LJWorld.com

New York — She’s hanging with Elmo and Emeril Lagasse, Big Bird and Bobby Flay.

Michelle Obama appears on “Sesame Street” today and recently taped an episode of “Iron Chef America,” just two of the varied platforms she’s been using lately to get her healthy-eating message out to the masses.

And while the first lady herself didn’t appear on “The Biggest Loser” last week, her staff invited NBC’s popular weight-loss show into its kitchen and into Mrs. Obama’s famed White House Kitchen Garden.

First ladies have appeared on “Sesame Street” before. In fact, the show, which marks its 40th anniversary with today’s season opener, has also hosted Barbara Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush. But “Iron Chef” and “The Biggest Loser”?

“We’re trying to reach as many people as possible with the first lady’s message of healthy eating, and by working with platforms with similar goals like ‘Iron Chef’, ‘The Biggest Loser’ and ‘Sesame Street’, we’re able to do just that,” said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Mrs. Obama’s spokeswoman.

While some of the venues may be untraditional, the strategy is actually quite traditional for a first lady, says Mark Jurkowitz, associate director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

“If you’re trying to lay out a nonpolitical message, you go to nonpolitical media,” says Jurkowitz. And what’s more nonpolitical than a beloved children’s show, a popular food contest or a show about losing weight?

Not to mention the reach — “The Biggest Loser,” for example, is one of NBC’s most successful shows, averaging 9.6 million viewers weekly this season. “What’s different here is the ability to magnify the message,” Jurkowitz says.

“I think it’s very smart to do what they’re doing,” adds Ann Stock, former social secretary for the Clinton White House. “Think of all the different ways we get our information these days. If you want to educate people, you go to a variety of different venues, to nontraditional media. People aren’t using one media outlet anymore.”

In the nine months since she became first lady, Mrs. Obama has focused on several issues: She’s been a vocal advocate for veterans and military families, for example.

But perhaps her most visible cause has been her emphasis on healthy eating and fighting obesity, particularly in children. She delighted chefs across the country when she had her vegetable garden planted on the South Lawn, and she’s appeared there numerous times before the cameras. At a recent health fair nearby, she engaged in a hula-hooping session in which she reached an impressive 142 swivels.

The “Iron Chef America” episode, which has been taped but doesn’t air until Jan. 3, features White House chef Cristeta Comerford and three celebrity chefs: Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. Comerford and Flay are pitted against Batali and Lagasse in the contest, which brings them to the White House.

That’s where Mrs. Obama comes in, revealing the “secret ingredient” they all must use: Anything from her garden. The chefs get to work choosing their veggies.