The familiar Food Guide Pyramid just got an overhaul in the form of a plate. The old pyramid format, while pretty and colorful, was confusing with its jumble of food groups. The USDA recently introduced "My Plate" as the new user-friendly icon for healthful nutrition.
The focus now is on food portions while including all food groups at each meal. Visualizing food on an actual plate helps make portion control and meal planning easier.
In general, everyone should include fruits and vegetables at every meal. An easy way to approach it is to just fill half your plate with produce.
Grains are decreased to one-fourth of the plate to make room for those fruits and veggies. At the same time, refined and white grains should be decreased, opting for whole grains more often.
The "meats and beans" portion of the old pyramid has been replaced with "protein" on one-quarter of the new plate. This change helps us move toward a more plant-based diet by selecting some vegetarian protein sources instead of just meat. Protein needs can also be met by eating a variety of beans, nuts and soy products, as well as eggs and dairy foods.
The side dish of dairy encourages us to consume dairy products at each meal. By doing so, we can reach the recommended three daily servings of calcium- and Vitamin D-rich foods. Consider having low-fat milk, cheese or yogurt at each meal for good bone health.
Notice anything missing on the new plate? You'll no longer see a reference to fats, oils or sugars. While they can have a place in small amounts in a healthful diet, they shouldn't be prominent. Increasing fruits, veggies, whole grains and low-fat dairy products goes a long way toward cutting back on extra fat and sugar calories.
For the general population, focusing on portion control allows for balancing total calories without a strict diet for weight loss. For more detailed information such as determining individual calorie needs, specific food portions, recipes and meal plans, visit the updated website. Go to www.choosemyplate.gov, and click on "interactive tools," then "daily food plan."
Thinking about what's on your plate can be the first step toward improved weight and health. But what's actually put on that plate has the biggest impact. Americans need to work toward closing the gap between the thinking and the doing.
Take time to use these new tools, and if you need help, contact a registered dietitian. Nutrition need not be complicated, but it can be confusing when we're bombarded with different nutrition messages. Dietitians can help you wade through the information. To locate one in your area, go to www.eatright.org, then click on "find a dietitian."
10 tips to a great plate
•Balance calories by eating smaller portions and increasing daily physical activity.
•Enjoy your food, but eat less. Take the time to enjoy the food as you eat it and to feel fuller.
•Avoid oversize portions.
•Eat these foods more often: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or 1 percent milk and dairy products.
•Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
•Switch from full fat and 2 percent dairy milk and dairy products to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) ones.
•Make half your grains whole grains, such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread.
•Eat these foods less often: foods high in solid fat, added sugars and salt such as cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, sweetened drinks, pizza, sausages, bacon and hot dogs.
•Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals — and select the foods with the lower numbers.
•Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
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