The Basic Four Food Groups was created and recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1956. It was a given. It was easy. Eat a variety of meats, dairy, grains, and fruits and vegetables each day.
In 1992, the USDA released the Food Pyramid. It made sense to me ... build your diet on grains to fill you up, add fruits and veggies next to bulk up your diet and have meat and dairy sparingly with a little bit of fats on top. This is what I learned about in college and what I taught as a PE/Health specialist in an elementary school.
But I guess it wasn't good enough. Americans kept getting fatter. In 2005, a new Food Pyramid was released. This one put all the food side by side and had a dude climbing stairs to symbolize the importance of exercise in being healthy. I never "got" this pyramid. It seemed more complicated and, quite frankly, the little dude bothered me. Why was he there? Was I supposed to eat him?
This last week a new food guide was released by the USDA with the support of First Lady Obama. MyPlate. They have totally dummied the system down in hopes that all people will finally GET what their eating should look like.
Along with the new image, they have a few additional recommendations:
| 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. | |
So what do you think? Is this going to be the big change that will win the battle against obesity that Americans are fighting? I read in one article that that was the hope ... MyPlate was the first step in changing the tide within one generation. Is it going to work?
My opinion? I'm doubtful. It is nice and I think my boys will "get" it more than the most recent pyramid. But will them "getting" it be enough to make them do it? I do think healthy eating and physical activity are taking a hit in our country, but I don't know that a new picture to follow is what it will take to fix the problem.
Darn. And I'm not usually the pessimist.
2 comments:
I agree. I don't think a new picture is going to solve obesity in America.
If healthy foods were cheaper and easier to grab on the go, then that might help. It would be easier in the "do it" category.
I get how the pyramid works, but it's hard to eat healthy on a budget or on the go.
I like the new MyPlate idea so much more than the last stair step pyramid. It was very confusing. I hope as they teach this in schools kids will realize and understand the importance of more fruits and veggies. I hate the new "more matters" slogan for fruits and veggies. While I understand that they are promoting that we eat more than 5 a day, it isn't working. People don't understand what "more" really means. My husband figures "today I ate a carrot, that's a whole lot more veggies than I ate yesterday."
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