Praise and scorn has been heaped on the MyPlate replacement for MyPyramid. And quite frankly, both sides have been amusing in their repartee.
Those that love it extoll on the difference this move will make in people's lives. Those who hate it complain mostly about the spots for protein and dairy.
Let's be realistic.
People do eat meat and drink milk, and a government chart has to reflect what people consume. This isn't to say that the government is endorsing these products; though thanks to the USDA, it is promoting those same products.
Besides, dietitian (and BalanceofFood friend) Melissa Dobbins pointed out in a radio interview that 2% were taking advantage of the pyramid to improve their diet.
The chances of the plate being a significant improvement are slim, though the plate is a better idea than the pyramid. And a significant improvement would be 5%.
Food philosopher Stephen Colbert noted that we don't eat off plates anymore. We would argue that plates are sometimes used, but refills are frequent.
If you visit an all-you-can-eat place, people like to cram their plates to the edge, and there aren't many vegetables.
The ChooseMyPlate.gov works off a 2-dimensional track, but people work off a 3-dimentional track. Food on plates go past the edges, and can be piled high to the sky.
Colbert used a 3-dimension example of a literal pie chart: a pie. The pie is the size of a plate divided into 4 parts. The pie was marked with little signs for "grains, proteins, fruit, vegetables." And then, you get dessert, another plate-shaped pie.
Plates are good but portion size is more important.
Teaching to the plate is an improvement, but there needs to be a push for only one plate, smaller plates, and balance on those plates. As in BalanceofFood.com. :)
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