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Family Nutrition: Bye, bye pyramid hello plate?

I cannot believe how excited I am to come back from my very short vacation and read that the Food Guide Pyramid will be laid to rest.  Rest in peace buddy, it has really been fun. I don’t know about any of my  colleagues, but I have never been a fan or used this tool in my practice and I am excited to see that the USDA is moving forward with hopefully a more progressive tool.

As some of you know the USDA launched the food pyramid in 1992.  It is a pyramid that provided examples of how many servings to eat of specific food groups: grains, breads cereals, dairy, meats, fruits, and vegetables.   Although the pyramid did give a visual example, it was not user friendly when deciphering good fats verse bad fats or whole grains verse refined grains and such.  The pyramid has had some makeovers over the years but has still been found to be confusing and unfriendly.

According to reports, the food guide pyramid will be replaced with a new icon this Thursday June 3, 2011.  It is thought that the new icon will be portrayed as a plate with four recommended portions of meat, vegetable, fruit, and starch.  The plate will also recommend a dairy to go with meals as well.  It is thought that the new plate will be more user friendly and allow the public to visually focus on some of the recommendations published in January including eating smaller portions, switching to low fat or non fat milk, and drinking water instead of sugary drinks.

I am awaiting the launch anxiously as reports state the USDA spent two million dollars on development and promotion of the logo, research and focus groups, the creation of a website, and marketing techniques for the next year.

I myself use a portion plate when working with clients and have a very high success rate when it comes to weight loss.  Keep on the lookout for the USDA’s new launch on Thursday and stay tuned for another blog to review this new fabulous icon.


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Kati said…
I'm with you! I can't wait to see the new food guide plate - or whatever catchy name they decide to go with.
June 1, 2011 at 9:19 AM
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