To look at Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe talk show, one would never think that she has a difficult relationship with food. Slim, fit, blonde and beautiful, Brzezinski looks as if she’s never had to worry about diet or exercise. Every morning, Brzezinski sits on a panel with co-host Joe Scarborough and often debates and interviews heavy-hitting guests from the worlds of media, politics and entertainment. The lone female on a show dominated by successful and opinionated men, Brzezinski never fails to have her voice be heard, especially when she has a difference of opinion. Brzezinski paces the show, keeping her co-host and guests on topic and on schedule. She is a marvel to watch as she deftly navigates the demands of live television. Who would have ever thought that on many mornings, as she interviewed prominent politicians, she was secretly obsessing about her next meal?
Obsessed: America’s Food Addiction – and My Own by Mika Brzezinski is the story of her evolving relationship with food. But it’s much larger than that. Brzezinski not only bravely and honestly discusses her unhealthy food obsession, battles with bulimia, binge eating and lifelong struggle to be thin, she tackles the larger issues behind America’s obsession with food and takes on food manufacturers, advertisers, the media and the government.
We are an image-obsessed society and, as TV personality Brzezinski states early in the book, “My value was reflected in the visual message I was sending.” That can be said for all of us. Like it or not, we are judged first on our outward appearance. As a public figure, Brzezinski’s appearance is under constant scrutiny. But her unhealthy relationship with food and body image began long before she entered the public arena.
It’s projected that by the year 2020, half of all Americans will be diabetic due to being overweight or obese. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2010, more than a third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. Childhood obesity and all that comes with it – metabolic disorders, heart disease and certain cancers – is a national crisis. It puts a huge strain on the public health coffers to say nothing of the personal toll.
Brzezinski believes it’s time to shine a spotlight on eating disorders, obesity and the reasons that Americans are fat and becoming fatter every year. Obsessed tackles eating disorders from both sides of the issue. That is, in fact, how the book came to be. Brzezinski confronted her closest friend, Diane Smith about her health and weight, told her she was obese and challenged her to lose 75 pounds while admitting her own unhealthy obsession with staying thin and resolving to gain 10 pounds. Both Brzezinski and Smith chronicle their journeys towards healthy eating and include insights from notable people, including the late Nora Ephron, Governor Chris Christie and TV host Gayle King and their relationships with food. (Note: It was just announced this morning that Chris Christie underwent lap band surgery this past February to help him with his weight loss.)
On many mornings on the Morning Joe Show, Brzezinski insinuates the topic of food into the conversation. She teases, cajoles and sometimes scolds her co-host into trying to see her point of view on healthy eating. She often talks about raising her two daughters to have a healthy body image and a healthy relationship with food. She’s been nicknamed the “food Nazi” and “tofu girl” but, as she writes about in Obsessed, Joe Scarborough happily plays the foil to allow Brzezinski to get her important message across.
Obsessed is the story of Mika Brzezinski’s ongoing struggle with being overweight in the public eye, yes. But it’s also about America’s obsession with food, weight and body image. Obsessed provides an interesting perspective on eating disorders and brings up some controversial topics on what the food industry can do (and has done to contribute to America’s obsession.) I daresay that Brzezinski’s controversial stance won’t win her friends among those whose opinions are contrary to hers, but I seriously doubt she cares. Kudos to her for taking on this important subject in such a brave and honest way.
Author Bios
Mika Brzezinski, author of Obsessed: America’s Food Addiction – and My Own, is co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers All Things at Once and Knowing Your Value. She is the mother of two daughters, Emilie and Carlie, and is married to investigative journalist Jim Hoffer.
To learn more about the author, please visit http://tv.msnbc.com/mika-book-obsessed and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
Purchase Obsessed: America’s Food Addiction – and My Own here:
Full disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of Obsessed. This did not influence my review in any way.
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LOVED the article on Mika B’s new book! Excelllent review. EverBeautiful continues to be one of the best blogs on the ‘Net. It’s intelligent, informative, extremely well written — and like its blogger-in-chief- – beautiful to look at.
Thank you. In Obsession: America’s Food Addiction – and My Own, Mika Brzezinski presents the various sides of Americans’ relationships with food. It’s a complicated subject and Mika discusses it from various angles, not the least of which is the food manufacturing industry itself. It’s a frank and brave publication and one that I think is a must read.