So this is the USDA's latest re-created food guide. Gone is the beloved pyramid of my youth. In addition to the divided plate, they have a slogan for each food category.Grains - Make at least half your grains whole
Fruit - Focus on Fruit
Vegetables - Vary your veggies
Dairy - Get your calcium-rich foods
Protein - Go lean with protein
There is also a website, Choose My Plate, that offers free tools for weight management, including diet and exercise. There are tips for eating out, for pregnancy diet, vegetarian diet, etc.
I think the new website is nice. I like that the new plate method breaks down each meal and offers a more solid visual model than the pyramid. Of course, it has weaknesses, the main one for me being that I don't eat like this, and most of America probably doesn't either. Most ethnic foods like tacos, lasagna, pizza, pasta... heck, even a casserole, combine several elements in various combinations. The new website has a chart for "mixed dishes", but only includes about 2 dozen examples.
What do you think of the new plate method?
As a Nutrition and Foods teacher, I was used to the old system, and all of my lesson plans include the old system. But I do like the fact that it shows portion size and includes the tools that you mentioned above. :)
ReplyDeleteAbout time :) They kept altering the pyramid and I got so confused. What happened to four food groups?
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