Plate replaces pyramid in USDA food guidelines
Key points
- The pyramid guide to healthy eating that many Americans grew up with has been scrapped, and in its place the Obama administration is serving up a dinner plate icon sliced up by food groups.
- The Department of Agriculture unveiled its new icon, MyPlate, on Thursday to help guide Americans toward eating balanced meals.
- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called it a "simple, visual, research-based icon" to help Americans chose the right proportions from the major food groups.
- The icon, which accompanies dietary guidelines released in January and a push by first lady Michelle Obama to tackle obesity, will be taught in schools and used as part of federal foods programs and by doctors and nurses.
The pyramid guide to healthy eating that many Americans grew up with has been scrapped, and in its place the Obama administration is serving up a dinner plate icon sliced up by food groups.
The Department of Agriculture unveiled its new icon, MyPlate, on Thursday to help guide Americans toward eating balanced meals. The dinner plate is divided into four sections for fruits, vegetables, protein and grains, with a dairy cup beside it.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called it a "simple, visual, research-based icon" to help Americans chose the right proportions from the major food groups.
The icon, which accompanies dietary guidelines released in January and a push by first lady Michelle Obama to tackle obesity, will be taught in schools and used as part of federal foods programs and by doctors and nurses.
###
(Reuters)
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Weight & Nutrition →
NewsTeens' neural response to food commercials predicts future weight gain
Children and adolescents see thousands of food commercials each year and most of them advertise junk foods high in sugar, fat and salt. Yet, we know almost nothing about how all of this food marketing impacts the brain,…
11 September 2014
NewsObese women may have learning deficit specific to food
Obese women have a deficit in reward-based learning, but only when food is involved. Importantly, say researchers who report their findings in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on July 17, those same women have no…
18 July 2014
NewsWhen it comes to food, obese women's learning is impaired
Obese women were better able to identify cues that predict monetary rewards than those that predict food rewards, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers and their colleagues in the journal Current…
17 July 2014
