USDA releases new MyPlate, opinions?
 

Mine is on my blog, and also info about the physicians committee for responsible medicines's PowerPlate that has been around awhile.

check it out!

http://beyondwillpower.blogspot.com/...owerplate.html

It seems like they're getting back to basics a little bit, and I think that's a good thing.

That plate wouldn't work for me. Too many grains. Too many fruits. I'd be fat forever with my metabolic challenges. And, about the recommendations for dairy, I've been reading some strange things about stuff added back into skim milk to make it more visually appealing. Apparently, skim milk is naturally blue. :eek:

That would explain that strange gray color I have sometimes noticed from the skim milk my mom buys.

Yeah that's true it's blue, and just learned from the docu forks over knives that when they take the fat out it increases the protein ratio, which puts things out of proportion and makes it more carcinogenic. The studies they discussed in the docu were so interesting! If it's in your city I suggest checking it out. trailer here: www.forksoverknives.com

Yep, we used to call my mom's (skim) milk "the blue milk" when we were kids.

Nice, but unlikely to change much in the way of food production and consumption or public health. Like so many other isssues, those things would take a lot of time and work to solve and many real solutions would be expensive and unpopular (esp. with certain sectors of big business). The executive and legislative branches of the federal government lack the far-sightedness, will, and ability to cooperate that would be necessary to implement effective measures to improve public health and quality of life for the country as a whole. The current anti-government, anti-service, anti-community, anti-regulation, pro-business trend doesn't help. I don't think the federal government will be in any position to lead the way on public health unless a number of other things take place, such as electoral reforms and structural reforms that encourage elected officials to act intelligently and impartially and that make the government more efficient, the replacement of the two-party system with something more representative and more meaningful, and the realization on the part of a number of elected officials and their constituencies that unregulated capitalism and no effective means of educating and supporting the population is anything but a recipe for a healthy, free society.

agreed.

I'm not so sure. I think this visual is MUCH clearer and more practical on a day-to-day basis than the pyramid.

When I was first dx pre-Diabetic, I used a similar graphic to show my family (especially my husband, who does the majority of the cooking) what I needed my meals to look like. It was half veggies, quarter protein, and quarter starch or fruit. It made a HUGE difference to him in how he planned what he was making for dinner. It drove home how I couldn't eat a half-box of Mac and CHeese with a bit of chicken in it anymore. TOo much starch, not enough protein, no veggies.

I also see how this graphic can be very useful in teaching children what a healthy plate looks like. This is a down-to-earth, applicable graphic that I can show to my 11yo and say "so how does what you're eating compare to this model?"

Granted, for me it has too much starch and sugar (grain/fruit), but the idea of the model is a good one, and can be adjusted to fit most food plans.

I think it is a good start. Is it perfect? No. It is better than the pyramid though and anyone who is truly going to make a healthy change is not going to stop at this plate anyhow and the site does give some more info about what each area includes. I disagree, Lottie, about the dairy. I do think that it needs to be there. Calcium is important (especially for women and kids) and most of our society won't get enough in any other way. I do wish that in the area of the site where they give more detail about the 'milk group' they listed more than just fortified soy milk as alternatives to actual dairy. I was glad to see that they didn't just say to make half your grains whole grains, but defined what a whole grain is, they could do a better job of it, but they at least did it.

I agree with FitGirlyGirl and synger. Not perfect, but much better than the pyramid.

It's worlds better than it was. But that plate should not be depicted totally filled. Plates (and flatware and drinking glasses, etc) have gotten so big that filling your dinner plate even once provides way more food than most people need.

(Compare, say, what they sell at Crate and Barrel with 50s or 60s vintage. The size difference is amazing.)

It looks better and is not as confusing as the pyramid but I think there is WAY to much grain on the plate and should be more veggies for me thou for dinner my plate is half veggies no grain and 4oz of meat.

I agree. I envision the plate as one of our lunch plates. They're our "normal" dinner plates now.