Plating Up Your Daily Food Requirement

For almost two decades, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been promoting healthy eating habits with its food pyramid diagram. The United States Department of Agriculture designed the Food Pyramid to address the issue of what types and amounts of food that your body needs to function optimally. Categories featured grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and protein in a descending order of importance in a healthy daily diet. But that will all change in the very near future, when the pyramid is retired and replaced with a simple plate (more commonly known as the pie-shaped diagram with wedges).

The Department of Agriculture has tried to educate the public with its food pyramid, and has added personalized eating plans and interactive tools to help you plan/ assess your food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. But experts have criticized the pyramid and found it lacking. The new plate feature, being debuted on Thursday, should address many of their concerns and be more user-friendly.

The plate will be split up in wedges, with one-half of the plate designated for fruits and vegetables. The other half  of the plate will be split between grains and proteins. Dairy will be characterized by a small circular pattern near the plate, symbolizing milk products.

According to Robert C. Post, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, “We need to get consumers’ attention,” adding that the plate shape is meant to be a “visual cue” that would allow consumers to mimic the food ratios.

In addition to rolling out the new plate feature, a complete newly designed website for consumers will be unveiled and the USDA will embark on a year-long promotional campaign to trigger consumer awareness.

TIP: Speaking of plates, one way to minimize your intake is to use a smaller plate. Dinner plates have become larger over the last few decades and there is a notion that it needs to be filled, contributing to the obesity epidemic in America. Look for smaller round dinner plates with a ledge, which will minimize portions but give the illusion of having a full plate.