Choose My Plate

Healthy eating.  It sounds so simple – we’ve all heard the phrase and people spend a lot of time either trying to maintain healthy eating or trying to achieve it.  However, for a variety of reasons, for many people eating healthy is not as easy as it sounds.

The majority of Americans will be familiar with the Food Pyramid which has been used by the government, dietitians & the food industry for many years.  It is without doubt an instantly recognizable symbol for healthy eating - although it may be hard for people to explain exactly what the Pyramid  is trying to teach us!

 

On June 2^nd 2011 a new healthy eating visual aid 'MyPlate' was launched!

USDA quote: "First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin today unveiled the federal government's new food icon, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate is a new generation icon with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups."

I was excited to hear the new nutrition icon would be a plate as a plate model is what I used as a Dietitian in the UK and it was well received and readily understood by my clients and the general public.  

MyPlate's simplistic design was to make it easily understood by everyone - including children.   It emphasizes fruit & vegetable intake and the importance of dairy (or dairy alternatives if intolerant/allergic to dairy).  However, it has also been criticized for being too simplistic & for it's lack of food images and for not mentioning fats & sugary foods. 

The very fact that a new nutrition icon has been released will hopefully attract people's attention and highlight the 'healthy eating' message we often take for granted.  Additional information & resources can be found at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

The aim of this new icon is to simplify the healthy eating message and update it in line with the new guidelines which were launched earlier this year: 
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf  

The main points  of these guidelines are:

Balance Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains

Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

I encourage you to take some time to visit these websites, read the information & try out some of the interactive tools.

I personally see this as an opportunity to renew our efforts towards healthy eating & in the fight against obesity. I'd be interested in your comments on the MyPlate icon!