Reality stars dominate the television landscape.
And for the last ten years,
many of those stars have come to The Doctors
to share their personal stories of triumph,
or to seek advice on a variety of health concerns.
What we found with many of these reality stars,
is that their backstories might be
too real for reality TV.
The Doctors worked closely with reality matriarch Mama June
to stage a life-changing health intervention
on her daughter, Alana Thompson,
better known as Honey Boo Boo.
At that time, the 9-year old had a body mass index of 30,
putting her in the obese range and at risk
for future health problems.
This is a flashback to their story.
People think she's overweight because
she eats all the time, and that's not the case.
I like a lot of stuff deep-fried.
She has respiratory issues.
Corn dogs.
She's on a lot of steroids every day.
Deep-fried turkey.
She's on a lot of breathing inhalers.
I like some fries, maybe.
And that's what keeps Alana thick.
I like chicken nuggets.
I like to dip it in, normally, honey mustard.
Some mayonnaise.
Ketchup, maybe.
Barbecue sauce.
My pediatrician seems not too concerned
because he knows why.
I like to get chocolate donuts and put them in my milk.
That's really good.
He thinks it's more steroids.
Salads, actually, we don't eat that much.
She'll eat salads at school,
but I don't too much eat salads.
I love Oreos to death.
Deep-fried Oreos.
(hip-hop beat)
Are you worried about her?
Are you worried about her health?
I do worry about her health.
She has a weak immune system because
she has issues as an asthmatic child,
she has respiratory issues.
She's on a lot of breathing inhalers,
she's on a breathing machine.
She's on steroids quite a bit
because she keeps the croup and stuff like that.
We go to the doctor quite a bit.
There's no question that we've got
to address Alana's asthma.
Asthma is inflammation of the airways.
Yes.
What's ironic, is we're learning more and more
about how the foods we eat, the life we live,
how it all can increase inflammation in our bodies.
Part of her treatment is going to be
trying to minimize these steroids.
Yes.
But what's ironic, and something that
I've learned in the emergency department,
is the common culprit in a lot of these things,
believe it or not, is what you're eating.
You need to take some responsibility here, you really do.
I'll take as much time as it requires
until you say okay, well maybe--
Yeah.
Maybe I could do better.
Yeah, I mean, every parent can do better, I'm not sayin'--
Maybe I can do a heck of a lot better.
I know I'm not the perfect parent.
Let's pull up the picture of
your average breakfast bowl.
This has almost 1,000 milligrams of sodium,
over half the daily recommended allowance.
These fruity yogurts have as much sugar, sometimes,
as a candy bar.
You've got this beautiful 9-year old daughter
dealing with severe medical problems
which are based on this whole idea of inflammation.
A 9-year old is not gonna be doin' the shoppin',
a 9-year old is not gonna be cookin' the meals,
and a 9-year old's not gonna be
makin' the decisions, that's on you.
It's time for a health intervention.
Please welcome Miss Alana to our show.
(music and applause)
So, you like chicken.
Yeah, I like nuggets.
You like nuggets.
(audience laughing)
Chick-Fil-A grilled chicken nuggets.
Alright, so you like chicken nuggets,
what other foods do you like?
I like corn dogs.
Corn dogs, do you like pizza?
Yeah.
Do you like dessert?
Yeah.
Will you do a fun little taste test with me?
I guess.
Alright, grab that pizza, give it a whirl.
Mama June, you, too.
Do I have to do this?
This is really good.
You like fried chicken, right?
Yeah, I guess.
What do you think?
(audience laughing)
It's time for dessert.
(Alana laughing)
Tastes like dark chocolate.
It's pretty good.
So I have a little secret.
All of these foods are good for you.
How is fried chicken good for you?
You know what?
That's actually baked chicken
with whole wheat flour and rolled oats.
Okay, I would never have ever knew that.
You know that pizza?
That's made with cauliflower crust.
This, dark chocolate and avocados.
Would you eat all these foods
if your mom helped make those?
Yeah.
This is where I go back to you.
Would you be willing to make these
kinds of foods for your family?
Yeah, like I said, I'll do anything to support--
We don't have the recipe, though.
You know what?
You, actually, are gonna get all these recipes.
We're also gonna hire a personal chef.
And they're gonna teach you--
(applause and awe)
How to cook, what I call, of course I call 'em
doctors' diet-type foods.
Healthy foods that are nutritious,
high in protein, lower in sugar--
