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Sunday, June 19, 2011

What do YOU think

...of the new MyPlate replacing our good 'ol Food Pyramid? Truth is, I'm not sure how I feel about it! I'm being totally honest. I like the visual MyPlate gives children and adults. However when I taught health, I believe the children did respond to the food pyramid when it was taught correctly. I have a few concerns such as, What size plate is this? There are no specific measurements and if I'm looking at this, I'm thinking WOW that's A LOT of food, right? You might laugh but we're in Texas where the famous saying originated, EVERY THING'S BIGGER IN TEXAS...so our plates are outta control! Seriously. When I show people a portion or the plate that we use at home, they flip out saying, "that's too small" or "I'll never get full off of that little bit"! But that might be a Texas thing?! Not sure. And another concern, people-especially children enjoy sweets/fats on occasion, right? Where are sweets/fats listed? So, because it's not on THIS MyPlate, does that mean there's no specific portions for those? I liked showing children, "Look here's the fats, oils, sweets and they are in a very small triangle toward the top. This means in moderation and in small amounts, we can add these to our diet at certain times!" Am I wrong??! I might be too critical because I am a health educator and from a teaching stand point, I'm not sure the entire message is being sent with our new symbol. BUT, I was not 100% happy with the pyramid...so, WHAT DO YOU THINK?Here's a little info that I found on their website. I'd love to know your comments, questions and concerns about our new symbol of healthy eating as well??


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.



**Today's Workout: Includes laying out by the pool, playing with my boys and hanging out with family over at my in-law's. Hey, at least I'm being honest right??!

3 comments:

Mary said...

I like it because I think the visual is much easier for kids to understand than the pyramid. It's up to adults to take charge and explain that in a well-balanced diet, there is room for treats - just not with every meal. It's not entirely the responsability of the government to provide a picture and have that be the end of the issue - the plate is very good, I think, for facilitating parent/child discussions. I know not everyone likes it (a lot of people have had an issue with the dairy being off to the side, and with it being dairy in general - more of a government issue), but there are a lot of good new things about it too (like how it says "protein" and not "meat").

If you explore the website, there are a lot of great resources, too - for example, a breakdown of serving/portion sizes for different calorie plans. I think they're great - again, as facilitators, not as an end-all plan to follow blindly.

misszippy said...

This is the first time I've looked at it, so thanks for sharing. I have mixed feelings...it looks pretty simple, which is always good. But I agree, there are no real guidelines, so I don't know if they couldn't have done better with that. It will be interesting to see people's comments!

fancy nancy said...

I do like the new plate but you're right...there are no guidelines really. It can be a good visual for kids but then again I did like the pyramid too! We'll see how it translates to education. I like the reminder to fill half your plate with veggies....I need that!