The First Lady announced last week that the oft-criticized Food Pyramid was being replaced with MyPlate. It consists of a plate divided into fruits, vegetables, grains and protein.
According to Wikipedia, some complaints of the Food Pyramid were that it made it seem that all fats should be avoided (even though unsaturated fats from natural sources are healthy) and that milk was apparently over-emphasized (a complaint of those who are lactose intolerant).
MyPlate attempts to fix the latter problem by including dairy on a separate plate/circle. While I agree that people should eat more fruits and vegetables, I still think we all need more protein (and fewer carbs).
As an aside, I’m trying to eat at least my body weight as grams in protein. I love meat, but let me say, it’s not easy. Even with a protein shake or two, I still have to snack on protein throughout the day.
Lastly, I’m not sure who the intended target audience of MyPlate is. The people who most need to follow its advice are the ones most likely to ignore it, in my opinion.
What do you think? Do Americans need a guide to tell them what to eat?
Tags: Food Pyramid, MyPlate
Yes. We have so much. And the truth is what we learned to eat our youth is not what should last through your lifetime. At different times in your life you need to rethink what is healthy. When I was younger, good genes and an active lifestyle let me eat pretty much what I wanted. Now in my mid-50s it is much harder to maintain my weight. I’m active in Weightwatchers which pushes lots of fruits and vegetables, but definitely feels that lean means and protein is critical component to healthy diet.