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LaToya Jackson
...The first thing you see as you drive slowly down the brick driveway towards the house is a three-car garage with the word "Welcome" elaborately painted in old English lettering over the garage doors. Michael gets his point across--you immediately feel welcome!
Michael's touch is everywhere...well, almost everywhere. There is one exception--the kitchen. Spacious, perfectly clean, and organized and stocked with all the latest kitchen gadgets, it's probably the one place in the house that Michael rarely ventures into except to pass through on the way to another room.
"Michael really doesn't care much about food", laughs 28-year-old LaToya, his beautiful sister who resides in the house with Michael, their parents, and younger sister Janet.
"We really have to keep after him to eat", LaToya continues. "I wish I was that way, but I'm not. Life is one constant diet for me!"
..."I have to work at maintaining my size", admits LaToya, "whereas Michael doesn't. I get food cravings and will pig out on something like lasagna. Michael never does that. He has such great discipline. I try, but sometimes the food wins! It's a never ending battle for me, but with Michael it's almost like the opposite.
"Sometimes we have to sit him down and make sure he eats", continued LaToya.
..."He is always so busy. At times, he just forgets to eat. People don't realize how much he has on his mind. And he is always creating, always doing something. Michael has a very high energy level. Where he gets all that energy, I don't know, but it's great to be around him, because it can be contagious!"
Every Sunday Michael fasts, which means he doesn't eat anything at all and only drinks water or fruit juices. LaToya does the same thing, but unlike Michael, her energy level seems to drop on Sundays while Michael's seems to go even higher.
"We both fast on Sundays, but on that day Michael will dance for hours perfecting his moves, while I tend to feel a little drained of energy", confides LaToya.
"I do feel better after a fast, because it does cleanse your body. Michael, however, thrives on it. He encourages me to watch my diet and keep my weight down, but it's a lot easier for him than anyone else in the family."
..."Michael is very healthy and he encourages everyone in the family to be also", reveals LaToya. "If he teases you, that shows he cares enough about you to help you. I'm a vegetarian and so is Janet. Actually, everyone in the family is and we do it not because Michael is one, but because it makes us feel healthier."