She’s hanging with Elmo and Emeril Lagasse, Big Bird and Bobby Flay. Michelle Obama appears on “Sesame Street” on Tuesday 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 Tuesday’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, in an e-mail message to The Associated Press.

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.

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