It helps to be The New York Times! You get the “inside scoop” of the biggest government overhaul we’ve seen in some time – the burying of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. They were the first to reveal that “the pyramid” is getting ditched for a plate. We all still have to wait to see the image, but you can imagine it based on the NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/health/nutrition/28plate.html
In the 1950′s we had the “four food groups” – I remember learning this in elementary school. It stuck for awhile. The first pyramid came in 1992 and it got a makeover in 2005. But it still stinks so I’m glad to see it go!
It makes complete sense to use a plate rather than a pyramid. We aren’t in Egypt and we should be eating off of plate not out of a bag. It makes even MORE sense to say half the plate should be fruits and veggies. That’s what the science says. That’s what I teach my clients. The problem is that it is not EASY to do in our environment of cheap food, fast food, and huge restaurant portions. But if you care about preventing diseases and managing good health, you will come around and learn how to eat balanced most of the time. By the way… it’s fun and delicious. No matter where you are at right now, even if you have the crappiest diet, you can healthify it and enjoy it.
Supposedly, this new icon is going to hit us HARD…
You’ll be seeing the icon everywhere. Every relevant federal agency will be doing its part. The White House will play a leading role, coordinating the new USDA/HHS dietary guidelines with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative.
I’m excited to see the reveal. I’m sure I will have opinions on it. I hope it is simple, clear, and empowering.
I’ll be there live Tweeting from @ScritchfieldRD not sure what the hashtag will be yet, but I’ll likely use #USDA. I will be right in the front and will be sure to take pics.
When you get a look at it, let me know what you think. Is it the kind of thing a typical American can see and translate to “I need more colorful foods, I need less processed foods.” Do you think it will help with portion control?
Filed under: nutrition
I think it is great that the Obama Administration is addressing such a serious issue in our society. I definately like the new idea of ditching the food pyramid for a dinner plate, and hopefully it will have SOME ompact on society’s food choices. However, I think it is nieve to assume that a new picture for the food pyramid is really going to change the way people eat. We are a fast food nation, and unfortunately, many people already know what is healthy and what is not, but for many it is about convienience and what tastes good, rather than what is the most beneficial. So while I agree that this is a good change, it will take much more than a new picture to change the American food culture and address obesity.
Brianna — I could not agree with you more on your comment. Our environment has to change. Our policies have to change. Individuals have to change. Families have to change. And for individuals and families — they mostly need to change the way they SEE their eating habits. Change your mindset first, behavior change happens.
Whether it’s a pyramid, a plate, a pie chart or a Rubik’s cube, what is always left out of the stories is that it is a marketing tool for the Department of Agriculture, not a guideline from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The basis for the tool and what it is intended to do speaks volumes about the politics that go into its development.
Not anything I’ll be promoting, discussing, using as an educational tool in my work. At all.
LOL on the rubix cube!!! I actually use a blank plate in counseling that shows the portions and ask clients to guess. They always think 1/2 the plate is meat. It will be interesting to see what they say about “across the board” use of this icon. I explain to clients the balance that is suggested but my approach always goes back to why they eat, when, how much, where they are… working on the idea I learned from Amanda Archibald on “adding in nutrition”. I am just happy to see the pyramid go bye-bye. The jury is out on what I think about this plate icon.