Warriors, Kaiser Permanente demo healthy living at SF Peninsula School

It wasn’t a tricky basketball shot that Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Timothy Wong used to impress Golden State Warriors’ player James Michael McAdoo. It was a plastic bag full of sugar. Dr. Wong held the bag for display to show students how much sugar they’d consume in a typical soft drink.
McAdoo was the “star” guest at the recent Warriors/Kaiser Permanente “Get Fit” event at East Menlo Park’s Belle Haven School. The Get Fit program includes lessons in healthy eating and avoiding sugar, but it also emphasizes exercise. For the group at Belle Haven, there was some vigorous dancing led by Playworks, another Get Fit partner, inside the multi-purpose room at the school
“We’ve teamed up with the Warriors to educate Bay Area youth on the importance of healthy eating and active living,” said Dr. Wong, who is a physician leader at the Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center. “So I was trying to dramatically show how much sugar is in popular drinks.”
In his home kitchen before the event, Dr. Wong filled plastic bags with carefully measured levels of sugar, based on the amount of added sweetening found in a cola drink, a sports drink, an orange juice, a chocolate milk. One bag was empty, representing a bottle of water.
“The bag of sugar representing the cola was nearly full,” said Dr. Wong, “and that not only impressed the dozens of school children at the event but James Michael McAdoo as well. He said he wanted to take it home to show his family.”
Each of Dr. Wong’s other plastic bags had less and less sugar, until he got to the empty container representing a bottle of water. Water is highly recommended as a healthy drink by both Kaiser Permanente, and the Golden State Warriors.
Dr. Wong said the 300 Belle Haven schoolchildren who attended the Warrior Get Fit event were very enthusiastic, and loved hearing power Forward McAdoo name his favorite food.
“Asparagus,” he told Dr. Wong during an impromptu interview on stage. A wave of excitement went through the children when McAdoo talked about Warriors super-star Steph Curry’s favorite food: salmon. And he said the team snacks on almonds, nuts, fresh fruit, and yes, the Warriors drink water.
A large display of fruit and vegetables was on the table at Belle Haven, to remind the children that it’s healthiest when they eat “many colors”: green peppers, yellow squash, red tomatoes, oranges, light-green celery, white cauliflower, and more.
“It’s part of a message we’d like the children to take home to their parents,” said Dr. Wong. McAdoo led the children in the “Get Fit” pledge, a tradition of these fun and educational sessions, and a reminder to keep up the lessons after leaving the event.
“I pledge to continue to do my very best to be active at least 60 minutes a day and to make healthy eating choices. I know that making these good choices will make me stronger, smarter, and healthier.”
The Warriors have brought players to dozens of Bay Area schools, in partnership with Kaiser Permanente and Playworks, to emphasize the importance of healthy eating and exercise. When the message comes from sports role models, it has an effect.
“It’s great these young people can get the word,” said Dr. Wong.