USDA Food Pyramid Traded in for Food Plate

Today, the USDA phased out the USDA Food Pyramid in exchange for a Food Plate, called My Plate. They also created a new website in support of this initiative, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/. This will replace the MyPyramid.gov website that was developed for the USDA Food Pyramid of 2005. This  new design is meant to be more straight forward and help Americans visualize what type of food should appear on their plates. There are no pictures of food, just colors and words with the coined food groups. There is no more meat & beans group, it’s been replaced by protein. The plate shows that half of your meals should include fruits and vegetables. I think that’s a very encouraging sign and an important statement demonstrating just how crucial fruits and vegetables are to a healthy balanced diet. The other half of the plate shows grains and protein with grains being a little bigger than protein. I agree with this visual because most foods that we think of containing protein should be eaten in smaller portions, about the size of your fist. Lastly, the dairy food group is next to the plate displaying you can get dairy from milk or yogurt. I think this cup should be labeled water instead of dairy since water is vital to achieving optimal health. Dairy fits into the protein category in my book and there are several people that cannot tolerate dairy or choose not to consume it.

What do you think of the new My Plate? Is it a step up from the food pyramid?