MyPlate food guide

MyPlate food guide

HEALTHY EATING PROPOSAL

by: Antonia Gamallo

Adapted from KidsHealth

A Symbol for Healthy Eating

MyPlate is the model for healthy eating in the United States. Experts at the USDA, the agency in charge of nutrition, created the colorfulplate to help people remember to:- Eat a variety of foods.- Eat less of some foods and more of others.

The Plate

The plate features four sections — vegetables, fruits, grains, and protein — plus a side order of dairy in blue.Fruits and vegetables take up half the plate. The vegetable portion is a little bigger than the fruit section.The plate is divided so the grains section is bigger than the protein section.

Why?

Nutrition experts recommend you eat more vegetables than fruit and more grains than protein foods.The divided plate also aims to discourage super-big portions, which can cause weight gain.

What's a Grain Again?

You know what fruits and vegetables are. But here's a reminder about what's included in the three other food groups: protein, grains, and dairy

Protein

Beef; poultry; fish; eggs; nuts and seeds; and beans and peas like black beans, split peas, lentils, and even tofu and veggie burgers. Protein builds up, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body.

Grain

Bread, cereal, rice, tortillas, and pasta. Whole-grain products such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, and brown rice are recommended because they have more fiber and help you feel full.

Dairy

Milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soy milk. With MyPlate, the dairy circle could be a cup of milk, but you also can get your dairy servings from yogurt or cheese. Choose low-fat or nonfat dairy most of the time.

Uses

The plate can be used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That may make you wonder: Do I really have to eat vegetables with breakfast? The answer is no, but aim to eat a variety of food groups at each meal. And if your breakfast doesn't include a veggie, consider a vegetable at snack time.

Balance

The plate also shows how to balance your food groups. There's a reason the protein section is smaller: You don't need as much from that group. Eating more fruits and vegetables will help you eat fewer calories overall, which helps you keep a healthy weight. Eating fruits and veggies also gives you lots of vitamins and minerals.

How to follow MyPlate Guidelines

Let's fill our plate

DAIRY

Cheese, milk, dairy butter, cream, geelato

FRUITS

Lemon, peach, cherry, pineapple, tomato, apricot, plum, pear, strawberry, banana, lime, grapes, kiwi

GRAINS

Bread, pasta, spaguetti, noodles, rolled oats, whole grain, oat meal, brown rice, crackers, wild rice

PROTEIN

VEGETABLES

Peppers, spinach, courgette, beetroot, cucumber, mushrooms, onion, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, pumpkin

Seeds, tofu, turkey, eggs, beef, fish, pork, veal beans, chicken, nuts

Quiz Time!