In 1943, during World War II, the USDA introduced nutritional guidelines promoting “Basic 7″ food groups to help maintain nutritional standards under wartime food rationing. The Basic 7 food groups was in the chart form as shown as above.

This was followed by the nutritional guideline known as the Food Pyramid, and formally titled the Improved American Food Guide Pyramid, was originally drafted by Francesca Morris and was published by the FDB in Denmark in 1978 and later adopted by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in 1992 to
replace the earlier food groups classification system.

MyPyramid, released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on April 19, 2005, is an update on the American food guide pyramid that stresses on activity and moderation along with a proper mix of food groups in one’s diet. As part of the MyPyramid food guidance system, consumers were asked to visit the MyPyramid website for personalized nutrition information.

But now, the Obama administration, led by First Lady Michelle Obama, introduced MyPlate at a press conference in Washington, D.C.. The plate will replace the Food Pyramid, which was used by officials, schools and scientists to promote healthy meal portions. The pyramid used exact measurements and serving sizes, whereas, MyPlate attempts to make healthy eating simpler. The “plate” image is divided into 5 sections: Fruits, Grains, Vegetables, Protein and Dairy. The bigger slices of the plate belong to vegetables and grains, fruits and protein are next and dairy is on the side.

The plate is a new, multicolored symbol designed for people to see visually how much room on a plate each of the food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, protein & dairy — should occupy. If people visualize the icon as they fill their plate, USDA officials hope people will be reminded to make better, more balanced choices. The website behind the icon will contain nutrition guidelines, which were updated last year, and links to dozens of information sources on diets and food.

The reason that MyPlate is being appreciated because of its simplicity and the fact that it replaced the incredibly messy food pyramids that started off by putting grains on the bottom of the pyramid and sugar on the top even though it meant to signify portions rather than the traditional interpretation of the pyramid. MyPlate is not telling people what to eat, its giving them a guide.

IMAGE SOURCE

A number of simple, actionable nutrition messages accompany the new graphic:
Foods to Pay Attention to:
—Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
—Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
—Make at least half your grains whole grains.

Balance Calories
—Enjoy your food, but eat less.
—Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Reduce
—Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
—Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

But the My Plate has not been received with open arms by everyone as it is far from ideal and that it alone does not tell people which foods are good and bad to eat. For example, people will need additional information. It really makes a difference whether the grains you eat are whole grains or refined grains. Or what kind of proteins are being consumed — to be healthy, we need to be replacing the meat with a mix of chicken, nuts and legumes.

Even the First Lady had to admit that the MyPlate was flawed — as it does not include exercise — an aspect of healthy living she continues to promote with her ‘Let’s Move‘ campaign to reduce childhood obesity. That is something the old pyramid had over the new plate because it managed to include exercise by depicting a stylized stick figure climbing a staircase up the pyramid’s edge. But like all things, nothing is perfect. One icon cannot deliver everything a consumer needs to know.