Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Contest Awards $1,500 In Prizes

Hockessin, Del. – Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is pleased to announce the consumer contest, Your Healthy Life and You, has awarded the Grand Prize to Jennifer Miller of Smithsburg, MD.

The contest asked consumers to share their success stories by writing, in 1000 words or less, how they have maintained a healthy lifestyle, lost weight, overcome nutritional trials and tribulations, or gotten their kids to enjoy eating fruits and vegetables or to share their fruit and veggie recipes.

Jennifer's Grand Prize wining entry featured the transcript of a conversation between herself and her 4 year old son that got him interested in eating carrots along with advice on how any parent can have a similar conversation with their child about any fruit or vegetable. Lana's entry discussed how she models a healthy lifestyle that includes eating lots of delicious fruits and vegetables for her two sons. Darcie wrote about how she lost 75 pounds and regained her health by changing her diet to include more fruits and vegetables in place of empty calorie junk foods. Nicholle shared her idea of holding a Miss Vegetable pageant each week with her daughters as the judges to encourage them to try new foods. Mary wrote about how she got teens at the school where she works to eat more fruits and vegetables and how she extends nutrition education from the classroom into the cafeteria. All of the winners' stories, tips, and recipes are featured on the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters website.

Four first place prizes were awarded to Lana Cook of Audubon, NJ, Darcie Liptrot of Syracuse, UT, Nicholle Harrison of Rome, GA, and Mary Johnson of San Juan Capistrano, CA. Lana's entry discussed how she models a healthy lifestyle that includes eating lots of delicious fruits and vegetables for her two sons. Darcie wrote about how she lost 75 pounds and regained her health by changing her diet to include more fruits and vegetables in place of empty calorie junk foods. Nicholle shared her idea of holding a Miss Vegetable pageant each week with her daughters as the judges to encourage them to try new foods. Mary wrote about how she got teens at the school where she works to eat more fruits and vegetables and how she extends nutrition education from the classroom into the cafeteria.

"The Your Healthy Life and You contest yielded several fruit & veggie success stories that I'm pleased to share with everyone on our website," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of PBH. "If you haven't already linked to www.FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org from your own website I encourage all of our members to do so now. All of this advice will come in handy for helping keep the promises made with the America's More Matters Pledge: Fruits & Veggies . . . Today and Every Day!, our online pledge campaign that encourages people to pledge to eat more nutritious fruits and vegetables for their better health."

PBH would like to thank all the members supplying items or coupons that made up the five prize packages. Those donors include: Dole, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc., Green Giant, Mission Produce, Inc., and Welch's.

Source: Produce for Better Health Foundation