In case you haven’t heard, the USDA has finally decided to listen to me and encourage Americans to cover 1/2 their plate with fruits and vegetables! That’s right, the new food guide “pyramid” is not a pyramid, it’s a plate!
I find this method to be far more practical in helping people understand a healthy way of eating!
For some of the media coverage on this story, check out the Washington Post article, or the New York Times article. To go straight to the source, you can read about the new plate at www.choosemyplate.gov.
Key Messages
MyPlate’s three central messages are:
- Balancing calories – Enjoy your foods, but eat less. Avoid oversized portions.
- Foods to increase – Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Eat more whole grains. Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk.
- Foods to reduce – Compare sodium in foods such as soup, bread and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower amounts of sodium. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
What’s Not to Like?
Generally, reviews for this food guidance system have been MUCH more positive than for the very confusing pyramid! The only problems I see with it are pretty minor.
First, you might want to know that the plate size that we’re talking about for the image is a 9″ diameter. That is smaller than most dinner plates and definitely smaller than the plates when you eat out.
Second, I’m not convinced that dairy needs to be included in every meal. There are many bone building nutrients including vitamin K, magnesium, vitamin D, potassium and others in addition to calcium. If you opt out of the dairy though, you should probably upsize your veggies to get those extra bone builders.
Let me know what you think about the “new pyramid”!
I Need Recipes!
I have a special request from you! I am going to be doing a cooking class in a few weeks on using fresh and local produce. I want it to be practical and easy for the participants to take home and try. Do you have a recipe that you think would work great? I’ll probably be using squash and zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, herbs and blueberries.
Eat your veggies!
– Julie
