First Lady Michelle Obama recently disclosed her tendency to undergo an occasional dietary cleanse " to clear her palate and change her mindset to Women s Home Journal (WHJ).
The fact that she refers to the diet as a cleanse raises the specter of colonic irrigation and other such unnecessary and unsafe diets; but hers is, in fact, a temporary vegetarian diet, points out ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
American Dietetic Association spokesperson and registered dietician Heather Mangieri was troubled by the first lady s diet. She told The Associated Press, I definitely wouldn't recommend it because you're missing food groups. While missing food groups for a couple of days may not result in deficiencies ¦it's really not necessary. You can still feel good by having a balanced diet ¦
ACSH's Jeff Stier takes issue with her misuse of the word "cleanse" given her newfound role as an anti-obesity spokesperson. So much of what the first lady has said regarding encouraging people to eat balanced diets high in fruits and vegetables has been reasonable and scientifically sound. But that she has some sort of cleansing routine, while her private business, is something I wish she wouldn't have admitted in the press.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross added, The first lady wields a powerful pulpit whenever she speaks, and since she has taken on the mantle of nutrition-counselor-in-chief, she needs to be careful that her words are not misunderstood. While her regimen is not at all bizarre, her work choice cleansing is fraught and might convey something other than what she intended.
