Here it is!
I have to be honest, my first reaction when I saw the new food guide was, 'Is that it, is that all?' It seemed too simple. But then I realized, that is exactly the point - it is simple. We all eat, usually on a plate. This is familiar to us. I think all of us can look at this picture and immediately be able to compare it to what our own plates look like and know what we can do better on.
Some of the other points that are an emphasis along with this new food guide are:
- Eat smaller portions
- Make half your plate fruit and veggies
- Make half your grains whole
- Switch to low-fat or fat-free milk
- Choose foods with lower sodium
- Drink more water
These guidelines go right along with the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans that came out earlier this year. There is even a fancy new website that is being developed for our new guide which provides more information and tips for healthy eating.
Obviously, just making a pretty picture probably wont make anyone suddenly start eating more healthy. But hopefully it will be successful as an educational tool. I think it will be.
What do you think?
3 comments:
I'm not sure how I feel about this. What about the sugars, oils, and fats group? Are they just pretending it doesn't exist now? That doesn't seem very realistic or practical to me.
I definitely agree with Jessica...oils, fats, and sugar group??? It seems to be a real problem in America with these things. Although, I do like the plate idea.
I think that you are absolutely right on, Cherrise, that those things are a huge problem. The rates of overweight and obesity in America are proof of that. I think that is what this plate image is trying to address - helping people see that our diets should be more plant based and that fats and sugars should not make up a portion on 'our plate', if you will.
But do these foods exist? Of course. Should we completely avoid them? Of course not. Everyone needs a some fat in their diet (though most people have no problem at all getting it). On the website for this new food guide, it says, "enjoy your food, but eat less." I think that is the biggest thing. We don't have to cut anything out. We should just try to increase the amount of fruits, veggies, and whole grains in our diet - and then we can still enjoy that piece of cake.
It is just out of control with most people. A lot of people that I have had to teach and educate during my internship have no clue what they should be eating or what a good portion should be.
Should this food guide have included fats/sugars in it? I don't think it needed to, unless it were to add a little note to the side - limit fats/sugars or eat in moderation. Though I can see that there may be some people who would take their absence to mean they can't have any at all - and we don't need to create any more eating disorders, thats for sure.
But this was meant to be simple. Just a snapshot at what our diet should look like overall. Not perfect, but pretty good, I'd say.
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