The USDA unveiled its new food pyramid on Thursday, and as it turns out, it’s not a pyramid at all. The decades old nutritional icon has been replaced with an easier-to-understand symbol: a plate, divided into sections for fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. The new symbol has been in development for two years and comes with a new website: choosemyplate.gov.
Why the change? Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack said the old pyramid was accurate, but too complex to be useful. First Lady Michelle Obama, who helped reveal “MyPlate,” said, “Parents don’t have the time to measure out exactly three ounces of chicken or to look up how much rice or broccoli is in a serving…But we do have time to look at our kids’ plates.” And Robert Post of USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion explained, “It’s grabbing the consumer’s attention that we are after this time, not making it so complicated that perhaps it is a turnoff. There is something really inviting about this familiar setting for meal time.
