TAYSHAUN PRINCE, WHITNEY WADE, COMMISSIONER FARMER
LAUNCH ‘EAT TO WIN’ CAMPAIGN FOR 2010-2011 SCHOOL YEAR

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Basketball star Tayshaun Prince and professional golfer Whitney Wade joined Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer to kick off the Eat to Win program for the 2010-2011 school year on Tuesday at Bridgeport Elementary School in Frankfort.

Eat to Win is a program Commissioner Farmer launched earlier this year to encourage Kentucky students to adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating more fruits and vegetables, eating more Kentucky Proud foods and getting more exercise.

“Whitney and Tayshaun believe – as I do – that you need to eat the right foods to do your best in the classroom, on the field of play, and in the game of life,” Commissioner Farmer said.

Prince, Wade and Commissioner Farmer spoke to fifth-grade students from the Franklin County and Frankfort Independent school systems in an assembly in the school gymnasium.

Commissioner Farmer said sometimes it’s hard to find time to eat right and exercise. “Adopting a healthy lifestyle requires time and effort, but the benefits will last a lifetime,” he said.

Kentucky Proud foods are part of a healthy lifestyle, Commissioner Farmer said. He told the students Kentucky Proud foods come from close by, not from across the country, and Kentucky Proud fruits and vegetables arrive on their plates at their peak of nutritional value. Buying Kentucky Proud products helps Kentucky farmers make a living, Commissioner Farmer said.

Commissioner Farmer launched Eat to Win in response to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that revealed that:

• ·        Only 13.2 percent of Kentucky’s youth eat fruits and vegetables five or more times a day, compared with the national average of 21.4 percent;
• ·        40.5 percent of Kentucky students drink one or more soft drinks per day, compared with the national average of 33.8 percent;
• ·        59 percent of American high school students skip breakfast three or more times a week; and
• ·        37 percent of Kentucky youth are either obese or overweight.

Prince is a former University of Kentucky basketball star and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year who plays for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Wade, a native of Glasgow, plays on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour and the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

More information about the Eat to Win program is available by going to www.eattowinky.com.