Suzanne Somers appeared again on the Today Show over the weekend, pitching her new book Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat After 40, following her appearance on that show on Friday.
Much has been made about what Ms. Somers said on Friday, with her claims that it’s important to eat grass-fed beef because “they don’t inject them the way they do, those who are fed corn.
There have been a number of excellent responses to Ms. Somers’ claims, including this one from the blog Confessions of a Farm Wife.
But what we want to point out here is the interviewer, Natalie Morales, who challenges Ms. Somers multiple times.
When Ms. Somers makes her claim about eating grass-fed beef, rather than ‘corn-fed beef injected with antibiotics,’ Ms. Morales replies, “Your critics say, the FDA says that there is no scientific proof that that may be better.”
Ms. Somers’ reply was dismissive and condescending: “My opinion is, eat American, grass-fed beef, and it does exist here.”
Ms. Somers goes on to blame MS, fibromyalgia, lupus and other autoimmune diseases on the antibiotics injected into beef, because, essentially, they cause “leaky gut syndrome.”
Again, Ms. Morales interrupts: “There’s a big leap because there is not a lot of scientific proof to go, to say that it’s causing these diseases, necessarily. And you don’t necessarily have doctors as experts, you have a lot of alternative medicine gurus who you consult with.”
On Saturday, the interviewer, Amy Robach, says, “We should mention, obviously some of what you advocate is unconventional. Experts question your research, experts question some of the experts you reference.” Well done. She also asks, “Suzanne, you look great. Are you concerned that just because it worked for you, it won’t necessarily work for everyone?”
Her reply: “Look around. I can see in the studio here, who’s gluten intolerant, who’s got thyroid problems, thyroid’s a fat-burning hormone.”
The interview generally turned out to be one of those celebrity lovefests, but it was noteworthy that Ms. Morales got Ms. Somers to acquiesce to two points during the interview: everything was her OPINION, and that what she’s advocating worked for HER. Hopefully, viewers will remember those points, rather than some of the more outlandish ones.
Rachel Torbert
liz_koehler
Standing Out in the Field 