Obama’s cholesterol goes north, but his appetite goes South
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You are what you eat, even if you are President Obama.
Doctors told Obama over the weekend that his cholesterol was too high, prompting a spate of concern from those not similarly challenged. The White House blamed the problem on the president’s secret craving for pie.
But there may be more than just sugar to blame.
At a lunch break on Tuesday in Savannah, Ga., Obama dined with dignitaries at Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room, according to pool reports. The president sat at a table with eight patrons and Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, and asked for a ‘sweet tea.’
The set menu included fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, cream corn, biscuits, corn bread, macaroni salad, turnips, green beans, BBQ pulled pork, blueberry pudding and banana pudding.
Holding a plate of Southern food, Obama joked to the press: “I don’t want any lectures about my cholesterol. Don’t tell Michelle.”
At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, the lanky Obama was ruled fit by his doctors. But the blood tests showed that Obama’s LDL cholesterol count has jumped from 96 a couple of summers ago to 138 -- borderline high. Obama was advised to adjust his diet to bring the number below 130.
-- Michael Muskal
Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal
President Barack Obama passes a plate of sweet potatoes as fried chicken and creamed corn is served during his visit to Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room in Savannah, Ga., Tuesday, March 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
