by Dina Eliash Robinson

Possessed by an irresistible elation at the news and sight (on TV) of the First Lady’s organic garden, I wrote her a snail-mail letter of thanks for this worthy endeavor. In it I also drew Mrs. Obama’s attention to our recently posted article urging the President to give beets (which he reportedly dislikes) another chance. My note ended with a cheeky request for comments and some of the Obama girls’ or White House Chefs’ favorite recipes.

To my surprise and delight, an answer and recipe arrived—both bearing Michelle Obama’s signature.

Excerpted below are the first two paragraphs of my letter. We are, however, posting the First Lady’s reply in its entirety, because of its valuable message and eloquent description of the steps we can all take to improve our own and the nation’s health through better nutrition.

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June 25, 2009
Dear Mrs. Obama:

Thank you for setting a great example for the country with your organic garden and focus on healthy eating. Making food our medicine, as Hippocrates advised, is the most effective and economical way to improve and maintain the nation’s health.

To honor your planting and educational leadership, we posted a letter to President Obama on www.FreeRangeClub.com (our food safety watchdog and healthy gourmet cooking blog), in a lighthearted attempt to persuade him with historical and nutritional information to reconsider his aversion to beets. The letter also includes several recipes—some of them featuring dishes in which the crimson root is skillfully hidden among various other tasty ingredients that disguise its flavor and thus prevent its detection by even the most beet-sensitive taste buds.
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