(The Root) — Obesity is more common in African-Americans than in other ethnic groups. But when it comes to Black people and weight, that's where the agreement seems to end. Is food the culprit? Is exercise the solution? Is there even a real problem to begin with, or should we be focusing on health — or even self-acceptance — rather than the number on the scale?

Against the backdrop of the first lady's mission to slim down the nation's kids, black celebs getting endorsements after shedding inches and a booming weight-loss industry, The Root  will publish a series of interviews with medical professionals, activists and fitness enthusiasts that reveal the complexity of this issue and the range of approaches to it.

For the 11th in the series, we spoke to Venus Williams. The tennis superstar is gearing up to compete in the London Olympics, but before buckling down for the games, she stopped in Washington, D.C., for an appearance involving two of her lesser-known priorities: business and health advocacy. A Jamba Juice franchise owner, she's also an ambassador for the company's Team Up for a Healthy America campaign, which is designed to draw attention to the nation's obesity epidemic.

"It's so important to have good roots in healthy eating," she told The Root. "And not everyone learns that in the beginning."

The lifelong healthy eater and recent convert to veganism talked to The Root about her balanced, lifestyle-based approach to wellness; how a health scare inspired her conversion to veganism; and what she's doing to make sure all American kids get the same early introduction to healthy eating that she did.

Read the rest of the interviews in the series here, and check out The Root's other obesity coverage here.

The Root: When it comes to African-Americans and obesity, what is the biggest myth or misunderstanding?

Venus Williams: When it comes to people and obesity generally, it's just important to be balanced. It's important to be active, but also to take in the right things that are healthy for your body. It's about being healthy, because obesity does lead to health problems. So it's not just about how you look.

For example, I chose to be a vegan because I had some health problems, so I had to change my lifestyle. It definitely has helped me. I only started last year, so there's still some stuff I'm trying to purge, but it's a lifestyle thing.

Read the full story at theroot.com.

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