Dr. Oz Tells Federal Employees to Eat Less This Holiday Season: ‘You Don’t Have to Try Every Cookie’

Dr. Mehmet Oz, now serving as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is sharing guidance with federal employees on how to stay healthy during the holiday season.

Oz has been sending a weekly internal bulletin, “From the Administrator’s Desk,” and recently focused on managing seasonal snacking in an email titled “Crushing Cubicle Cravings,” according to WIRED’s report on Monday, Dec. 8.

“We all love a fun cookie swap and potluck this time of year. With several teams across CMS hosting holiday gatherings this month, I am sharing some strategies to help you make healthier choices—while still indulging in festive treats,” Oz wrote, per the outlet.

In the message to roughly 6,000 employees, he encouraged staff to “set your intentions,” decide ahead of time “how many treats” they plan to have, and “try to stick to that number.”

“You don’t have to try every cookie on the cookie table,” he added.

The former daytime television host, 65, also urged employees to “practice portion control” and “be mindful,” suggesting they opt for smaller plates and take “small portions.”

He recommended slowing down while eating by putting forks “down between bites” and paying attention to the body’s signals of fullness.

Oz further advised against “double fisting” food or drinks, suggesting staff keep one hand free to “[shake] hands with colleagues and friends during this festive period,” WIRED reported.

A CMS spokesperson, Christopher Krepich, said Oz shared the tips because he “knows it’s not easy balancing a healthy lifestyle and a demanding job.” Krepich added that the guidance was intended as “encouragement to help the hardworking CMS team stay healthy while they work hard to ensure millions of Americans access quality health care.”

President Donald Trump appointed Oz as Administrator of CMS, the federal agency that provides health coverage to more than 160 million Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Health Insurance Market. Oz reports to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Before entering government service, Oz was widely known for promoting various wellness and weight loss products. In 2014, he appeared before a Senate panel to answer questions about his endorsement of unproven weight loss remedies, ABC News reported. At the time, he had promoted a green coffee bean extract as a “miracle in a bottle.”

When pressed by senators, Oz acknowledged that while he “believed” in the product, he did “recognize that often times, they don’t have the scientific muster to present as fact.”