MyPlate is a simplified version of the MyPramid put out by the USDA, visually making it easier to eat nutritional sound at each meal. It takes the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, and grains), and places them in a place setting. This plate divided into four, shows you what food groups and portion sizes you should have at each meal. Ideally, half your plate should be comprised of fruits and vegetables, while the other have of grains and proteins. This way you don’t have to worry about what is a serving size, how many servings do you need, etc. If you follow this plate at each meal, you will easily get in your 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, while also balancing your protein and starch ratio. I’m sure if you think about it, most of our plates are minus the fruits and veggies, and doubled up in protein and starches! Following this plate diagram will not only make our eating more nutritious, but it will also cut back on calories and help us with our weight loss or maintenance goals.
Each food group has a easy explanation of what is including in that food group, how much you need, and lists a variety of foods to give you examples and ideas of what to include in your daily meals.
If you visit the website choosemyplate.gov it has lots of great information and interactive tools for you to take advantage of. The main tips you should try to aim for:
- Enjoy your food but eat less
- Avoid oversized portions
- Make half your plate of fruits and vegetables
- Switch to low fat (1%) or fat free milk
- Make at least half your grains whole grains
- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks
- Vary your veggies – choose a variety of different colors
- Go lean with your protein
10. Focus on fruits
Interactive tools you should check out include:
- Daily food plan – personalized meal plans based on age, height, weight, sex, and activity level
- Daily plan for preschoolers – personalized for 2-5 year olds. Has great kitchen activities listed as well as tips on how to be a healthy role model
- Daily food plans for moms and moms to be
- Myfoodapedia – a place where you can search foods and compare their caloric and nutritional content with other foods
- Food tracker – you can input a days worth of eating and it will give you an overall evaluation of the nutrition you took in versus what you need
- Recipes – lots of great recipes to check out
Estelle L. Benoit, RD, LDN