WASHINGTON — First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday stressed the need for promoting balanced, healthy eating during a live Web chat with AOL Health.
In the chat, promoting her “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity, she also addressed food deserts, citing the success of The Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia providing more healthy choices through a government-backed financing initiative.
"The produce matches any high-priced grocery store in the country, and the store is turning a profit," Obama said. "If they can do it in Philadelphia with its rural and urban communities, they can do it anywhere."
Speaking about childhood nutrition, the first lady said she tried to talk to her daughters about eating healthy, rather than focusing on weight, and on doing activities other than watching TV. “The message in our household is balance,” she said, citing the allowable occasional indulgence as a treat.
According to AOL, the Obamas do not keep processed snack foods and sugar-laden drinks at home, and eat at least one home-cooked meal a day together as a family. They also encourage the children to eat vegetables and try to set an example by eating a lot of vegetables themselves.