In a recent podcast interview, Michelle Obama expressed her surprise at the controversy surrounding her school lunch initiative, which she spearheaded during her tenure as First Lady.
Speaking on the "Not Gonna Lie" podcast with Kylie Kelce, Obama reflected on her efforts to promote healthier school lunches and increase physical activity among children. "I was trying to be strategic about aligning my agenda with something that was important to the West Wing and I thought, 'There's no way that anyone is going to take issue with trying to make school lunches healthier, getting kids more active,'" she remarked.
As reported by Fox News, Obama launched the "Let's Move" initiative in 2010, aiming to combat childhood obesity through significant changes in school lunch programs. The initiative emphasized the inclusion of more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, alongside low-fat dairy products, while reducing sodium and fat content. Schools adhering to these guidelines were eligible for an additional six cents in reimbursement per lunch served.
Despite the seemingly non-controversial nature of these changes, Obama noted the backlash she faced, stating, "It became a partisan issue. People were telling me that I'm trying to be the nanny state, and I'm trying to control what our kids are eating and telling them what's good for them and what's not good for them."
Obama's reflections come at a time when the current Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is advocating for similar health initiatives through the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Kennedy has pledged to pursue "radical transparency" in food safety and eliminate artificial additives from food products.
Obama observed, "Just trying to make the next generation healthier than ours and, boy, was I wrong, which is really interesting in these times with the current Secretary of Health and Human Services [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] who is now saying some of the same things that I was saying."
Despite the criticism, Obama remains proud of the accomplishments achieved through her initiative. She highlighted the improvements in nutrition standards and food labeling, which provided clearer information for parents regarding fat and sugar content. "Eventually, we got a lot done. You know, we were able to improve the nutrition standards, the labels so that they were more readable, so that people's parents could really understand the breakdown of fat and sugar, and it was clear we got the school nutrition standards improved in our schools for the first time in like 50 years. There hadn't been any updates," she explained.
Obama also recounted her efforts to make physical activity enjoyable for children, including partnerships with the NFL and setting a Guinness World Record for the most people doing jumping jacks within 24 hours. "We were really focused on making it fun, getting kids active, reminding parents that, you know, we got to make exercise fun," she said.
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