Food Pyramid replaced with ... lots of carbs?

The government's much maligned Food Pyramid has been replaced by this graphic of a dinner plate suggesting all the components of a well-balanced meal.

“When it comes to eating, what’s more simple than a plate?” First Lady Michelle Obama said Thursday morning as she helped unveil MyPlate, a new tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help Americans better understand sound nutritional standards.

While kudos are due to the first lady and the USDA for taking a stab at this, I'm not sure this new tool does the trick. Our colleagues in Health are working on getting the experts' opinions on this new tool, so check back here for that. But what do you think about your first look at this new graphic? I'm no dietitian, but I find this new design totally unappetizing. 

First off, it reminds me of a pie. But aside from that, doesn't that look like an awful lot of carbs? That's basically three servings of carbs if you choose the grains, fruit and dairy on this dinner plate. Perhaps the assumption is that that a diner will only choose at most two of these carby options with a meal. But that seems like a nuance that could be lost on people who need the guidance.

And then what about that dairy option? It looks to me like it's encouraging a glass of milk, as it is placed in the traditional spot for drinks at a properly set table. But I thought conventional wisdom is that we should not be drinking our calories, but eating them. (Hmmm. I wonder if California Cows were called in as consultants.) Maybe that dairy symbol is suggesting a cup of yogurt, but again, that is a nuance that could be missed.

This graphic also doesn't address the crucial need for healthy fats in the diet. Or what about those nutritional bogeymen, like trans fats or hydrogenated fats, and sugar and high fructose corn syrup? 

Finally, given that there is only one point that all diets agree upon -- the need for more fresh vegetables -- wouldn't a better, albeit more radical design, call for a dinner plate made up of 50% fresh, non-starchy vegetables, 25% protein, and the remaining 25% as -- choose just one -- grains, fruit or a starchy veg?

And then that glass of milk.

What do you think?

I do agree that the Food Pyramid needed to be revamped. I always thought the Food Pyramid could lead people to wrongly believe that fats and oils -- which were at the tippy top of the pyramid -- were more prized, or most important, and not something to be eaten only sparingly.

Bottom line, though, is that even if people start eating according to the dinner plate above, it will still likely be a move in the right direction. Right?

ALSO:

USDA to reshape our plate

Battle of the Burgers: We want your recipe

Father's Day dining guide

--Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch

Credit: MyPlate.gov

Comments

[rheaseo25]

i think the graphic design is confusing, with the plate divided in make it hard to know the right percentage of nutrients the body needed and the dairy as a circle further complicates the sense of scale and proportions.

[Natalie S.]

The problem with the original Food Pyramid (setting aside the pre-Plate pyramid, which was more like abstract art than a useful guide) was that it made the same distinctions you're making: eat 3 carbs! eat 1 protein! eat the green mushroom for an extra life! In reality, and especially if you're eating real, minimally- or un-processed foods, there's no such thing as "a carb" or "a fat." Whole grains are carbs, but they also provide protein. Meat, beans, legumes, and soy ("protein" here) provide fat. Because of our food-label obsessed society, fruits are "a carb," but fruits also provide essential nutrients that our bodies need to survive; same with vegetables (which you failed to mention as "a carb." Are they? If not, what would they be?).

The point here is that labeling foods as "a fat/protein/carb" is based on the incredibly false assumption that foods only contain ONE macronutrient. In reality, a plant-based diet (mainly fruit/veg/grain) with (hopefully plant-based) protein has been scientifically proven again and again to be the diet that our bodies best use for fuel.

In terms of the ambiguous "dairy" circle -- it's only there due to huge political pressure from the dairy industry. Milk alternatives--soy milk, rice milk, almond milk--were represented in Canada's nutrition guide and provide just as much calcium... not to mention vegetables like broccoli and leafy greens. Furthermore, studies have proven that the 3-a-day dairy paradigm not only is overboard but also is harmful and actually CAUSES osteoporosis.

[marperl]

Here's the real story behind the pyramid retirement:

Claiming that the old (1992) food pyramid used to convey the proper ratio of dietary needs is now out of date, the USDA is unveiling a new approach to the ever challenging goal of eating a healthier diet.

This week the agency is introducing My Stomach, a graphic design of the human organ divided into four quadrants to represent the four main nutritional areas: Dark Chocolate, Sunday Bacon, Southern-style Fried Chicken, and Your Favorite Adult Beverage.

"This will make it much easier for the average American to stomach the stringent dietary guidelines we have been promoting for years," said the Assistant to the Deputy to the Vice-chair of the guidelines committee with a wry wink. "Actually, this is all a joke. C'mon, Sunday Bacon? That should obviously be Country Sausage."

More whimsy is at Thinking Out Loud, http://marperl.blogspot.com/

[bridget]

When you limit your fatty dairy and your protein, (most adults get way more protein then they really need), what the chart seems to be staying is eat more fruit, veggies and whole grains. Sounds good to me.

[Karolyn]

Thanks Michelle, the choose my plate is so much easier than the old way!!

[Lea]

Needs alot less grains and more lean protein and some heathy fats like Olive Oil and nuts.

[Lou Poulain]

I think that this is a huge step in the right direction. It graphically represents the kinds of dietary decisions people should be making. I am, like a lot of people, an out of control eater in recovery, and the first step I made in recovery was to take a half-day nutrition class at Kaiser. The heart of the presentation was this kind of graphic, and the main points being made were:
1. We eat too much meat
2. We need to replace a lot of the starchy carbs with veggies, emphasis on dark green leafy vegetables.
3. Portion control and balance is everything.

That, and David Kessler's book "An End to Overeating" were immensely helpful to me.

So I appreciate the intent of this graphic, and recognize it as a big step forward from the pyramid.

[Josh]

Why are grains an essential ingredient? Where is fat? There should be a HUGE asterisk beside the plate "Keep Total Carbs Low".

[Alex McNaughton]

I have to say this an atrocious piece of journalism. It seems to be the writer's unedited ramblings. It frequently resorts to saying, "I don't anything, but let me give my unjustified opinion any way." Quite frankly, this piece does not deserve to be in a high school publication, never mind a major professional paper.

[Bonnie Minsky]

Glaring Omission

While I agree that this is a huge step forward, there was one glaring omission: healthy fat. Maybe for the next version, they can cut down the amount of grains and add a small section for healthy fats.

Bonnie Minsky
Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist
nutritionalconcepts.com