Food Pyramid Replaced by Plate
Food pyramid was (note ‘was’) followed for last 19 years while considering healthy diet. The pyramid is descriptive pictorial representation with different portion sizes assigned for different food groups. USDA has replaced this pyramid with four part plate with side dish of dairy serving.
These are the following tips given by USDA along with the food plate:
Balancing calories: Enjoy your food but eat less. Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to increase: Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Make at least half your grains whole grains. Switch to fat free or low fat (1%) milk.
Foods to reduce: Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals. Choose the foods with lowest amount. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
This plate is very colorful and signifies four main colors for protein, veggies and fruits. Red is for fruits, green for vegetables, orange for grains, purple for protein with blue colored dairy side dish. Food pyramid was too complicated to understand and implement. They have come up with this icon for food plate called ‘My Plate’. Pyramid was informative whereas this icon is a helpful tool to design your meals. USDA says "My Plate will change the way American’s (matter of fact everybody) eats". Choose your plate to make a perfect and healthy diet plan.
Divya,
DesiDieter Expert
