Dr. Oz: “Kids Are The Future”

by Natasha Wolff | April 18, 2013 12:00 am

Dr. Oz is more than a medical professional, and more than a TV show[1]. He changes people’s lives. Case in point: HealthCorps[2], a national organization that promotes healthy goals for young people, that he founded with his wife Lisa.

At the foundation’s 7th annual gala, held at Gotham Hall on Wednesday Evening in New York City, the doctor was, appropriately, thinking about childhood fitness. “We can’t think of kids as the Achilles heel of society, as fragile and weak,” he explained. “What HealthCorps needs to do is get kids passionate about health,” Lisa added, “to get them engaged in their own bodies, and to see that healthy is cool. They’re not thinking about heart disease and diabetes, they have to think that being healthy is something they can aspire to, and we have to make it fun.”

And to keep the gala as fun as a playing a game of tag during recess, Mehmet and Lisa Oz recruited two of their favorite musical acts to perform: Jermaine Paul[3] (pictured at left), of The Voice[4], and Naughty by Nature[5]. “I love the music at these events,” Dr. Oz said, “because they represent what the group is about. It is about celebrating life right now.” Echoing the spirit of the event, the couple agreed to get moving to the music. “Watching my husband dance is the highlight of the evening,” Lisa said.

Seeing Dr. Oz at all, however, was the highlight for many other guests, including the performers. “I’m a big fan of Oz,” Jermaine Paul, who has attended the HealthCorps gala almost every year, told DuJour. Alejandro Chaban[6] (pictured right), a host on Univision’s Despierta America and a HealthCorps ambassador, couldn’t agree more. In fact, he credits Dr. Oz with personally changing his life. “I started gaining weight when I was like 10,” Chaban said, “I linked my dad’s attention to his approval, so I started eating and eating until I got to 314 pounds.” He started watching Dr. Oz several years ago, after he had lost the weight, and became a huge fan, to put it mildly. “I was totally one of those crazy fans,” he confessed, “Everyone knew.” One day, Oz surprised him at work. “I was preparing for a segment, and then someone knocked on the door. I thought it was my producer, but it was Dr. Oz! I actually thought I was having a dream or something.” Now, Chaban, who founded the Yes You Can! Diet Plan[7] tours with HealthCorps to promote healthy living for children. “You are what you eat,” he said, “Abs are made in the kitchen.”

Endnotes:
  1. more than a TV show: http://www.doctoroz.com/
  2. HealthCorps: https://healthcorps.org/
  3. Jermaine Paul: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jermaine_Paul
  4. The Voice: http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/
  5. Naughty by Nature: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naughty_by_Nature
  6. Alejandro Chaban: http://www.alejandrochaban.net/
  7. Yes You Can! Diet Plan: http://www.yesyoucandietplan.com/

Source URL: https://dujour.com/cities/new-york/dr-oz-childhood-obesity/