America has a latest figurehead in its struggle against childhood obesity - Michelle Obama. Last week, the First Lady told mayors from around the US how the current growth in the number of extremely overweight people was so staggering that it now threatens the ¬country's economy, through obesity-induced joblessness; children's education, because their weight issues disrupt studies; and healthcare, which may become besieged by patients with obesity-related ¬diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure..
Acknowledging the time and money pressures faced by many parents who desire their children to eat healthily, Obama admitted: "It wasn't that long ago that I was juggling a full-time job with the round-the-clock role of being a mom. And there were abundance of times when, after a long day at work, when the fridge was empty and everyone was hungry, I just ordered that pizza, because it was easier. Or we went to the drive-through for burgers, because it was quick and cheap. And I wasn't always conscious of how all the calories and fat in some of the processed foods I was buying were adding up. It got to the point where our pediatrician kind of tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'You know, you might want to consider making some changes.'"
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