Dr. Oz on sugar, bacon, and the holiday stress

LOS ANGELES, CA (FOX 11) - Dr. Oz joined Good Day LA to discuss some of the health topics that matter to people today, such as bacon, sugar and stress! Here's more:

DR. OZ ON BACON:
The World Health Organization concluded that the level of evidence that makes you comfortable is the same for cigarettes as it is for bacon. He said it doesn't mean they cause the same amount of cancer or are equally dangerous, but they're that confident that making nitrate-based foods and processed meats gives you an equal chance as other carcinogens might. You can have roughly 3 pieces of bacon OR a hot dog OR 6 pieces of cold cuts and be ok.

DR. OZ ON BARBECUE:
What makes meat dangerous is when you char it. Those charred bits of material can cause cancer. If you marinate your meat for 10-15 minutes before you barbecue, it won't char as much and you'll have less risk for cancer.

DR. OZ ON STRESS:
The holidays can really be a problem for people who are trying to plan for family get togethers while also doing their day jobs. Circle the days that are going to be problematic for you, and on those days be more programmatic. On the day before and the day after, get more sleep and do better with your diet. Dr. Oz says, "I never tell people to lose weight on the holidays, because you're not going to be able to...if you can just maintain your weight within a pound or two, it's progress."

DR. OZ ON SUGAR:
Sugar stimulates your insulin, and you become a fat-storing machine. Dessert is metabolic suicide. Cutting out the white food and desserts is a great start to better health. The average American eats about 155 pounds of sugar. Dr. Oz says, "The reason you want sugar is that you want the fictitious high that comes along with it. It's not really giving you energy; it's withdrawing energy from your body's energy banks. Sugar hits your brain like crack cocaine."

You can watch the cooking demonstration by Dr. Oz's wife, Lisa, as she features food from the new cookbook, "The Oz Family Kitchen."