Bill Clinton talks to the NY Times about his crusade for healthier children, his own current eating habits and even one of his early diet strategies.

“When I was a little boy, if you grew up in a place that was as poor as Arkansas was, it was generally believed that the best evidence of a baby’s health was how fat it was,” he said in an interview last week after announcing an effort to get junk food out of school vending machines. “My grandmother, who was a nurse, would have thought I was terribly anemic or something was wrong with me if I was normal. Now we know if you are normal size you are healthy.”

Advertisement

Variations on “I was a fat band boy who didn’t wear cool jeans” runs through the first 50 pages of his book, “My Life” (Random House, 2004).

His dieting efforts began in earnest when he was a teenager. “I designed a diet for myself one summer — high protein, low carb, a version of the Atkins and South Beach,” he said, adding hastily, “but I’m not trying to recommend it to anyone else.” He lost 20 pounds in one month, mainly, he said, because “I only ate one meal a day, between 1 p.m. and 6.”

Advertisement

Invest in the future of great journalism in Arkansas

Join the ranks of the 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts who know that the Arkansas Times is the go-to source for tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, our progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock has been on the front lines of the fight for truth, and with your support, we can do even more. By subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers and expand our coverage. Don't miss out on the opportunity to make a difference with your subscription or donation to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article PS on Donaghey deal Next article Gen. Clark in legal squabble