Thursday 2 June 2011

USDA unveils new plate-shaped MyPlate graphic for dietary guidance

USDA's new food plate, unveiled today, makes a great impression.  It communicates proportionality in frank terms, just like the original Food Guide Pyramid.  The accompanying written messages are clear and well-chosen to focus on the most important nutrition and health issues.  The authors wisely did not try to communicate every nutrition science principle -- for a more detailed summary, one can read the Dietary Guidelines, which are themselves quite accessible.  Like the Dietary Guidelines, the new graphic seems fairly vegetarian-friendly, describing the protein group without insisting on meat.  The tone is upbeat and not preachy.  And the whole thing seems friendly to real foods rather than technocratic food inventions.  I give it an A+.  Enjoy your food!

MyPlate  

  Balancing Calories
  Enjoy your food, but eat less.
  Avoid oversized portions.
 
  Foods to Increase
  Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
  Make at least half your grains whole grains.
  Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
 
  Foods to Reduce
  Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals and choose the foods with lower numbers.
  Drink water instead of sugary drinks. 

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