MyPlate Succeeds MyPyramid
Jun-04-2011

A colorful four-part plate, similar to a pie chart, with a side portion of dairy, replaces the 19 year old food pyramid as the icon of the US Dietary Guidelines with the intent of empowering Americans to eat the correct mix and portions of foods. Released June 2, 2011, MyPlate, "is the next-generation's food icon," commented Robert Post, PhD, deputy director of the USDA's center for nutrition policy and promotion, to WebMD. He goes on to say that, "the icon is the visual cue to get to online resources, to online media, and to unified nutrition messages from public- and private-sector efforts." The Lempert Report commends the USDA for taking the step to create a more visual, comprehensive, and interactive representation of the dietary guidelines. It's about time that we learn to communicate 2011 style.

A picture - is worth a thousand words, and unlike the confusing and sometimes indecernable food pyramid logo, shoppers will now have a better idea of what their total diet and general meals should actually look like -- on their plate.

MyPlate features the five food groups that are vital to a healthy diet - fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Fruits and vegetables take up half the plate and grains and protein take up the other half, the grains portion is slightly larger than the protein slice.

The brilliance of the plate is in its simplicity. The fact that the plate itself does not suggest any specific foods directly on the image helps consumers choose from a variety of foods- and not get stuck in a rut. Follow the links and click on the sections of the plate at MyPlate.gov for more in-depth information on each food group; where you are able to view actual portion sized images of a selection from each food group- thus helping to suggest new foods for a varied diet as well as customized to personal taste.

The information at MyPlate.gov is thorough, well thought out and if promoted well and used -- and those are the "ifs" - will be able to clear up much of the consumer confusion surrounding what and how much to eat for health.

And more to come:
In the fall, the MyPlate.gov will launch a suite of interactive web-based tools:
Daily, personalized food plans.
Daily food plans for kids.
Daily food plans for new mothers and pregnant women.
MyFoodapedia: information on food groups, calories, and food comparisons.
Food Tracker: feedback on your food intake and physical activity
Food Planner: a tool to plan meals that will help you reach personal goals.
All with the same intention: Enjoy food, but eat less.

We can only hope that this effort succeeds.

Posted by Ken at 12:00 AM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print