Michelle Bridges says food industry putting profits above the health of Australians

CELEBRITY fitness trainer Michelle Bridges has slammed the food industry for putting profits over the health of Australians.

Michelle Bridges has come on board as ambassador for Medibank's #LoveMyRescue to encourage potential pet owners to consider a rescue cat or dog.

CELEBRITY fitness trainer Michelle Bridges has slammed the food industry for putting profits over the health of Australians.

Two thirds of Aussie adults and one in four children are overweight or obese, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Bridges likened the food industry — companies who sell mainly packaged foods — to big tobacco.

“We have a lot of industries out there that are based on bottom line and are not necessarily about the health of the nation. I think we are up against it,” Bridges told news.com.au.

“The food industry makes navigating your way through a healthy lifestyle not always easy, especially if you haven’t had that background from an early age and you’re then trying to change it in your 20s and 30s,” Bridges said.

“I liken it a little bit to the tobacco industry, but that took about 50 years for changes to be made. It is challenging. I think that can be a real can of worms.

“We need to start looking at the health of our nation and we need to start blaming some of those players in the market. It’s all about bottom line and allowing people to have a better understanding of how to take better care of themselves. There’s a lot out there that needs to change,” she said.

Michelle Bridges has come on board as ambassador for Medibank's #LoveMyRescue to encourage potential pet owners to consider a rescue cat or dog.

The 46-year-old gave birth so her first son Axel, with partner Steve ‘The Commando’ Willis, in 2015. She fell pregnant at age 44 and was criticised for suggesting her pregnancy success later in life was due to regular exercise and healthy eating.

“I feel very lucky,” she told Who magazine last year, in an interview to announce her pregnancy. “But I also feel all of my years and all of Steve’s years of looking after ourselves and taking care of our health and our bodies, it just goes to show. For someone my age for it to happen so quickly it’s obviously got to do with good health,” she said.

Now, Bridges says she’s been forced to slow down since the birth of her son.

“I think any new mum would tell you that. Nothing’s ever the same. You’ve got to embrace it, rather than fight it,” she said.

“Whether I’m training hard ... or whether I’m doing something like lunges while holding Axel, or taking my dog for a walk, I always try to make sure I’m doing something most days. I’m taking care of my personal and mental health. It’s important to make sure I have some form of activity in my life.”

Michelle Bridges and her partner Steve "The Commando" Willis.

Bridges is currently promoting Medibank Private’s new #LoveMyRescue campaign, which offers three months free pet insurance to Australians who adopt a rescue cat or dog. Her own dog Patty, a cattle kelpie cross, was rescued from a farm 11 years ago.

The former The Biggest Loser trainer said having a pet forces people to get outside and exercise.

“A pet can bring you so much joy and love and it’s so good for you on so many levels. I’m all about getting people active. It’s getting you into a rhythm of taking it for a walk and it gets you out and it gets you seeing parts of your neighbourhood that you might not have otherwise seen, rather than making us drive everywhere.

“We know from research that having a pet can change your mindset. It gives you a much more positive outlook and can help with anxiety and stress. And that’s before you’ve even taken them for a walk,” she said.

In 2007, Bridges signed on as a trainer with The Biggest Loser, but has since left the show, along with Willis, to focus on her personal brand.

Earlier this year she defended TBL on the ABC’s Australian Story program and came under fire for comments she made about overweight people.

“[The Biggest Loser] has all sorts of critics who say, ‘You’re putting these people up to be insulted or laughed at or made the butt of a joke,” she told Australian Story.

“I think it might be seen that I have this agenda on people who are overweight or people who are deemed fat. Honestly if you are happy where you are, genuinely, more power to you.

“But I can tell you now, I am yet to have met someone who is morbidly obese and happy.”

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