Provided Courtesy of Nutrition411.com
Making Sense of MyPlate
Using USDA’s ChooseMyPlate
as a Guide to Healthful Eating
Review Date 4/14
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/dietary
guidelines.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 one-half of your plate fruits and vegetables
− Choose at least one-half of your grains from 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 to 8 ounces (oz) of grains every day
• 1 oz is about one slice of bread, 1 cup (C) of
breakfast cereal, or ½ C of cooked rice, cereal,
or pasta
• Key message: Make at least one-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 one-half of your plate fruits
and vegetables
Fruit Group
• Eat a variety of fruit
• Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit
• Go easy on fruit juices
• Try to consume 2 C of fruit every day
• Key message: Make one-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
• Consume 2½ C to 3 C every day (depends on age)
• Key message: Make one-half of your plate fruits and
vegetables
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, grill it
• Vary your protein routine—choose more fish, beans,
peas, nuts, and seeds
• Generally, men and women need 5½ to 6 oz
every day
Know the Limits on Fats,
Sugar, and Sodium
• Get most of your fat from fish, nuts, and
vegetable oils
• Limit solid fats (butter, stick margarine,
shortening, and lard) and fried foods that contain
them
• 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 to 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