ChooseMyPlate.gov

The food pyramid has been retired! The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, part of the US Department of Agriculture, just released MyPlate, a new way to communicate the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The website choosemyplate.gov has nutritional information, sample menus, tips, individualized plans and other interactive tools and much more. The site has information for kids, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and those who want to loose weight. There are tools to analyze your diet, plan and track your food and physical activity, get a personalized daily food plan for you and your family, and a special planning tool for new moms or a mom-to-be. There is information on each food group and MyFoodapedia gives you information on calories and food comparisons.

Although MyPyramid will no longer be the icon for the dietary guidelines, the nutritional information is still available on the MyPlate site.

How can you make a healthy plate? The new guidelines encourage changes in these three areas:

Balancing Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

Food to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals-and choose the foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.