Al Roker and Food Network Trying to Make Kids Healthier, Thinner
Monday, March 19, 2007 | posted by Mike
Food Network and Today Show personality Al Roker knows a thing or two about becoming a healthier eater. Once known for his oversized personality and oversized waistline, he's used gastric bypass surgery and a more nutritious lifestyle to shed over 100 pounds. Now, he's working with Food Network president Brooke Johnson to create a documentary about the problem of childhood obesity. An article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has the info about the show, called Childhood Obesity: Danger Zone and which will air on March 31st.
It is the Food Network's first documentary. Kids and obesity activists will be featured in the one-hour show. Rocky Tajeh, 18, who attends high school in New York, talks about his lap-band surgery (he symbolizes new research on the rising rate among U.S. teens for obesity-related procedures) and the challenges of weighing 500 pounds. Jeff Trimble, 14, from Little Rock, Ark., discusses his diet and exercise methods for losing enough pounds to no longer be considered obese or overweight.
Roker certainly has credibility on the subject, considering his own weight loss and the fact that he has children who, thanks to their genetics, might be predisposed to being overweight. Plus, you have an entity in the Food Network where the entire point is the glorification of and obsession over food, in all of it's creamy, crispy goodness. Certainly, even the most devout FN watcher knows enough to realize that, if they dine on Paula Deen's recipes for each and every meal, they're going to end up pretty chubby. But kids are a different situation, because they are so dependant upon the food put in front of them by their busy, often overworked parents. Having a show that points out that fact, and that teaches some lessons about the importance of providing kids with health food and smart eating habits is a good thing.
