By now you’ve probably had a chance to take a look at the new food ‘pyramid’. First Lady Michelle Obama recently unveiled the new look for the food pyramid, which isn’t pyramid at all. The new food guideline ChooseMyPlate, replaces the previous MyPyramid. While the visual is strikingly different, once you start digging in you’ll find that ChooseMyPlate is actually pretty familiar.
The new plate diagram takes the familiar categories from the pyramid and puts them into an easy to understand visual. The amount of vegetables, fruits, grains, protein and dairy that you should be getting each day are outlined on a plate, making it easier for Americans to check their portion sizes and get the right amount of each good group.
The new ChooseMyPlate.gov website highlights some of the key points the new MyPlate symbol represents. First, it’s important to watch portion size. It’s ok to eat things you enjoy but don’t eat too much, and avoid oversized portions. Next, make sure half of your plate is always full of fruits and vegetables.  It’s also important to focus on eating whole grains and to look at your food labels before eating.
Overall, the change from pyramid to plate is more of a cosmetic one – all the healthy eating advice and goals are just about the same. We think the new plate is a fun and easy way to get kids involved in building their meals. What do you think of the new ChooseMyPlate program?