I was so relieved to find out the USDA was switching to a plate as the icon for what our portions and serving sizes should look like. In the year 2011, who even thinks about that out-of-date pyramid? Barely anyone. Grains on the bottom, fats on the top–that is not a clear picture of how we should be eating.
The plate picture (below) gives us a good reminder of how we should strive to eat at each meal.
- Half our plate should be a fruit and/or vegetable at every meal.
- A quarter of the plate should be a whole grain.
- A quarter of the plate should be a lean protein.
- And don’t forget to include a fat free or low fat dairy and a few healthy monounsaturated fats!
Anyway, I love the new plate icon look because it is a good visual reminder that we can use practically. What do you think, will this new MyPlate help you keep serving sizes and portions in mind?
Here is a list of what other RDs have to say:
