Clinton Targets Childhood Obesity
Former President Zeroed In On Obesity In U.S .After Heart Surgery
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Play CBS Video Video Clinton Takes On Fat Now in a push to end childhood obesity, former President Bill Clinton recounted his own struggles with weight problems and eating habits. Sharyn Alfonsi has his story.
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Mr. Clinton during his interview with CBS News Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi (CBS/The Early Show)
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Interactive Diet And Nutrition Are you eating right? See the government's guidelines, calculate your body mass index and quiz yourself on healthy food choices.
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In The Spotlight Weight Off Which diet is the best for you? Find out on The Early Show.
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Photo Essay Clinton's 8 Years The former president's travels abroad, and triumphs and troubles at home.
And now he wants to help kids see the light, too, by declaring war on childhood obesity.
Mr. Clinton was more like the average American than he'd like to admit - a cigar-smoking, super-sizing, friend of all things fried, observes CBS News Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi.
"You loved all food from the South?" she asked Mr. Clinton.
"Oh, my God, I do. I love it all"
"Barbecue?'
"Barbecue."
"Pie?"
"Pie."
"Fried chicken?"
"Absolutely."
"Ice cream?"
"Yeah."
And, famously, Big Macs?"
"I like it all. I love all that stuff"
He seems an unlikely candidate to kick off a health initiative, Alfonsi notes.
"Is it true you've sworn off all junk food?"
"Yes, I don't eat junk food."
"At all?"
"At all."
"Ever?"
"Ever. I don't think I've had any junk food since my surgery."
That was in September, when the former president underwent a quadruple bypass operation. Since then, he says, he's dropped 15 pounds and gained a new appreciation of the country's obesity epidemic.
But is it a cause really worthy of a former president?
"I'm working on tsunami relief, I'm working on AIDS, but cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in America."
©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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