Surgeon General's weight a non-issue

The media has done it again by weighing in on the weight of Surgeon General Sharon Salomon. As a Nutritionist I see an accomplished woman of a retirement age with a distinguished record who is willing to submit herself to the back biting of people looking for a perfect image. Lighten up, folks. Sometimes just good enough is more palatable than perfect.

Salomon is not an air-brushed model whose perfect image is her ticket to job security regardless of the hidden costs, possibly not healthy, of maintaining that look. She acknowledges that weight is an issue but she is dealing with her imperfection in a healthy manner with an exercise regimen I suspect few of her critics can equal. Of course, it is always easier to criticize the look of someone else rather than to confront your image in a mirror. It's a fact that as you age the metabolism slows in both women and men and you can slowly add a few pounds.

Genetics also are important. Salomon's genes and environment shaped her intelligence and her drive but they also shaped her short, muscular body. For this should she be treated like chopped liver? Some Food for Thought.

Audrey T. Beauvais

Arlington Heights