Transcript Document

Provided Courtesy of RD411.com
Where health care professionals
go for information
Making Sense of MyPlate
Using USDA’s ChooseMyPlate
as a Guide to Healthful Eating
Review Date 6/11 G-1522
Why Use MyPlate?
• MyPlate is an easy-to-use, visual food guide
that helps put the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans into practice
• The dietary guidelines and MyPlate work
together to help Americans make healthy
food choices
Dietary Guidelines
for Americans
• Dietary recommendations for
health promotion and chronic
disease prevention
• Based on Dietary Guidelines
Advisory Committee report and
public comments
• For policy makers and health
professionals
• Available at:
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dieta
ryguidelines.htm
Dietary Guidelines
for Americans (cont’d)
• Provides general health information based on
scientific research
• Does not provide specific food intake
guidelines
• Refers readers to specific food guides, such
as MyPlate, for information on food groups
and serving sizes
History of USDA’s
Food Guidance System
Food for
Children
Why Change From a
Pyramid to a Plate?
• Simplifies the way Americans should eat
• Provides a clear visual cue
• Gives consumers a fast, easy-to-grasp
reminder of the basics of a healthy diet
Message to Consumers:
Eat Healthfully
2010 Dietary Guidelines:
• Designed to help Americans
make better food choices by
balancing calories and
increasing consumption of
healthy foods
MyPlate graphic:
• Illustrates the five food groups
in an easy-to-understand plate
MyPlate Illustrates the
Five Food Groups
Benefits of MyPlate
• The familiar plate is a simple reminder for
Americans to make better choices
• The easy-to-remember visual cue provides a
way to control portion sizes
MyPlate: Key Messages
for Consumers
1. Balancing calories
– Enjoy your food, but eat less
– Avoid oversized portions
2. Foods to increase
– Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables
– Choose at least half of your grains as whole grains
– Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
3. Foods to reduce
– Compare sodium in foods, such as soups, breads, and frozen meals,
choosing the foods with lower numbers
– Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Grains Group
• The amount of grains that you need depends on
your age, sex, and level of physical activity
• Generally, men and women need between 6–8
ounces (oz) of grains every day
• 1 oz is about one slide of bread, 1 cup (C) of
breakfast cereal, or ½ C of cooked rice, cereal, or
pasta
• Key message: Make at least half of your grains
whole grains
Vegetables Group
• Eat more dark-green vegetables—broccoli, spinach,
and other dark-leafy greens
• Consume more orange vegetables—carrots and
sweet potatoes
• Include more dry beans and peas—pinto beans,
kidney beans, and lentils
• Generally, men and women should consume 2½ C
every day
• Key message: Make half of your plate fruits and
vegetables
Fruits Group
•
•
•
•
•
Eat a variety of fruit
Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit
Go easy on fruit juices
Try to consume 2 C every day
Key message: Make half of your plate fruits and
vegetables
Dairy Group
• Includes all fluid milk products and many foods
made from milk
• Choose low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and other
milk products
• If you do not or cannot consume milk, choose
lactose-free products or other calcium sources,
such as fortified foods and beverages
• Depending on age, consume 2½–3 C every day
• Key message: Switch to fat-free or low-fat
(1%) milk
Protein Group
• Includes all foods made from meat, poultry,
seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy
products, nuts, and seeds
• Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry
• Bake it, broil it, or grill it
• Vary your protein routine—choose more fish,
beans, peas, nuts, and seeds
• Generally, men and women need 5½–6 oz
every day
Know the Limits on Fats,
Sugar, and Sodium
• Get most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and
vegetable oils
• Limit solid fats (butter, stick margarine, shortening,
and lard) and fried foods that contain these
• Check Nutrition Facts labels to keep saturated fats,
trans fats, and sodium low
• Choose foods/beverages low in added sugars—they
contribute calories with few, if any, nutrients
Balance Between Food
and Physical Exercise
• Stay within your daily calorie needs
• Keep physically active for 30 minutes most days
of the week
• Know that you may need about 60 minutes a
day of physical activity to prevent weight gain
• Understand that you may need 60–90 minutes
of physical activity to sustain weight loss
• Help children and teens get 60 minutes of
physical activity every day or most days
When to Use MyPlate
• To learn about the food groups
• To find out how much of
different foods you should eat
• To help track your food intake
online
• As a simple reminder of how
your plate should look at
mealtimes