obama eatingIt doesn't matter how much time and energy First Lady Michele Obama spends promoting healthy eating policies. It makes no difference how many interviews she gives about trying to get her husband and two daughters to make healthy food choices. The number of photos she takes in the White House Garden is irrelevant. At least as far as food is concerned, the image that we will always have of President Obama is eating a giant roast beef sandwich, chowing down on tacos, or with his mouth full of burger. And there's nothing she can do to change that.

In fact, his penchant for burgers and other unhealthy foods is so well-known that during the 2008 Presidential race, restaurants across the country created signature burgers in his honor. Now, with the 2012 election just around the corner, restaurants are starting all over again ...

The first entry into the 2012 Obama burger fray is The Obama Pizza Burger from Pops Restaurant in Boston (where the President is visiting for a campaign fundraiser). It's a grass-fed beef patty topped with roasted tomato sauce, house-made mozzarella cheese, and basil, all piled on a ciabatta roll. It comes with a side of house-cut fries.

The Obamas are often criticized for promoting healthy eating habits while eating unhealthy themselves. (How could we ever forget the great Obama Super Bowl Party debacle, in which the First family was practically crucified for serving an unhealthy menu of brats, deep dish pizza, wings, twice-baked potatoes, and ice cream?) And it's got to be somewhat awkward for Michelle that even after almost three years of pushing fresh whole foods and cutting back on processed and fast foods, most of the food used to pay homage to her husband is still entirely unhealthy (albeit tasty!). Wouldn't Obama Pizza Broccoli be far more appropriate?

But that's the thing about Michelle's healthy eating campaign -- it's not about completely depriving yourself of what you enjoy but rather incorporating healthy choices when you can. So, for example, eat an Obama Pizza Burger for lunch but then it's time for a green salad at dinner. So, is Michelle pissed that restaurants across the country will honor her husband with some of the fattiest foods imaginable? As someone who once proclaimed that "a life without burgers and fries is really depressing," she's probably learned to take it all in stride.

 

Image via mediajorgenyc/Flickr