White House chef had oatmeal for breakfast

Sam Kass, the assistant White House chef, is First Lady Michele Obama’s point-person for her food-related initiatives.  He talked with Radio Iowa early this morning about the first lady’s upcoming trip to Iowa, this Thursday, for a “Let’s Move” event at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.  (Listen to the conversation here.)  I asked Kass what he had for breakfast.  “Oatmeal and coffee,” Kass said.  (Full disclosure: I had yogurt with granola and really strong coffee for breakfast.)

In case you missed it, Michele Obama’s three-day tour of the country to tout her “Let’s Move” initiative brings her to Des Moines first, this Thursday.  Read the details below:

WASHINGTON – On February 9, 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama will kick off a three day, nation-wide tour celebrating the second anniversary of Let’s Move!, her initiative to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. Since launching Let’s Move! on February 9, 2010, significant progress has been made to solve the problem of childhood obesity. Parents, businesses, educators, elected officials, members of the military, chefs, physicians, athletes, childcare providers, community and faith leaders and kids themselves have made substantial commitments to improve the health of our nation’s children. Through working together with Let’s Move!,  these groups have provided children with healthier food and greater opportunities for physical activity in schools and communities, helped get families the information they need to make healthier decisions, supported a healthy start in early childhood, and have worked to ensure more people have access to healthy, affordable food.  The Let’s Move! tour will highlight examples of people making changes across the country, from a single family to an entire state.

…First Lady Michelle Obama will kick off her three day national tour in Des Moines, Iowa, to highlight Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative, a private-public partnership launched in August by Governor Terry Branstad and other government and business leaders to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by 2016. More than 10,000 children grades 6 – 9 from Iowa schools will fill Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines to participate in a high-energy, interactive celebration of the Let’s Move! anniversary, hosted by Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative.

Mrs. Obama will be joined by former Iowa Governor and current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Iowa Governor Branstad, as well as NASCAR racing champion and member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Carl Edwards, Olympic figure skating champion and member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Michelle Kwan (who was recently inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame), Olympic champion gymnast Shawn Johnson, 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings, Health and Fitness Expert Bob Harper, Iowa State University Basketball coach and former NBA player Fred Hoiberg – who are all committed to helping kids embrace good health, nutrition and physical fitness.  Governor Branstad will sign a proclamation establishing February 9 as “Let’s Move! Day in Iowa” to celebrate the second anniversary.