I remember growing up and seeing the food pyramid and… ignoring it.  My metabolism was on fire and I could eat anything I wanted.  As I got older my metabolism started slowing down and I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle so I started paying more attention to the pyramid.  Though helpful, it wasn’t very intuitive when it came to helping people figure out how to eat healthier or to meet their nutritional needs.  In fact sometimes it had the opposite effect: “They thought fat and sugar must be good because it was at the top of the pyramid,”stated Zenobia Barlow, executive director of the Center for Ecoliteracy (SF Gate, June 2, 2011).

Yesterday, the Obama administration introduced a new icon to help people better understand where their calories should coming from.  Michelle Obama has made it her mission to curb childhood obesity and changing MyPyramid to MyPlate is one step toward that goal.  The first lady stated:

We realized that we needed something that made sense not just in classrooms or laboratories, but at dining tables and in school cafeterias….Parents don’t have the time to measure out exactly 3 ounces of chicken or look up how much rice or broccoli is in a serving. That has confounded me as a parent for a very long time. But we do have time to look at our kids’ plates. As long as they’re eating proper portions, as long as half of their meal is fruits and vegetables along their lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, then we’re good. (SF Gate, June 2, 2011).

USDA General Dietary Guidelines 2011

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 ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.
● Drink water instead of sugary drinks.