Day 100- Is "My Plate" any better than the food pyramid?

Well, I have to say that any change had to be better than the traditional food pyramid that we have grown up with over the last two decades.

“It’s going to be hard not to do better than the current pyramid, which basically conveys no useful information.”
- Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The USDA and the Obama administration have decided to ditch the useless and confusing pyramid for a new image that they call, "My Plate." Although, it's not what I believe to be the "ideal" plate, it's slightly better than the alternative, in my opinion. MyPlate depicts a traditional pie chart, with each slice in a different color (although no pie is recommended in the guidelines).

The premise of this new concept, is still much like the food pyramid, but slightly more comprehensive. It still shows us how to divvy up our diet amongst the 5 major food groups, but now with an image that we can relate to.

According to Health.com:

"For most people, the comparison won't be favorable. Comparing the ideal proportions of MyPlate to those of the typical American diet is like holding MyPlate up to a fun-house mirror: The grains and protein categories are stretched out; fruits, vegetables, and dairy are shrunk down; and the plate- unlike the food pyramid - doesn't even acknowledge the fats, oils, and sugar that are prevalent in the American diet."

So although the MyPlate image seems easier to understand, this simplicity also takes away some of the information that people received with the food pyramid. The image doesn't educate on what healthier grain options are verse say, white bread. Or what kind of healthy fats should be considered in a daily diet. Another unanswered question is portion size. Although we know how much of the plate a food group should occupy, how much exactly does that indicate in regards to serving size?

Also, my personal qualms with this image is that a great deal of our population experiences blood sugar dysregulations, so although fruit is a natural healthy option, it also contains plenty of sugar, which I don't believe should be recommended in such a large quantity. There is also no information about fats, and many people don't know that a lot of the nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble, so in order to be absorbed by the body they must be eaten along with healthy fats.

I am also not a true believer in this set dietary guideline in general. Therefore, stating that a healthy diet consist of grains and dairy, is not exactly what I would be pushing. Although, I agree this may be fine for some, a large group of the population would most likely be better without the said food groups. Could it be that grains remain because they are easy to grow and sell? Ask yourself: Would we suffer if we removed grains from our diet? Would we develop any nutritional deficiencies if we were to go without? Try it, I think you will be surprised at how much better you actually feel. So to say that grains and/or even dairy must be included in a healthy meal I think is a little bit of a far fetched idea.

I have pointed out several flaws with the MyPlate icon, but I also mentioned in the beginning that I thought this new concept is much better than the previous pyramid idea. The food group pie chart image is a great concept, which I completely agree with. Although what I would like to see included in this image is healthy fats, less grains, and fruit, and more protein. Instead of merely a plate with different colors indicating food groups, I think that it would be more helpful to include the percentage that you should include of each in an ideal meal.

With the $2 million that went into the development and promotion of this new icon, I think that we may still be lacking information. If the goal is to get people to eat healthier, we can't simplify it down so much that it leaves too many gray areas. I understand that people are busy and we are trying to make the idea of eating healthy easier for busy families. But come on people, this is your health, don't you think that everyone could spare a few extra minutes to learn the basics of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Well that's my two cents...

Here is what Dr. Sears came up with:





Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP