WASHINGTON – Boxing legend Mike Tyson, who tasted both glory and prison in a roller-coaster life and career, spoke out on Feb 11 about his new role as a healthy eating ambassador for the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
The former heavyweight champ has lent his face to an ad campaign with the slogan \u201cEat Real Food\u201d, as opposed to ultra-processed products that are popular in America. <\/p>\n
An ad generated by the campaign aired on Feb 8 during the Super Bowl, the annual US national league football championship game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the biggest fight of my life,\u201d Mr Tyson said on Feb 11 at an event with US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/p>\n
Mr Tyson is a poster child for public rehabilitation from disgrace, as his boxing prowess was marred by a rape conviction and prison stint, as well as a fight in which he bit off part of his opponent\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n
In the new black and white commercial, Mr Tyson, 59, recalls that his sister Denise suffered from obesity and died of a heart attack at age 25. <\/p>\n
He recounts a tough childhood battling his own weight issues, eating junk food all the time and weighing as much as 156kg. <\/p>\n
\u201cI had so much self-hate,\u201d Mr Tyson says in the ad. \u201cI just wanted to kill myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere I come from is Brownsville, Brooklyn. It\u2019s the most violent, poverty-struck neighbourhood in the city of New York. And ultra-processed food was just the norm,\u201d Mr Tyson said at the event with Mr Kennedy, whose slogan is \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d.<\/p>\n
Americans consume a diet heavy in calories that come from ultra-processed foods and are among the world\u2019s worst offenders in this category, according to government figures.<\/p>\n
Eating food rich in sugar, fat, salt and preservatives is associated with a higher risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems.<\/p>\n