On 1/20/09 I had the opportunity to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I am hopeful because I believe there are signs and symptoms that we are moving in positive directions in the areas of making healthier foods more readily available, making it easier to eat healthy and placing at least some focus and energy on preventing chronic diseases. Yes, recognizing once again that healthy eating and health are integrally interwoven!

I’m particularly heartened by the many ongoing reports, discussions and projects which promote the relationship between healthy food, healthy eating and disease prevention…from the promotion of locally grown agriculture by well known chefs such as Alice Waters, to the White House Organic Farm project whose petition I recently signed (and encourage you to do the same), to the early discussions by Secretary of HHS Tom Daschle about the importance of supporting healthy lifestyles, to our new President’s conversation about the responsibility of parents to their children. Hopefully a piece of the President’s parent responsibility message will focus on the important role parents can play in feeding their children healthfully and modeling healthy lifestyles.

I'm hopeful because it feels that we’ve come just over the mountaintop and the many snowballs of action are growing as momentum is gathering. Though it’s a challenging time, it’s also a good time to be hopeful about our future and health.