The Art of Cuisine

The Old Food Pyramid has been changed

Old Food Pyramid above

There's a new food pyramid in town, and it's a plate.

The USDA's new food icon is a brightly colored plate that breaks a healthy diet into four main sections: fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins, with a small side of dairy.

I personally like what I see. I think this is very user friendly and even a child can understand it. The question is will American's follow it. Yes, it looks like a very well balanced diet, which I am very much for. I do not think you should be without anything unless a doctor has told you that you are alergic to the food. There are times that you need to not eat a perticular food but not cut it out for ever. I beleive that as we grow older our meals size should get smaller, unless you are very active. Take a look at the new pyramid and the new website and let me know what you think. I like what they have for weight loss and kids. See the website http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

New Food Pyramid below:

First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the USDA's update on America's visual nutrition guide, replacing the familiar - and much maligned - pyramid with a plate.

The food pyramid has been around since 1992, but nutrition experts don't seem to be mourning its demise.

"It's going to be hard not to do better than the current pyramid, which basically conveys no useful information," Dr. Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, told the New York Times.

The new design incorporates seven key dietary messages:

- Enjoy your food, but eat less

- Avoid oversized portions

- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables

- Drink water instead of sugary drinks

- Make at least half your grains whole grains

- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk

- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals - and choose the foods with lower numbers. Experts argued the now-defunct pyramid lumped all types of foods in its design - including unhealthy ones at the top of the pyramid . That made it hard to tell which foods were better choices.

From Forbes: "We're working to make healthy choices easy choices," said Surgeon General Regina Benjamin at this morning's unveiling, who linked the new diagram to First Lady Obama's Let's Move campaign. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack followed by explaining the need for the tool, "My Pyramid was simply too complex," he said, and is confident the new tool will be effective is a "simple visual research based icon about proportion sizes and what should be on the American plate."

10 Tips: These are from the website and I like them. I had to share...

The Ten Tips Nutrition Education Series provides consumers and professionals with high quality, easy-to-follow tips in a convenient, printable format. These are perfect for posting on a refrigerator.

These tips and ideas are a starting point. You will find a wealth of suggestions here that can help you get started toward a healthy diet. Choose a change that you can make today, and move toward a healthier you.

• Choose MyPlate 
  
• Add More Vegetables to Your Day  
  
• Focus on Fruits  
  
• Make Half Your Grains Whole  
  
• Got Your Dairy Today?  
  
• With Protein Foods, Variety Is Key  
  
• Build a Healthy Meal  
  
• Healthy Eating for Vegetarians  
  
• Smart Shopping for Veggies and Fruits  
  
• Liven up Your Meals With Vegetables and Fruits  
  
• Kid-Friendly Veggies and Fruits  
  
• Be a Healthy Role Model for Children  
  
• Cut Back on Your Kid's Sweet Treats 
  
• Salt and Sodium

Let me know what you think.