always assumed they did until today. However, however, now that I'm thinking about it, I probably should audit myself. So I've had the tables turned on me. Guys, please be brutally honest. I'm going to start with Heidi, because I'm worried about the psychological issues. The nutritionist. Nutritionally, I am handing out only healthy food. I don't go around with junk. Right. So, Heidi, what do you think? Normal or nuts? I think it's normal. Yes! Oh! And please explain to the production team why it's normal. Okay, listen here. The thing is, it is, it's just like old time around the kitchen, it's like an extension of love. You're nurturing, you're giving, and you're not very territorial, you're like willing to share of yourself. It's when food is sort of that metaphor for love and generosity, and your heart is full of that. Ha! Whoa! Alright, Mr. Manners. All right, Mr. Manners. Dr. Oz, you're going to get a normal from me on this one as well. I love this show. No, no, no. It's clear you're doing this for the right reasons. And I think the nuts, actually, is that your staff is not coming back to you and saying, I don't want this, please no thank you. I think if you were pushing it past that point, then I would say you were nuts. But in this case, what I'm hearing is that you're offering it graciously because you care about their well-being and you want them to enjoy it as much as you do. Well, you are very kind. I wholeheartedly agree with you. Thank you. All right. I want some kindness here on the psychology side. Jen, what do you think? You are normal. So here's the reason why. I mean, look, I would like to come back to the show, Dr. Oz. I'm not going to tell you you're nuts. But here we go. Normal because we have research that shows that You know, by sharing food, we know, you said it yourself, it's nurturance, it's the way we've shown love. And there was research that shows with chimpanzees that it boosts their oxytocin, which we know is like that love drug. So it really does make you, as Heidi was saying, and as you even noticed, that it makes you feel connected to those people. It makes you feel like you're giving to them. It feels like you're showing your love in that way. The thing to be mindful of also. Good, it's healthy, but if we push food in the wrong way, people then learn that that's the only way to get love, and we know the risks of that, obesity, you know, emotional eating, and all those kinds of things. So, yes, it would be great if people could say no politely and that you would accept that. Maybe they're a little afraid of that. So checking in and making sure that they want it first would be great. Well, you compared me to a chimp. I'll take it as a plus. And just so you know about the love stuff, my staff tells me they want to squeeze my head like a zit. So I think they do it only to a point. I love this. It is normal. Thank you very much You can watch me explain more bizarre health quirks on the normal or nuts videos of dr. Oz calm Thank you for watching. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications. You never miss out on new videos to live the good life