Michelle Obama urges Americans to drink more water; cue the critics

By Rene Lynch

Sept. 13, 2013 7:15 AM PT

First Lady Michelle Obama is under fire -- again -- this time for suggesting that American drink more water.

Now, that might not sound so controversial. But it’s not so much what FLOTUS said as what she didn’t say. Mainly, that American should drink more water and less soda, which is the message that some in the health community wish the first lady had delivered.

“I’ve come to realize that if we were going to take just one step to make ourselves and our families healthier, probably the single best thing we could do is to simply drink more water,” Obama said in a statement.

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“Drink just one more glass of water a day and you can make a real difference for your health, your energy and the way you feel. So ‘drink up’ and see for yourself,” continued the statement, issued before the official kickoff of what appeared to be a carefully choreographed campaign by Partnership for a Healthier America, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group with backing from the beverage industry as well as actress Eva Longoria.

Cue the criticism, and the sarcasm.

“There’s not exactly a hydration crisis in this country,” said a tart statement from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “We’re delighted that First Lady Michelle Obama is urging people to drink more water. But we hope people also take that advice to mean that they should drink less soda ...”

Politico quoted a health expert who said the emphasis on drinking more water was “bizarre” and not backed up by evidence: “There really isn’t data to support this,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of the University of Pennsylvania. “I think, unfortunately, frankly, they’re not basing this on really hard science. It’s not a very scientific approach they’ve taken. … To make it a major public health effort, I think I would say it’s bizarre.”

Obama, the partnership’s honorary chairwoman, has been a lightning rod for criticism since launching her efforts to help the nation battle its obesity problem, and particularly childhood obesity. Although it would seem that such goals are admirable, and beyond politics, Michelle Obama finds herself caught between business interests as well as those who say the first lady is being a nag, or those who say she’s not going far enough.

In other words, Michelle Obama just can’t win. What do you think about FLOTUS’ new campaign?

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