Yesterday the Agriculture Department released its new food guidelines. The guidelines no longer come in the form of a food pyramid, rather the recommendations are now referred to as My Plate.
I for one am happy about the direction the recommendations are moving. While “My Plate” is not perfect (there is still dairy as a side dish), I believe it is a huge improvement. I am also thrilled that the new pyramid does not even mention sugars, fats or oils, which will hopefully reinforce the fact that those food items should be considered treats and not part of regular meals (unless the come in the form of whole unprocessed foods). I also find it refreshing that My Plate merely states “Protein” rather than “Meat and Beans” meaning that the category can now encompass more vegetarian options such as tofu.
What I like most is the fact that My Plate is simple. Nutrition has gotten so confusing in recent years (low-carb, low-fat, fat-free, high-protein, etc.) that I think even the most well-intentioned people have a hard time trying to figure out what to eat. People can look at My Plate and better understand what their meals should look like.
Hopefully some day soon we will be able to convince the Agriculture Department that the The “Power Plate” (pictured above) created by The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine should be the next guideline rolled-out to Americans…that would be amazing!
My Plate image courtesy of USDA.gov
Power Plate image courtesy of PCRM.org
I completely agree with your post. Nutrition has become a big confusing mess when it doesn’t have to be. The “my plate” nutrition guidelines are easier to follow. I too would like to see the dairy eliminated, but at least this is a step in the right direction.
The dairy does not need to be eliminated for all people, and it helps people who drink soda with every meal realize that they should be drinking milk instead. If you don’t want the dairy for diet/ethical reasons that is fine, but there is no need to push it on those that still choose or are able to eat/drink it.
To better understand my view on dairy, please see this post http://veggiegrettie.com/2011/02/09/vegan-diets-and-osteoporosis/
We shouldn’t be drinking milk with our meals, whether it dairy or non-dairy milk, we should be drinking water! IMO anyway