?Doesn?t Undo All the Harm..?: Michelle Obama Faced Backlash over Partnership with Millionaire Shaquille O?Neal in a Healthy Habits Campaign

NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal had accompanied former first lady Michelle Obama to an elementary school to promote her ‘Let’s Move’ campaign. The purpose was to encourage the audience to adopt a healthy lifestyle. But the campaign didn’t receive the acclaim that people might expect. On the contrary, the former Los Angeles Lakers center had unknowingly upset a group of nutritionists.

The duo nevertheless went on with the campaign as she addressed the audience about the motive behind the movement. They then went on to take part in several physical exercises and fun activities with the elementary school children.

Michelle Obama and Shaquille O’Neal received backlash from Nutrition watchdog group

As it turns out, Michelle Obama thought it was a good idea to form a partnership with an athlete like Shaq to promote healthy habits among children. But, not everyone was on board with the idea. And the Director of Nutrition Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Margo Wootan, seemed to be one of them. Following Obama’s ‘Let’s Move’ conference at the elementary school, Wootan criticized the former first lady for including Shaquille O’Neal in her campaign.

As it turns out, the root of the problem is a new product launched by Shaq. Apparently, the four-time NBA champion’s new sugary soda beverage contains 270 calories and 72 grams of sugar. Therefore, the name behind such a drink promoting healthy habits for children didn’t sit well with the nutrition watchdog group.

?Promoting physical activity for one day doesn?t undo all the harm he?s doing by selling and promoting sugary drinks, which are the biggest contributor to obesity,? said Wootan

READ MORE -?$400M Worth Shaquille O?Neal Once Owned Seven Cars but Only Paid for Three of Them: ?That Was My First Nickname in College?

She further speculated that the partnership with the 2000 MVP player might end up doing more harm than good. Wootan and several other nutritionists criticized the partnership with Shaq. Incidentally, Shaq had previously launched a soda line called ‘Soda Shaq’ in collaboration with AriZona Beverage Co. The soda contained high count of calories which, according to Wootan, promoted quite the opposite message to Obama’s campaign.

What is the ‘Let’s Move’ Campaign?

Michelle Obama founded the ‘Let’s Move’ campaign in the year 2010. The campaign’s aim was to reduce the childhood obesity rates to 5% by the year 2030. They wanted to encourage schools to provide healthier food to kids and indulge them in physical activities.

Watch this Story: ?My Baby?s Heart Rate Plummeted? ? When Serena Williams Narrated the Painful Final Stages of Her Labour With Olympia

What do you think of Wootan’s comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.