John Colton's blog

Pauline and I always thought the last food pyramid was kind of stupid. At first glance this looks much better.



http://blogs.forbes.com/meghancasserly/2011/06/02/usda-food-pyramid-myplate-nutrition/

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Today the U.S.D.A. announced that they’ve killed off the dietary guidelines outlined by previous food pyramids released in 1991 and 2005—and have replaced it with a new diagram in the shape of dinner plate in response to rising obesity rates in children.

Gone is the basement level of the pyramid—the heftiest slab—a foundation of breads, starches and other carbohydrates. Gone is the mid section of fruits and veggies narrowing to the tiniest peak of fats, sweets and oils built on Bush-era dietary research that all fats were bad fats.

“We’re working to make healthy choices easy choices,” said Surgeon General Regina Benjamin at this morning’s unveiling, who linked the new diagram to First Lady Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack followed by explaining the need for the tool, “My Pyramid was simply too complex,” he said, and is confident the new tool will be effective is a “simple visual research based icon about proportion sizes and what should be on the American plate.”

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