USDA's My Plate



When I was in elementary school, we were taught the four food groups: Meats, Milk & Dairy, Cereals & Breads, and Fruits & Vegetables.  Then things got a little complicated with the introduction of the Food Pyramid.  Now there were recommended portions and six different sections, breads were the solid base  and fruits and vegetables each had their own section.  In 2005, the pyramid was changed to give a smaller role to breads & cereals, but it stayed equally as confusing.  This week, the USDA has released the new dietary guidelines and their new good health graphic.  They've gone with a plate this time, which makes a little more sense to me.

USDA My Plate


Now, it seems like Fruits & Vegetables are the base of healthy nutrition.  (To those following the new Weight Watchers Points Plus Program, this isn't a huge surprise.)  Half of the plate is taken up with these two important food groups.

The Grains still take up a sizable portion of the plate, but the USDA is quick to state that half of these grains should be whole grains and not refined grains like white flour.  (The refined grains tend to be over processed and lacking in fiber.)  Again, this is nothing new to the WW people.

Then there is the Protein section.  Which is pretty self-explanatory, but feel free to follow the link for further information.

Dairy rounds it all out, though be careful to read the information link because the dairy section only refers to those items that are rich in calcium.  This does not include cream cheese, cream, or butter I regret to say.  Not pictured on the plate, but certainly included in the Weight Watchers Daily Healthy checks and on the USDA website, are Oils. 

I find it incredibly interesting to see a lot of the Weight Watchers program reflected in these new guidelines, especially the emphasis on fruit.  As you may or may not be aware, Weight Watchers recently declared all fruits to be 0 points.  This has been tremendously helpful on days where all my points are gone and I am still hungry.  Most vegetables are also 0, but it depends on how they might be prepared.

I am glad to see that I am making healthy choices in my day to day food choices.  Even if it's because of the Weight Watcher's Guidelines and not because I figured it all out on my own.  It's nice to have the USDA research to back up my Weight Loss Program, too.  Reminds me that it's not a crazy fad diet, that's it's an actual lifestyle change.