Dr. Oz and Lisa Oz Host Tropical Garden Gala to Raise Money for Healthcorps

The Gala raised money for Healthcorps, a non-profit founded by Dr. Oz that aims to provide teens with the tools they need to improve their physical and mental health. Combating epidemics that affect young people, like childhood obesity, Healthcorps plans to allocate these funds towards expanding its groundbreaking in-school health education programming. Dr. Oz, Lisa Oz, and their daughter, Daphne Oz, spoke about why Healthcorps is important to them and what health tips they have for young people.

How did you get involved with Healthcorps?

Why is childhood obesity such a serious issue?

Daphne Oz: “We’ve seen this as an epidemic for over 20 years now. It’s one of those things where we will only make it a non-issue once we not only make health accessible to everyone, but also when we make the information accessible. Everyone has access to the internet at this point, so if you want to find one random fact, you can, but a lot of the times it’s the vehicle in which it comes to you that matters, if it’s a friend sharing an anecdote that actually means something to you, if it’s someone in your life that’s making changes that actually mean something to you. It makes it more likely that you’ll make meaningful changes for your own health.”

It can be difficult to eat health as a young person who doesn’t have a lot of time or money. Do you recommend any recipes or meals that are healthy but also practical for this demographic?

Why did you decide to start Healthcorps, and what makes it important to you?

Is Healthcorps involved in outreach geared specifically to marginalized communities, like the South Bronx, which are most in need of health education?

Lisa Oz: “My favorite is nuts. You can travel with them, you don’t need to refrigerate them, you can roast them, put spices on them.”

 

Photos by Reyna Wang