Dr. Oz speaks urges Oklahoma City students to control their destiny with healthy choices

Harold Hamm, founder and CEO of Continental Resources Inc., joined Oz on a tour of ASTEC Charter High School led by the school's founder and principal, Freda Deskin.

ASTEC is the first school in the state and region to participate in HealthCorps, and Continental Resources sponsors the HealthCorps program at ASTEC at a cost of $75,000 per year.

“Our hope is that we can get a bunch of schools in Oklahoma to spread the word that you can control your destiny if you understand how your body works,” Oz said, addressing the student body of about 700 middle and high school students.

Oz shared an experience he said helped inspire him to take action against childhood obesity.

The cardiologist had performed open-heart surgery on a 25-year-old woman who had severely blocked arteries.

The woman's husband brought to the hospital their two children, who were overweight, to celebrate their mother's survival. Her heart had been stopped for the surgery, so all were thankful she'd made it through.

The family celebrated with a meal of fries, burgers and large sodas.

“I realized that I'd failed,” Oz said. “Because although she'd survived the operation, I had tried to heal her with steel, the knife. She needed to be healed by thinking differently about the foods she put into her body.”