Why Half of Your Plate Should Be Fruits and Vegetables in MyPlate

October 13, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the USDA's MyPlate guidelines, filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables is a core recommendation for building healthy eating patterns. These nutrient-dense foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants essential for maintaining overall health and preventing chronic diseases.

Quick Summary

The MyPlate model recommends filling half your plate with a colorful and varied selection of fruits and vegetables at every meal. This strategy, endorsed by the USDA, emphasizes the nutritional benefits and health-promoting properties of produce. By prioritizing these food groups, individuals can increase their intake of key nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which aids in weight management and disease prevention. The goal is to make these foods a central part of every eating occasion, not just an afterthought.

Key Points

Half Your Plate: The MyPlate model recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal for optimal health.
Nutrient-Dense: Produce is low in calories but rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support immune function and reduce disease risk.
Promotes Fullness: The high fiber and water content in fruits and vegetables can help you feel full, which aids in weight management.
Variety is Key: Eating a wide range of colors from different fruits and vegetables ensures you get a broad spectrum of nutrients, following the 'eat the rainbow' principle.
All Forms Count: Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables all contribute to your daily intake. Opt for low-sodium or no-sugar-added versions when choosing preserved options.
Practical Integration: Incorporate produce into all meals—from adding berries to breakfast to increasing vegetables in dinner stir-fries—to make healthy eating a habit.

Understanding the MyPlate Model

MyPlate, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), replaced the former Food Pyramid as an easy-to-understand visual guide for healthy eating. It divides a plate into four sections: fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein, with a separate section for dairy. The image clearly shows that the fruits and vegetables sections combined make up half of the plate, emphasizing their importance in a balanced diet. This visual cue helps consumers quickly grasp the ideal proportions for a healthy meal.

Why the Emphasis on Fruits and Vegetables?

Fruits and vegetables are the cornerstone of a healthy diet for several compelling reasons. They are naturally low in calories and fat, yet high in volume, which helps with weight management by promoting a feeling of fullness. The wide array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants they contain is crucial for boosting the immune system, improving digestion, and lowering the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. By filling half your plate with these foods, you are essentially front-loading your meal with the most nutritionally beneficial components. The 'eat the rainbow' approach, advocated by many nutrition experts, encourages variety to ensure a broad spectrum of nutrients.

Practical Ways to Implement the Half-Plate Rule

Making half your plate fruits and vegetables doesn't have to be complicated. It's about making conscious, consistent choices at every meal. Instead of just adding a small side salad, integrate produce as the main component of your dish. For instance, a hearty stir-fry can be 75% vegetables with a smaller portion of protein and grains. Here are more ideas:

Breakfast: Add berries or a sliced banana to your oatmeal or yogurt. Blend a handful of spinach into a morning smoothie.
Lunch: Stuff sandwiches and wraps with plenty of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Opt for a large side salad instead of fries.
Dinner: Increase the number of vegetables in stir-fries, curries, and pasta sauces. Use cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles as a substitute for traditional pasta to boost vegetable intake.
Snacks: Choose fruit or vegetable sticks with hummus or a low-fat dip. Keep pre-cut veggies and fruit accessible in the fridge for easy grabbing.

Comparing Different Forms of Fruits and Vegetables

While fresh produce is often considered the gold standard, frozen and canned options can be equally nutritious and more convenient. The key is to make smart choices and be mindful of added ingredients. This table compares the pros and cons of each form.


Feature	Fresh Produce	Frozen Produce	Canned Produce
Nutritional Value	Highest when at peak freshness; however, nutrients can degrade over time.	Retains nutrients effectively as they are frozen at peak ripeness. Nutrient content remains stable.	Can lose some heat-sensitive vitamins (B and C) but preserves minerals. Check for added sugar/sodium.
Convenience	Requires preparation (washing, chopping) and has a shorter shelf life.	Pre-washed and pre-cut, offering maximum convenience and a long shelf life.	Highly convenient, ready-to-eat, and has the longest shelf life.
Taste & Texture	Best for flavor and crisp texture, appealing for many recipes.	Closest to fresh in taste and texture, especially when cooked correctly.	Often softer in texture due to cooking during the canning process. Taste can vary.
Cost	Can be more expensive, especially out of season. Often more affordable when in season.	Generally less expensive than fresh and available year-round.	Most budget-friendly option, especially when buying in bulk.

The Health Impact of Filling Your Plate Right

Following the MyPlate guidance to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables can lead to significant health improvements. Increased fiber intake from produce aids in digestive health and can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. The abundance of vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin A for vision and potassium for blood pressure, contributes to better bodily functions. A diet rich in a variety of colorful produce provides antioxidants that protect against cellular damage and inflammation, which are contributing factors to chronic diseases. Moreover, swapping higher-calorie items for lower-calorie, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables is a practical strategy for weight management and overall wellness. For more details on incorporating a balanced, plant-rich diet, consult resources like the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Healthy Eating Plate, which offers similar guidance on prioritizing produce.

Conclusion

The message behind 'what should half of your plate be in MyPlate?' is simple yet powerful: prioritize fruits and vegetables for better health. This visual reminder encourages a dietary pattern rich in essential nutrients, fiber, and protective compounds, which are crucial for managing weight and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. By varying your choices and incorporating different forms of produce (fresh, frozen, canned), you can easily make this core principle of MyPlate a sustainable part of your daily routine. Adopting this practice is a significant step toward making every bite count for your long-term health and well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary recommendation is to make half of your plate fruits and vegetables, with the remaining half divided between grains and lean protein.

Fruits and vegetables are important because they are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. These nutrients help lower the risk of chronic diseases, support weight management, and boost overall well-being.

All forms of produce—fresh, frozen, and canned—are healthy options. Frozen produce is often preserved at peak freshness, and canned versions can be convenient and affordable. Be sure to check canned labels for low sodium or no-sugar-added options.

You can add more produce by starting your day with fruit in your breakfast, using vegetables as sandwich fillers, adding extra veggies to sauces and soups, and choosing fruits and vegetable sticks as snacks.

While potatoes are vegetables, some nutritionists, like those behind the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate, caution against classifying them with other vegetables because of their impact on blood sugar. MyPlate does include starchy vegetables like potatoes in the vegetable group.

According to MyPlate, 100% fruit juice can count towards your fruit intake, but consuming whole fruits is generally better. Whole fruits provide more fiber and have less concentrated sugar compared to juice.

Yes, eating a variety of colors, or 'eating the rainbow,' is recommended because different colors of produce contain different combinations of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that benefit the body in various ways.