Start Simple: The Foundation of MyPlate's Message
The most overarching message from the USDA regarding MyPlate is to "Start Simple". This philosophy recognizes that significant dietary changes can be overwhelming and instead promotes making small, manageable adjustments over time. The benefits of healthy eating, as the message states, add up "bite by bite". The MyPlate framework is built to be flexible and adaptable, fitting various cultural foods, personal preferences, and budgets, making healthy eating accessible to everyone. This approach empowers individuals to take control of their nutrition journey without feeling pressured to make drastic changes overnight.
Core Messages for Each Food Group
To provide more specific guidance, the USDA has crafted distinct messages for each of the five food groups represented on the MyPlate icon: Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein Foods, and Dairy.
Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables
This is a foundational message of MyPlate, visually emphasized by the plate's proportion. It is further broken down into two sub-messages:
- Focus on Whole Fruits: The USDA recommends choosing whole fruits—such as fresh, frozen, or canned fruit—over fruit juice. This is because whole fruits provide essential fiber and nutrients that are often stripped from processed juices. Examples include topping your morning cereal with berries or adding sliced fruit to a salad.
- Vary Your Veggies: This message encourages consuming a wide variety of vegetables from all the subgroups, including dark-green, red and orange, starchy, and beans and peas. To make this easy, the USDA suggests making extra vegetables for dinner and using the leftovers in stews, soups, or pasta dishes the next day.
Make Half Your Grains Whole Grains
Switching from refined grains to whole grains is another key directive. Whole grains, such as brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and oats, offer more fiber and nutrients. Consumers are encouraged to check ingredient lists for the word "whole" or "whole grain" to ensure they are making the right choice. Integrating this message can be as simple as adding brown rice to a stir-fry or choosing whole-wheat bread for sandwiches.
Vary Your Protein Routine
This message highlights the importance of incorporating a diverse range of protein sources into your diet, not just meat. This includes lean meats, poultry, eggs, seafood, beans, peas, lentils, soy products, and nuts. The USDA specifically recommends eating seafood at least twice a week and choosing lean cuts of meat. Varying your protein helps ensure you get a broad spectrum of nutrients.
Move to Low-Fat or Fat-Free Dairy
For those who consume dairy, MyPlate advises opting for low-fat or fat-free versions of milk, yogurt, and cheese. Fortified soy milk and yogurt are also recommended alternatives. These options provide calcium and other nutrients with less saturated fat and calories than their full-fat counterparts. A yogurt parfait made with low-fat yogurt and fruit is one example of how to put this message into practice.
Limiting Unhealthy Components
In addition to promoting nutrient-rich foods, MyPlate communicates the importance of limiting certain components for optimal health. Key messages include reading nutrition labels to compare foods and opting for versions with less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars. Cooking at home more often is a simple way to gain more control over these ingredients. Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is also a significant message, emphasizing healthy beverage choices.
Putting MyPlate into Action: A Comparison Table
To make the MyPlate guidance more tangible, here is a comparison of traditional eating habits versus the MyPlate-inspired approach.
| Eating Habit | Traditional Approach | MyPlate-Inspired Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Grains | Eating refined white bread, pasta, and rice exclusively. | Making half your grains whole grains by choosing brown rice and whole-wheat pasta. |
| Dairy | Drinking full-fat milk and consuming full-fat cheese and yogurt. | Switching to fat-free or low-fat milk and dairy products to reduce saturated fat. |
| Protein | Relying primarily on a single protein source, like red meat. | Varying your protein with lean meats, poultry, seafood, beans, and nuts. |
| Fruits/Veggies | Eating minimal vegetables and opting for fruit juice instead of whole fruit. | Filling half your plate with a variety of colorful vegetables and focusing on whole fruits. |
| Beverages | Drinking sugary sodas, fruit drinks, and sweetened beverages. | Choosing water over sugary drinks to limit added sugars. |
Conclusion: Simple, Sustainable Changes
In summary, the USDA has developed a suite of clear, practical messages to help consumers use MyPlate effectively. The overarching "Start Simple with MyPlate" encourages a gradual, bite-by-bite approach to healthy eating, making it less intimidating. The specific messages for each food group—focusing on whole fruits, varying vegetables, increasing whole grains, diversifying protein, and choosing low-fat dairy—provide actionable steps for improving diet quality. By also emphasizing the reduction of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats, the guidance offers a complete and sustainable roadmap for building a healthier eating style for a lifetime. For more detailed information and tools, consumers can visit the official MyPlate website.
What messages has the USDA developed to help consumers use MyPlate? Official MyPlate.gov Website(https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-tip-sheets)
This is an example link. The actual URL may vary slightly. Please note this link may not be a live URL. For the most up-to-date and reliable information, always visit the official government source.
