Food Pyramid Image Replaced With a Healthy Plate

This week The Agriculture Department, along with Michelle Obama, revealed the image - "My Plate" - that will replace the food pyramid. The new guide is divided into four slightly different-sized quadrants, with fruits and vegetables taking up half the space and grains and protein making up the other half. The vegetables and grains portions are the largest of the four.

Gone are the old pyramid's references to sugars, fats or oils - this is how minimal your sugar and fats intake should be! What was once a category called "meat and beans" is now simply "proteins," making way for seafood and vegetarian options like tofu. Next to the plate is a blue circle for dairy, which could be a glass of milk or a food such as cheese or yogurt.

"Parents don't have the time to measure out exactly three ounces of protein," Mrs. Obama said as she introduced the new graphic. "We do have time to look at our kids' plates."

Check out the new Choose My Plate website - and you can also read their Q & A page for further healthy eating advice.

Remember - The Food Pyramid Isn't a Joke! -  you should be using this new image as a daily guideline! "It's not what you do once in a while; it's what you do day in and day out that makes the difference."

> What do you think about this new image? Will this be an easier reference (compared to the pyramid) for you to remember when making your daily food choices?  Do you like that it is more vegetarian inclusive?

- Stephanie

The Food Pyramid Is Not A Joke

When is the last time you made sure you were eating all your daily nutrients? Are you consciously tracking your servings of fruit, veggies, grains and meats? Do you even know what an actual serving of veggies should look like? The food pyramid has grown up since you've been in elementary school, and you've got a lot to learn!

It wasn't until recently that I started paying attention to the foods I put into my body. I used to just eat to satisfy my cravings. I have since then learned the lesson that I am "eating to live" not "living to eat." Your food is the gas you put into your body to run. It can run on crappy gas, but it will eventually ruin the car and you will breakdown. (This is why symptoms like headaches, thinning hair, fatigue, etc are all signs you need to improve your eating habits).

Lacey has written a great review post on the book "Eat To Live". I recommend you read this post, and check out the book. A lot of our health problems and concerns are directly affected by the food we put into our bodies.

So how do you actually eat to live? Well, that is what the food pyramid is for! The food pyramid should be used as a daily eating guideline. As you can see, most of your daily foods should be fresh, unprocessed food. Sure, you can snack, but I usually try to have less than 10% of my daily calories be junk food.

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MyPyramid.gov is an EXCELLENT resource! They have interactive tools for food planning, food tracking, food research. They also have a daily food planner that you can customize to your body. You can even print a PDF of your results for easy access. I keep a copy on me during the week so I am reminded of all the nutrients I need to eat to keep my body going! It's do or die - your body seriously needs you to eat these nutrients (and not just through vitamins). > What steps will you take today to get your body the nutrients it desperately needs to live?



- Stephanie