The new MyPlate food guideline looks delicious.
In 2005, the USDA rolled out a brand-new food pyramid that was supposedly the easiest to understand in the history of government-mandated food guidelines. Well, like all things governmental, it wasn’t quite as easy as they’d hoped. Americans just got fatter, and the Food Pyramid (now with stick figure climbing stairs) just kept on confusing America’s children. Well, if at first you don’t succeed… the USDA is waving goodbye to the Food Pyramid and welcoming the new MyPlate system.
“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating,” said First Lady Michelle Obama, whose anti-obesity mission has been the defining feature of her White House role.
Robert Post, deputy director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, adds that the new symbol is part of a whole healthy eating initiative built around seven key messages: enjoy food but eat less of it, avoid oversized portions, make half your plate fruit and vegetables, drink water instead of soda and sugary drinks, switch to skim or 1% milk, watch your sodium intake, and make half your grain serving whole grains.
Basically, where before you had to figure out servings and ratios and stuff like that, now you just have to look. A plate, divided into quarters, has four sections: grains, protein, fruit, and vegetables. No more servings, no more confusion (hopefully). If you eat a quarter of a plate of these things, you’ll probably have a decently balanced diet.
Tags: USDA, Michelle Obama, MyPlate, Food Plate, Food Pyramid, USDA replaces Food Pyramid with MyPlate, nutrition, nutrition guide, new plate-style nutrition guideline, Robert Post
