Food Food Guide Latest Pyramid

New dietary guidelines easier to understand, experts say

The USDA has replaced the food pyramid with a plate, in the hope that people will use it to get a better idea of what foods and portions make for a healthy meal.

In its constant effort to get us to eat a healthier diet, the government recently served up a new food guide icon called MyPlate. The colorful segmented dinner plate, which is based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, offers a heaping helping of simplicity, an ample side order of practicality and a light dollop of details.

MyPlate replaces the food pyramid graphic that nutritionists found cumbersome and confusing. The new icon is being lauded as serving a better “how to” approach to visualize recommended daily intake of various food groups and being closer to the ideals nutrition experts have been dishing out for decades.

Instead of the pyramid’s stack of building blocks on which we were supposed to base our diets, MyPlate features something almost everyone understands – a plate. It’s divided into four sections, with half of the plate devoted to vegetables and fruits. The other two sections are grains and protein. A circle at the side of the plate is for a low-fat or nonfat dairy product.

“The messages of the food pyramid were too difficult to understand. But, when you look at the plate (icon), the message is clear – half your plate should be fruits and vegetables,” said Christine Zoumas, registered dietitian and nutrition instructor at UCSD Medical School.

The first goal of this new plan is to build the public’s awareness of how important fruits and vegetables are to a healthy diet. Too few Americans eat the recommended daily servings of these nutritious foods, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).The hope is that with this new icon circulating in the media, consumers will have a quick and easy way to determine whether they are meeting the recommendation of fruit and vegetables by taking a quick look at their plates and plates of their children and grandchildren.

"Fill half the plate with fruits and vegetables will be a challenge for Americans. We have always been a nation of meat and potatoes. But if we look at this, it might be a constant reminder to think of fruits and vegetables by eating or preparing meals, "said Zouma.

Ditch The Pyramid - Grab a Plate - GI Associates Jackson, MS

Thank goodness the food guide pyramid is history! It has been around for more years than I care to remember. Who stacks up food choices inside a psychedelic colored pyramid when trying to figure out what to eat for good health? Not me. Using a plate to convey what makes up a healthy diet makes sense. The U. S. Department of Agriculture finally got it right with the new food guidance icon – ChooseMyPlate.

You may be asking why the big change? The food guide pyramid has been around for almost twenty years, so why the big change now? The change coincides with the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released this past January. The guidelines are revised every five years. Usually the revisions are simple ones. The guidelines are used to direct federal government’s nutrition education programs, federal assistance nutrition assistance programs and dietary advice provided by health and nutrition professionals. The new guidelines focus on empowering folks to make healthier food choices and slim down in the process.

In the past, the food guide pyramid was used to help visualize the underlying Dietary Guidelines. A new simple visual icon was needed to convey the underlying messages from the revised guidelines. The key word is “simple”. The current food guide pyramid didn’t cut it. Thus the new plate icon was developed to go along with the newly released 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Lots of new interactive tools are also in the works to be rolled out later in the year. Please feel free to check out www.ChooseMyPlate.gov

Along with the new visual plate, simple how-to messages to help us make healthier choices will be rolled out throughout the year. Stay tuned…in good health!

In 1981, Dr. James H. Johnston, III, Dr. Billy W. Long, and Dr. James Q. Sones saw a need for gastrointestinal care in the Jackson-Metro area. They organized GI Associates and in 1987, they relocated to their present location in the Watkins Medical Building at 1421 North State Street, Suite 203 in Jackson. The Gastrointestinal Associates Endoscopy Center, an outpatient procedure facility was built in 2001 to provide patients a state of the art facility with the latest technology combined with the highest level of service.

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