HEALTH TOPICS 
Back in June, federal authorities unveiled MyPlate, an icon designed to help Americans follow healthy eating patterns. It’s a nice, colorful image that was a welcome successor to the misguided MyPyramid. But it doesn’t offer much in the way of useful information.
A group of my colleagues at Harvard Health Publishing worked with nutrition experts at the Harvard School of Public Health to create a better version. We call it the Healthy Eating Plate. “We gave MyPlate a makeover to provide consumers with an easy to use but specific guide to healthy eating based on the best science available,” says Dr. Anthony Komaroff, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Editor in Chief of Harvard Health Publishing.
(Click here for a larger, printable version.)
The Healthy Eating Plate uses visual elements of MyPlate as a starting point, because the government’s icon is already becoming a recognized teaching tool. But the resemblance ends there.
Here is what the Healthy Eating Plate recommends:
- Make half your meal vegetables and fruits. Go for variety. And keep in mind that potatoes and french fries don’t count.
- Choose whole grains whenever you can. Limit refined grains, like white rice and white bread, because the body rapidly turns them into blood sugar.
- Pick the healthiest sources of protein, such as fish, poultry, beans, and nuts; cut back on red meat; avoid bacon, cold cuts, and other processed meats.
- Healthy oils (like olive and canola oil) are good for you. Don’t be afraid to use them for cooking, on salad, and at the table.
- Drink water, tea, or coffee. Milk and dairy are not must-have foods—limit them to 1-2 servings/day. Go easy on juice. Avoid sugary drinks.
- And stay active!
Why bother modifying MyPlate? Because it offers little—or inaccurate—advice. It says nothing about the quality of carbohydrates (grains). White bread and white rice raises blood sugar in a flash—whole grains are better for long-term health. It makes no distinction between healthy sources of protein such as beans, fish, and poultry, and less healthy sources, such as red and processed meat.
In addition, MyPlate recommends milk or dairy at every meal, even though there is little evidence that high dairy intake protects against osteoporosis and substantial evidence that consuming a lot of milk and dairy foods can be harmful. It says nothing about healthy oils, which are good for the heart, arteries, and the rest of the body. And it is shockingly silent on sugary drinks, which provide far too many empty calories.
The federal government has been in the food icon business since 1992, when it unveiled the Food Guide Pyramid. It was built on a shaky foundation, influenced more by the food industry and agriculture interests than by science. MyPlate continues this unhelpful trend.
The Healthy Eating Plate is based on nutritional science and is not influenced even a smidgeon by commercial pressure. We hope it will be a useful alternative that provides specific direction for anyone who needs help following a healthy diet.
This is in danish: http://www.hornskovvindberg.dk/advokat.php, tough its more or less the same.
Hope to see more posts like this here.
Nice article.
I completely agree with your opinion and I can say that I am part of this group!
running the healthy lifestyle it is very difficult, especially we are busy with many activities. Healthy life, must begin with healthy habits, too. namely diet, exercise, and adequate rest. And more danger if we use food containers containing plastic quality is not good.
I totally agree with your article,i completely appreciate the healthy plate, diet plate….thank you for giving this information…..
eating Green vegetables every day is healthy for health….
Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and everything. However just imagine if you added some great visuals or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this blog could certainly be one of the best in its field. Good blog!
Much more osteoporosis than people in third-world countries who have much smaller calcium intakes. The too-high protein diet of the Western World causes the kidneys to leach out calcium. In general, it is quite questionable whether cow’s milk, which was designed for the rapid growth of a baby cow & is far different in fat & protein %’s than human mother’s milk “does a body good.”
If only we could get more people to follow your healthy eating plate. As a Health Coach, I typically advise people to steer clear of too much dairy and to eat high quality foods.
Do you think that you can write something on heavy clotting during periods?
Thanks for a great post.
I am trying to lose weight, what is best when it comes to counting your calories, is that something you should do?
I found this calorie shifting diet, would it work?
Thanks,
I feel like the “healthy eating plate” is a great overall guideline for the average person. Although I do believe that ideally we should almost eliminate grains completely from our diet. The research regarding human beings and intolerance to lectins indicates this. More people too I believe need to be aware of how beneficial herbs,roots, and sea vegetables can be for our health. Kombu is a great example of how certain natural things can go along way with achieving great health.
This is quite a very interesting information that Harvard had placed here for those that are seeking to lose weight. I do agree that the kind of we eat do play a significant role in the way we increase our body fat. Therefore, eating( low carb) diet are very helpful. It worked for me and I have seen a lot people trying this method.
wholegrains are not that easy to find nor that cheap.
It is very difficult for me to believe that an institution with the huge name like “Harvard” has dared to suggest the people to include in their daily diet, as “healthy”: 1) fish, 2) ANY dairy products.
You need to go a little deeper into studies that reveal, today, without any further doubt, that our human eating equipment evolved to be fed predominantly with plant based food and only for survival emergencies with animal based food.
You should at least consider to suggest that “some studies reveal” by now, that animal protein contains two amino acids that are lethal in the presence of other environmental hostile substances, resulting in a number of chronic diseases (cancer, heart diseases, multipleschlerosis, Alzheimer’s, Lupus, Diabetes 1 and 2, hepatitis, and others.)
For what is visible by now, there is an enormous distance to be advanced concerning a truly beneficiary diet suggestion to be made public. What are we afraid of?
Fantastic article, it’s so helpful to me, and your blog is very good,
and you put it in a way that everyone can understand.
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I spent some time on the FDA site trying to make sense out of their plate and the pyramid that preceded it. Sorry, you are right too much of the government food advise is influenced by some other interests. This is especially true of some of the more recent legislation that enables manufacturers to label things that are “not” as though they were. Like “lite” sour cream. If it is fake, then say so.
Really appreciate this alternative reminder of eating wisely. Personally i like this MyPlate
I work with brides to be, who often want to lose weight. However, I believe they’d benefit from just eating healthier. It seems that nutritious, balanced meals, rather than concern about a few extra pounds, would naturally help lose the extra weight.
The simplicity of the “Healthy Eating Plate” is appealing. And I think the improvements over the USDA’s MyPlate are excellent. It would be great to see suggested quantities or portions, perhaps based on certain factors, such as an individual’s lifestyle (how active they are), age, etc.
However, I’ll happily recommend the “Healthy Eating Plate” to my clients, just as it is. Many thanks for creating and posting it!
healthy diet come with healthy food and environment
I read this article with great interest. I also cannot help but wonder where our FDA is getting its information. Obesity in Americans is at an all time high, and diet has to be the root cause. Hopefully politics will not interfere (as it has done in the past) with the goal of keeping Americans healthy.
I agree a simple diet is the best way to go. I started working on internet review sites. I a few years ago I sat down and made a website that looked at all the different diets out there and it really came down to a low calorie balanced diet being the best. Keep up the good work.
I totally agree with your findings although I used to drink milk every single day:)) thank u for all your excerted efforts to reveal truths about nutrition because we live in a world so greedy for money undermining totally human health and how severely it’s gets affected.
Eating healthily could lead to a better life. In fact, if you stick to a healthy diet, you could rid yourself of different ailments. In fact, having a healthy plate is one of the natural remedies for various illnesses.
Great post!
I don’t know about some of these things that are on the Healthy Eating Plate. Why do you need brown rice, fruits and other stuff. Fruit contains sugar no matter what way you cut it. I suppose if I had to eat fruit it would be an apply. I agree with staying away from fruit juice. The oil I would use is safflower oil. Also coconut oil is very good. Lots of protein without the beans. Fish, chicken, turkey etc. No processed food at all – it is addictive ( as per Dr. Oz ) and I agree. If you must have cereal have one from the health food store that does not contain sugar. Coffee without cream or sugar. I have soup for my lunch – sodium free with a mixture of greens a a touch of dressing – low cal – from healthfood store. For dinner I have my protein as described above with lots of veggies – mostly green ones. I do not eat carbs at noon. People are obsessed with calories in = calories out. This is balance and not weight loss. You are at a standstill. Lots of walking or strength training. No cardio machines like the stepper or treadmill. You would have to stay on a treadmill for days to loose any significant weight. Does any of this make sense?
I have been trying to lose weight and have tried lots of diet plans. KEEP IT SIMPLE … STUPID, is now my new motto when it comes to healthy eating. Thanks.
Wow! Brilliant Idea.
Many THINK they understand social media, but in fact they DON’T…
These nuggets of knowledge is very useful. I want to share also some Tips.
thanks, this gives a new insight for me
Well, for me as well! Can you write something on Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage as well?
Well I really liked studying it. This information provided by you is very effective for accurate planning.|
I just wanted to add that eating some type of nuts every day is also beneficial.The best are walnuts-great for your brain and sleeping!
Pasteruized dairy is the worst thing for your health. Talk about mucus and acidity.
Much better to be that whatever you see this article to change to a healthier diet, thanks David
I really appreciate the fact that you included water in your healthy dinner plate. Our bodies are about 70% water by weight, and from many studies, Americans are not drinking enough healthy, clean water. Lack of water in the diet can affect the entire biological funtion. I would like to point out that in many cases, people don’t drink enough water because they do not like the taste or smell of their tap water. The overpowering smell of chlorine can be detected quite readily by someone who is used to drinking chlorine free water. The same goes for water that imparts certain taste due to the locality of the water source. I would recommend setting down to a clean glass of properly filtered water.
A balanced diet such as this is critical if one is to live a vital and healthy life, thanks!
Excellent information for those interested in staying healthy
thanks for ur artilce, very interesting information 😉
Thank you for this good article! I have been checking several out over this past week. 🙂
I appreciate your submission, previously interesting and compelling. I have found my way here through Google, I shall return another time 🙂
Which water to drink, distilled or tap?
drink milk every day,it is great.alos we can eat some fruit
Raw is a great natural source that is healthy and beneficial
Rickey
It’s an excellent diet plan, I’m a bodybuilder my self and almost every thing written here is superb and good for health, the only thing they forget to write was boiled eggs, because there is no other protein like egg protein and no good fats as the egg yolk have in them.
The Healthy Eating Plate !
I never cared for my Health before, but it appeals me now to be more specific about my diet.
thank u for all your excerted efforts to reveal truths about nutrition because we live in a world so greedy for money undermining totally human health and how severely it’s gets affected.
I love nothing more than to read these kinds of helpful articles. As a health enthusiast who writes about proper nutrition every day, i can really appreciate this.
Thank you P.J.
Maria Sherperr
really great article about health thanks for sharing it’s really helpful…..
this is about all healthy discussion
Seems like a nice upgrade but i think the average joe needs a bit of a break down on what is healthy protien etc, and healthy ways to cook , grill a chicken breast etc.
The Healthy Eating Plate is based on nutritional
science
The Healthy Eating Plate is a great guide to healthy eating habits and a useful too to healp fight the obessity epidermic. Keep up the good work at Harvard. Are the 2 servings of dairy sufficient for everyone? I’m very confused. I have osteoporosis (heavy doses of steroids during adolescence because of asthma) and have been drinking/eating close to 4 servings a day to try to build up my bones.
The Healthy Eating Plate is a great guide to healthy eating habits and a useful too to healp fight the obessity epidermic. Keep up the good work at Harvard
Behaw
a healthy diet is good so we have to keep our body healthy. many tips we can do to lose weight and keep us happy.
good article, that’s help me for arrange my healthy eating patterns.
Very good article.
Indeed, many foods that at first glance when we look healthy. However, if fruits and vegetables we eat come naturally? without pesticides? or other hazardous materials? We need a healthy and natural foods.
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good article, i think we need more vegetable and fruit on our meal. and left junkfood as our menu
Great post. I believe that coconut oil should have been included with the canola and other oils.
John
I was just talking with my wife about the triangle food chart that we used to study in elementary school. We have gotten away from the basics of healthy eating.
John
Excellent article. provides a specific address for anyone needing information on nutrition. Feeding is important, what happens is that we know very little about this, but it is indispensable.
I agree fully. I was a yeast infection sufferer for many years. Not until I read an article on home remedies for thrush did I learn that improper eating was the cause of my recurrent thrush.
It is sad that so many folks go through their lives suffering when there are countless things they could do to help themselves.
I truly believe that eating the right foods is the key. I’m positive that many breakthroughs in human health will be discovered from simple plants we have yet discovered their inner compound potential.
I like your system much better. I’m not a milk drinker, and i get tired of people telling me that I am unhealthy because of it. I’m more mindful of my diet than most of them.
A healthy diet is essential to live a good life. People with good diets are living the life to its full potential. I would prefer that people use less oil, eat more salads and fruits.
Great Blog… H2o is the best!!
Hi there
Great blog. I found the information extremely interesting as I dont like milk and have been critised for the fact. Teh alternatives sound good
Thanks
Lindy
good info
I’m glad you included water as part of the healthy eating plate.
But this should be mineral water, not tap water, which may contain harmful additives such as sodium fluoride or chlorine.
Great post!
I am hoping Harvard Health Publishing produces the healthy eating plate in the spanish language!–if they have not done so yet.
Diego — A Spanish language version is in the works. I will let you know when we release it.
pjs
If you are over weight there is a good chance that you are not eating healthy. Eating shouldn’t have to be a huge project. Moderation is the best solutions for most vices. If you are eating too much don’t east so much. If you are drinking too much time to stop for awhile. Its all about self control.Is Fast Food bad for you ? Of course if eaten every day but if you moderate it you are fine.
This is a good improvement and easy for even children to understand.I’m really glad to see this being done. The obsession with protein and meat has skewed our eating priorities. When I tell people that pizza was originally cheeseless and meatless, for example, they are amazed.
Very insightful information. Thanks for the information. I am extremely glad you included coffee on your list even if they are in moderation. I love my coffee
I love your article. Eating healthy should be at the top of everyone’s list. However, I do enjoy milk very much! But I also love coffee so I am extremely glad you included them on your list even if they are in moderation.
Thank you good information.
Bad food can cause terrible disease. I like your article.
This is a really informative article on healthy eating. Everyone should hang this “Healthy Eating Plate” Guide in their kitchen to check with while making meals. Very useful information. Thanks for sharing!
Yes I agree with your opinion that exist in the above article.
health care is essential. especially those associated with foods such as hygiene and nutrition.
regards
Chandra Haekal
i like meat and i like fruit plus vegetable, but i love veg n fruit, but i need weight loss.
There has been such a huge paradigm shift when it comes to losing weight in the last decade that will finally educate many that are willing to listen. The toxicity and acid-polluted diets are making sick and not helping the average overweight american lose weight either. This new change is something that should have happened decades ago and im glad to see its here.
Over the last fifty or more years, health experts and the food industry have given us healthy eating advice in the form of a number of products and schemes that have been experimental to say the least, and often unsuccessful in promoting our good health. In many cases, this was done with the best of intentions, but you know that old saying about good intentions!
Great info!We should all have the healthy plate posted on our refrigiators,i eat to much garbage food.
I’ve quit smoking and lost some weight. I’m making myself be more active and get more excercise, as well. My eating habits are the hardest to change. I simply don’t like very many vegetables. I’m a real “meat and potatoes” kind of guy. This is some good information for me to use to try to take care of myself better, especially my heart,
Several years ago I had serious health problems, and then completely switched to eating only healthy food.
Now, health everything is OK, and I can not even imagine that to come back to eat fried, greasy and other junk food!
The Healthy Eating Plate seems like the way we all should be eating – balanced and with more info about exactly what HEALTHY is.
Hei sir, If only we could get more people to follow your healthy eating plate. As a Health Coach, I typically advise people to steer clear of too much dairy and to eat high quality foods
Great article. Its a pity that so many people in this day and age seem to have an excuse for not being guided by the “healthy eating plate” I wish to request a blog by our learned friends on “getting the mind right” to accept that this blog is spot-on
Agree that Healthy Eating Plate is a big improvement on My Plate, but have to disagree with your recommendation of canola oil for cooking. Canola oil is a highly unstable oil when heated,with the polyunsaturates becoming oxidised. Further, research from the University of Florida found trans fat levels as high as 4.6% in commercial canola oils. I know you would be reluctant to recommend coconut oil because of the knee jerk reaction to anything containing higher levels of saturated fat, but it is a far superior oil for cooking at high heat because of its stability plus contains the beneficial fatty acids lauric acid and caprylic acid.
The Healthy Eating Plate seems like the way we all should be eating – balanced and with more info about exactly what HEALTHY is. Maintaining weight is a lifestyle, not a diet.
I understand what you mean robin, gluten-free diet is my specialty, but all in all, healthy diet lengthens the days of peace and quiet away from hospitals.
siempre a las Ordenes, Justo
I like your system much better. I’m not a milk drinker, and i get tired of people telling me that I am unhealthy because of it. I’m more mindful of my diet than most of them.
I’ve already applied the 50% vegetables and/or fruits, but the rest is still up for trial 😛 But thanks for the movivational post!
After more than 40 years as a pediatric allergist and a specialist in environmental medicine, the decline in the quality of our food supply has been quite alarming. With more and more chemicals being used to ‘treat’ pests and molds and fungus are causing so much more harm than anyone ever could have predicted.
Keep in mind the source of your food, do avoid processed foods whenever possible. I applaud you in your endeavors to create a healthier population. More education is needed (which is hard to believe after decades of educating!).
Much easier to understand and apply something to consider at the year-end parties.
Congratulations! Much easier to work with!
I would like to extend it to a whole day’s intake: 6-8 glasses of water, 6-8 servings of grains or cereal, 3-5 servings of fruit, 3-5 servings of veggies, 1-2 servings of meats, 1-2 servings of dairy products, a handful of nuts, 2-3 tblsp of olive/canola oil… ensuring 2-3 servings of fish per week… and what these servings represent (in cups or ounces).
Also, it is important to eat the food as fresh as possible – avoiding processed, packaged, canned goods!
Much better, now all you have to do is show how much of a standard 8″ plate would be covered by food, so people get an idea of portion size. Even too much good food can end being a bad thing. But I have to say I like this better than that silly “MyPyramid.” Much better teaching tool, thank you.
Nice article. I like your picture, it’s easy to understand.
Craigslist
Great information about the healthy eating plate. I definitely agree with this program “Healthy Eating Plate”.We hope it will be a useful alternative that provides specific direction for anyone who needs help following a healthy diet.
The new Healthy Eating Plate was created by Harvard Health Publishing and nutrition experts at the Harvard School of Public Health. It offers more specific and more accurate recommendations for following a healthy diet than MyPlate, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Service. In addition, the Healthy Eating Plate is based on the most up-to-date nutrition research, and it is not influenced by the food industry or agriculture policy.
The Healthy Eating Plate is based on nutritional science and is not influenced even a smidgeon by commercial pressure. We hope it will be a useful alternative that provides specific direction for anyone who needs help following a healthy diet.
This is an improvement, but also does not clear up the misunderstanding of food. Nothing wrong with grass fed red meat either. Red meat is not our enemy, nor is butter. The consumer is so lost and confused that they think a hormone ingested chicken cooked on the rotisserie with a bunch of MSG is better than a grass fed burger.
That actually makes a lot of sense. I tend to think that the people in the US have actually forgot what a plate is. With so many people resorting to the convenience and lower cost of fast food the sit down meal is almost completely dissapearing. It’s truly a sad thing, but I really think it’s the truth. How I miss the old days when me and my family would sit around the table, share stories and eat a wonderful home cooked meal.
the key of health food is balance consumption in carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, and minerals. Not balance consumption, will cause degenerative disease.
Good thing there are people concerned about improving the health, only that good health is a personal matter, a change of habit harmful to a healthy lifestyle that is even environmentally friendly, for that reason I believe that much and it is something unattainable, as large fast-food industries invade their advertising and are killing millions.
We certainly don’t need a Healthy Eating Plate filled with so many negative “don’t” and “avoid” edicts about eating and drinking. Why do so many Americans insist on demonizing certain foods or beverages like white rice, white bread, French fries, potatoes and sugary beverages?, I suggest greater personal responsibility, motivation, discipline and a positive attitude about all foods and beverages. Then, we can add moderate portions of treats, decadent foods and sugary beverages.
These children don’t go to the grocery store and pick out the foods they will eat … their parents do! These children don’t cook or prepare their food … their parents do!
hairs
this article is very helpful for me, i am trying to live healthier since couple years ago and searching good article about healthy living, medicine, treatment and etc
Basically, the key of health food is balance consumption in carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, and minerals. Not balance consumption, will cause degenerative disease.
I like your weblog and your info. It really breaks down the fact that we should not be eating too much meat in our diet on a given basis. I heard that food in the raw will give more of it’s nutritional value than if we just cooked it all day like the French. I should tell my girlfriend about this because she’s going to school in Miami for her masters in dietetics. Cheers!
hello, it’s true what we eat should we look
first suit nutritional needs that exist, but not
all can do it, how someone who lives in a
nutrient deficiency? Those who need more
attention. Thanks
there are many healthy food from Indonesia. My native Indonesia
It’s a good idea to try to get this balance right every day, but you don’t need to do it at every meal. And you might find it easier to get the balance right over a longer period, say a week. Eating healthily is about about eating the right amount of food for your energy needs.
I’ll be tuning in. Thanks for the heads up!
Great information. I also believe that many of the medical issues we face today can be avoided and even corrected with proper Natural diets. When our bodies lack the proper nutrients, its easy to allow infection or sickness to sneak in. Yeast infections are a good example. When there is an imbalance in our body, we produce to much yeast. This overgrowth becomes a yeast infection.
I am always looking for such type of great healthy food information and appreciate this type of articles providing healthy food knowledge.This is a great balanced food chart.
samuel
I live in Indonesia with rice as staple foods. Then, how to determine that amount?
thanks for the response..
i’m glad you make this article. i agree with you. but, i dont like vegetables 😀
Great Chart I appreciate some of the detailed revisions the Harvard group did, I take issue with the substitution water, tea or coffee and reducing milk & diary to ” not necessary” on their revised version of the graphic. Low fat or skim milk is, at minimum, reasonably affordable, highly nutritious food source that should be maintained in households with children, because it offer a calcium rich choice important to growing bones. The research behind this is monumental!
Keep the food very important for every body. but many people ignore the nutritions for their food.
The Superian Diet is also very good
whit out doupt the mediterranean diet is one of the most healthy.
Why do you say a meditteranian diet is the best?
At last this is what I’m looking for, I am searching for a simple yet effective way of a healthy diet. This is really helpful article.
Thanks for publishing this chart. It is a big improvement over the government version which I tried to use with my Tiger Cub Den. I like the clarifications about veggies and grains (french fries and white foods are a big stumbling block with nutrition at restaurants).
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This food chart is definitely a step in the right direction as the western world is becoming as a whole more unhealthy. What many people do not realise is they don’t even have to exercise to stay healthy they just have to adjust their diet to stay healthy.
Thank you for the post, help educate the world, keep it up!
The miracles of green smoothies are endless.
Love hearing even more great stories like this one! Thanks for sharing!
This is a good improvement and easy for even children to understand.I’m really glad to see this being done. The obsession with protein and meat has skewed our eating priorities. When I tell people that pizza was originally cheeseless and meatless, for example, they are amazed.
Health Free 2012
Great info!We should all have the healthy plate posted on our refrigiators,i eat to much garbage food.
Hello Fellow Students, As a part-time holistic practitoner my suggestion for all people is to avoid the consumption of toxins. Moreover it is essential to avoid the toxin dairy as it causes the immune system to react causing the body adverse reactions.
I believe however berries such as sea buckthorn oil are great alternatives for a percieved calcium foods.
..because we all already know milk depletes calcium levels, right ? ..whereas foods such as sea buckthorn contain a vast abundance of nutrients in addition to plenty of calcium.
I like your info graphic. It really breaks down the fact that we shouldn’t be eating too much meat in our diet on a given basis. Also I heard that food in the raw will also give more of it’s nutritional value than if we just cooked it all day like the French. I should tell my girlfriend about this because she’s going to school in Miami for her masters in dietetics. Cheers!
Eating an apple a day keeps you away from doctor. The above “plate of meal” can reduce the visits to doc for those who do a lot.
This is a very good page on nutrition. I’m glad someone has finally got the common sense to actually put up what we should be eating in plain language.
My visitors are always complaining about the USDA Food Pyramid and that it just does not have the actual information that they really want. It is so generic as to be totally useless. But this page has all the information at one place.
Thanks for the great job you guys did.
John
If you add up the recommendations for fruit and vegetables it is half of the entire diet, it will be very hard for almost all people to meet that requirement. Also couldn’t protein be a larger proponent of the diet without that necessarily being bad as raw protein contains less energy than fat?
It is a step in the right direction but I cannot believe that it has taken so long. I’m from the UK and I’m pretty sure that obese people will soon be the majority of the population. So much money is spent on other issues to our health but too much is focused on reactive.
I implore the proactive approach that by teaching through education is the way forward.
It’s so different with my country, all of the theories are not working for our healthy life. This is very great solution for our problem. Started from healthy eating plate to get better food chart.
great post P.J. as the 25 year fitness trainer I agree with much of what you’re saying but for me it always comes back to how many calories you eat, limiting the number of fats and carbs, make sure eating a lot of protein and exercising a minimum of three hours a week.
Now as a Calgary Marketing company I try to provide valuable information my clients and I hope you don’t mind if I post your blog and your information so my clients who could lose some weight.
I’m going to look at my plate in depth, study it and then come back and post again.
This is a really good visual eating plan. In germany, they are thinking about a “food trafficlight”, green for healthy foods, like vegetables, fruits; yellow for the food that’s ok but you shouldn’t eat everyday; and red ones for the candy/sweets, potato chips and other sins.
We also have food pyramid, but I think, some people still don’t understand the imprtance of eating healthy. So thanks again for this great plate.
Really useful summary of all the main Eat well principles in a clear lively poster.
Thanks nice post, P.J. Skerrett
This pots is very useful for maintain healthy systems in our human body because we must maintain good health also wealth life.
It’s horrible but in all honesty my plate would be more like half McDonald’s and half Taco Johns.
Thanks for the post,
Jeremy
I should print this and post it in my refrigerator door.
Thanks for the post.
Velz
Really useful summary of all the main Eatwell principles in a clear lively poster. The frieze surrounding the plate includes a wide variety of everyday foods colour-coded by food group… Thanks! P.J. Skerrett
Sir,What are your views on Green Tea,I mean i know it great for health and all but how many times is it ok to drink it.I usually drink about 3-4 cups a day.I tend to drink after each meal,Seems to show digestive properties or something.Do you thanks that’s healthy or should i reduce my consumption ?
Also i will be interested to know your views on alcohol consumption?
Greg
Super-Duper website! I am loving it!!! Will come back again – taking you feeds also, Thanks.
Even though everyone is different and maybe a “one size fits all” nutrition plan may not work for everyone, there is definitely nothing wrong with having a healthy starting blueprint for folks to find their way to healthy eating.
This society(in the United States) has a growing and really obvious obesity epidemic, and it seems to me like it has evolved from years of the mainstream habitual diet of excessive sugars from soft drinks, carbs, and overeating.
Sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup is everywhere. This super sugar is the biggest culprit to obesity.
The other culprit, I believe, is overeating. If you go to any mainstream restaurant in American suburbia you will be served with a meal that can feed two or even three people easy. Meal portions are too large!
If you compound the above-mentioned factors with physical inactivity, the result is the perfect storm for growing obesity.
Thank you for the healthy eating plate and for such a great blog.
Lance Stone
Wow, this is great information regarding healthy eating. I’ve often heard that one shouldn’t drink too much coffee,The USDA has a history of dispensing nutritional information which promotes use of the meat & dairy industry. Ample research shows a linear relationship between dairy consumption & osteoporosis. The countries with the most dairy
Hi, I eat rice every day with a glass of tea and after 2 hours of drinking coffee again.
Is it healthy for my health. Thanks
Hi
P.J. Skerrett
I totally agree with your findings although I used to drink milk every day .Please explain why the Healthy Eating Plate says “potatoes don’t count.” I get why frying potatoes isn’t the healthiest way to eat them.
I eat a lot of vegetables and drink a lot of water, but I sometimes forget to eat fruits and meat. I feel weak at times and I think it’s because I haven’t been eating a balanced diet. Thanks for the realistic chart! No more diets for me!!! Just regular, balanced meals!
Cheers!
Diane
With our busy schedule, it’s sometimes hard to maintain the balanced food chart.
Realistically speaking, we need a combo of veggies, fruits, meat, grain, water and vitamins. But who has the time to prepare those? Most people grab a pizza or a burger.
Overall, gourmet and diet meal delivery is a great alternative to have a balanced meal.
This concept looks better than simple “Enjoy your food, but eat less” type general recommendations from choosemyplate.
I should add “Avoid oversized portions” statement also doesn’t help too much.
this is a great improvement for better future we all have to more sensitive about our health,, with this healty eating plate the new inovation the future might be bright
thank for this good article
Great article about healthy eating plate,, really recommend to all
It is easy to understand and very helpful.
I like the Healthy Eating Plate better than either the pyramid
Thanks for the information.
olan
Right step towards healthy eating but needs a little improvement.
Harman — What would you add, remove, or change?
pjs
1. How is the vegetables and fruits as the biggest portion as a monk?
2. Besides that proper portion, does it depend on the organic or non organic meal too?
Thanks
Yasagun
Sorry I want to ask. This does not make us even more fat
Are the 2 servings of dairy sufficient for everyone? I’m very confused. I have osteoporosis (heavy doses of steroids during adolescence because of asthma) and have been drinking/eating close to 4 servings a day to try to build up my bones.
Wow!, this is a great post… It’s a fact that, Despite major advances in drugs and medical treatments, maintaining a healthy diet, being physically active, and not smoking are still the best approaches to preventing heart disease. Improving our diet lowers our risk for heart disease in many ways, including helping to lower high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as preventing obesity and improving the function of our heart and blood vessels… This is information should be taken seriously by everyone who aspires to enjoy a healthy living.
Thanks for sharing this reasonable healthy plate with us.
I personally think too much of anything is no good for you. Even some research shows that smoking cigarettes for some people who are very stressed is good for them. But my philosophy remains the same to much of anything is no good for you.
Thank you for the info.
Exactly, you can these things too far, but the information in this post is a good ideal to have. Also, I like the graphical representation of the plate, as it’s easier to remember!
Brooke
Hope some day you will change your Healthy Eating Plate excluding all sorts of animal flesh and secretions.
With fruit and vegetables you can’t miss, and I agree that milk and meat with all the hormones in it are not healthy at all.
I really appreciate the nutitional science approach. Between the misguided intentions of the government and the mountain of commercial pressures it is very difficult to obtain solid, factual , unbiased information. Thank you for this chart. It is easy to understand and very helpful.
I’m so glad to read this article. it will provides specific direction for anyone who needs help following a healthy diet.
Especially for women’s health.
Quite an interesting way of showing how to eat health. But a lot of people don’t relise is that eating healthy is only one part of your health. Doing regular excersises is just as important as eating the right stuff.
Myplate is more better description in clearly defined graphic than mypyramid.I think you guys at Harvard did a good job in putting together this my palte food and diet routine.
It really has been a guide for mu daily diet.
Hello Fellow Students, As a part-time holistic practitoner my suggestion for all people is to avoid the consumption of toxins. Moreover it is essential to avoid the toxin dairy as it causes the immune system to react causing the body adverse reactions.
I believe however berries such as sea buckthorn oil are great alternatives for a percieved calcium foods.
..because we all already know milk depletes calcium levels, right ? ..whereas foods such as sea buckthorn contain a vast abundance of nutrients in addition to plenty of calcium.
No offence Sammy but I don’t believe the benefits of sea buckthorn oil can exceed the benefits from milk. Especially when it comes to calcium.
I do however believe the author was right on with pointing vegetables as a main source of food.
Thanks xx
Hi P.J. Skerrett, Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Nice Blog I enjoy reading this as you cover interesting facts. Thank you!
Cheers
Lindy
The healthy eating plate is a great resource, especially for people trying to loose weight. It really does need to go into a little more detail regarding portion sizes and the daily intake of specific foods. You are what you eat people!
This is brilliant, the commercial interests regarding health are appalling and I think it’s no wonder we’re getting fatter… and sending our blood sugars through the roof with crazy recommendations. Thank you very much!
feeding is very important for a healthy lifestyle, I recommend olive oil and vegetables.
clear.
But vegetables and olive oil is not enough itself.
This is a very good page on nutrition. I’m glad someone has finally got the common sense to actually put up what we should be eating in plain language.
My visitors are always complaining about the USDA Food Pyramid and that it just does not have the actual information that they really want. It is so generic as to be totally useless.
But this page has all the information at one place.
Thanks for the great job you guys did.
John
I want to ask whether the addition of milk and some nuts contain calcium? and I know eraser day our bodies need adequate calcium intake
After going through this chart of MyPlate, the revision does sure make of the changes needs for eating habits. But I myself, who is an expert in easting healthy reccomend to add like a guidline of how many hours between from eating a meal and to always make each meal small that contains the nutrients that you need. For example, depend on how much you weigh and adding another 0; 125lbs= 1,250 Calories each day at least as like eating 5 -4 meals a day to have your metabaolism work and as in breakfast,lunch and dinner three course then snacks between from at elast 3 hours apart.
I think it will be perfect if this post apply in the hotel table manner eductaion too
I think the vegetable portion seemed excessive too, until I read the book “The Green Revolution” then I realized how much green leafy vegetables we really should be consuming to stay healthy in this day and age. The only way I could get our entire family to consume this amount and more was by drinking them! We now make a green smoothie everyday and the kids love them, and the amount of greens you can consume is incredible, and very convenient.
This is really an alternative of healthy diet guidelines to anticipate something bad
I think the vegetable portion seemse excessive for my stomach. I usually just eat protein maybe, like chicken or something.
I think the USDA should listen to this post, the current governmental system that is setup for dietary regimentation is quite ridiculous.
Sadly, it appears that the USDA has a bad track record when it comes to actually promoting health and wellness,
It’s about time the USDA listened to this advice.
I can’t agree more with your revisions to the MyPlate. Why must the USDA be swayed in directions of commercial companies. Great article!
This is aesthetic kind of information for health awareness, healthy diet is important to every one of us. thank you for this information.
I think your blog is very good because they often have a misconception that to lose weight should eat less or do not eat, when the reality is that you should eat more healthy foods such as those mentioned here.
you are what you eat, and you eat what you want, so you are what you want, at least if you ate it.
I think de same. The first is the health!!!!
Healthy eating is something important in life the reason to eat healthy and supplement routine is critical ejercisios important consumption of dairy products as you say the red and white meats are not bad but it’s better to eat white meat the truth the right food helps to have a healthier life better enim higher self-esteem and above all feel good about yourself.
The healthy eating plate is a great resource, especially for people trying to loose weight. Much better information that seems more relevant than that of it’s successors. Using a juicer is what I do to fulfill my fruits and my vegetable portion of the healthy eating plate. I find it much easier because face it, not all fruits and veggies taste that great alone. When added together you get a much better tasting mix.
I like the Healthy Eating Plate better than either the pyramid or MyPlate because it allows you to actually visualize your plate as you’re filling it with food. Much more practical.
Richard Moss
very resourceful blog… I definitely agree with this program “Healthy Eating Plate”. I used Aloe Vera juice as my supplements but I think this could be helpful also..
The plate is a giant step forward from either pyramid. Of course the plate won’t work for everyone, but I don’t think it will really help that much with our obesity epidemic. The main problem is that people don’t eat off a plate often enough and whhen they do, they overfill it. If you eat more fruit that grains and meat it will not cause you to be overweight. The real problem is the amount of nonfoods and chemicals people eat.
thanks for the release of the Myplate.it easily and succinctly spell out the right food requirement necessary for avoiding excess weight or obesity.
some experts said that losing weight is best using the fat loss exercise but why wait for cure wen you can prevent it.
Wow! very resourceful blog… I definitely agree with this program “Healthy Eating Plate”. I used Aloe Vera juice as my supplements but I think this could be helpful also.
Thanks for the information.
Glenn
Thanks for the information. This is a nice eating plate.
What’s your comment on healthy nutrition?[URL removed by moderator]
Kind regards,
Wesly — At Harvard Health, we believe in healthy nutrition without the need for the kind of herbal supplements your URL was promoting.
P.J. Skerrett
Thank you very much for sharing a lot of this good information.It’s a useful post.I learn many things from this sites.It takes good coordination between us. Nice post.
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Thank you very much for sharing a lot of this good information.It’s a useful post.I learn many things from this sites.I really liked your post.Will come back for future updates.I was looking for this knowledge.I was looking for this knowledge.Nice post.
That is a very helpful Healthy Eating plate. Thanks for those tips and recommendations.
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As a person who went on a vegetarian diet i have learned the valuable lesson on fruit and having proper vitamens that are need in your body being correct
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it is a very nice article about healthy eating , I hope it will help me loose some weight and get fit
Shame to you. Rebekah does not like you anymore.
Is consuming a number of rice can grow diabetes? because on my country Indonesia,Our main food is rice,and we know rice rich with carbo and glucose..thanks for the answer
Is there a Spanish version in the works? We do a lot of community health fairs and are always looking for good teaching materials. I thought the MyPlate was a step up from the pyramid, but prefer yours. A version in Spanish would help us reach out to our most at-risk demographics.
There are to many useful list of foods to our diet and lose weight, unfortunately the store that sells organic food ingredients is still difficult to find in many countries. thank you for your valuable information…
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Awesome! Thanks for sharing the healthy eating plate. I’m sure a lot of people will find this helpful. Good Job!
It’s interesting to see how 50% of the plate is made up of Vegetable and Fruits. I personally think that the problem with society today is that there are just not enough people eating fruits and vegetables. Not because they don’t like them… But because they don’t know how to eat them.
If you’ve never seen Fennel before, or Butternut Squash, most people won’t know what to do with them. I don’t really blame them.
I personally think the best way we can encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables is to get them to eat smoothies. You can pack so many fruit and vegetables into these there’s really no excuse.
Lewis J
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Thanks for a excellent article. I like the healthy eating plate this is the info I need. Thanks for sharing helpful info. Keep it up!
I commend Harvard Newsletter on this and have been advocating a similar plate for years. I would recommend adding nuts(even if it is in the protein section), seeds,olives and avacado to the healthy oils.Additionally listing plant based proteins first, before animal proteins and mentioning nitrates in hot dogs and other cured meats and its link to increased incidence of leukemia. Right now medical centers treating cancer regularly serve bacon,refined carbs, etc.
This is a very intelligent post I could not agree more with regards to it all. To be honest I dont think many people eat correctly and to be perfectly honest I am also in this category. I need to sort it out fast!
Thanks very much once again.
Great information about the healthy eating plate. Would love to use this in our publicatio – Ozarks Sentinel.
Thanks for the info.
Harvard Health Publishing and the Harvard School of Public Health would be happy to have you tell your readers about this. You can download an image of the Healthy Eating Plate and get more information at http://www.health.harvard.edu/plate/healthy-eating-plate
PJ Skerrett
Harvard Health Publishing
The healthy eating plate is a great resource, especially for people trying to loose weight. It really does need to go into a little more detail regarding portion sizes and the daily intake of specific foods. You are what you eat people!
I thinnk your healthy eating plate is a really good idea. Anything that makes us think about our health and what we are eating must be a good thing. Great blog post, thanks for sharing.
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I Learned some of this back in High School, But what a shame how often it pops up AFTER the good ol school yard days. Thank You MR. Skerrett for this rich article. I workout 3 times per week and honestly if i dont eat well along with the excercise, i can almost feel the fat coming back to me.[URL removed by moderator] This information was very helpful
Thanks for the information, The Healthy Eating Plate makes it very simple for those of us who want to change our diet around.
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We could not agree more. Your Healthy Eating Plate is far superior to the FDA My Plate. You hit in on the right proportions and even discussed the kinds and types of vegetables, grains, oils and proteins needed. Good Job. As Huntsville Chiropractors we believe that people can exchange ordinary healthcare for extraordinary wellness by simple lifestyle changes such as following your Healthy Eating Plate. Two thumbs up Harvard.
Dr Greg Millar DC CCEP.
nice healty eating plate mate. thankx
Very interesting post. I like the healthy plate better than the pyramid. Hopefully, more people will follow the health plate method.
Great version! My girlfriend has to watch her diet due to an illness and when I thumb through her meal plans and general food consumption pamphlets, my head starts to spin. I stay active and “attempt” to watch my diet as well, but can never get it together all the way due to the complexity of resources I try to follow on health related websites such as MensFitness and so on. I’m using the Healthy Eating Plate as my guide for now on. Thanks for the post! I’m going to mention the Healthy Eating Plate to my fitness savvy clients who rent apartments solely based on an apartments gym facility.
Thanks for the great information. I’ve learned a lot.
“Health is Wealth”. It is not a meaningless saying as it defines a very important fact of life.
Cheers!
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This is a very intelligent post I could not agree more with regards to it all. To be honest I dont think many people eat correctly and to be perfectly honest I am also in this category. I need to sort it out fast!
Thanks very much once again.
Regards
Thanks for posting this. It’s very informative and precise.
I’ve quit smoking and lost some weight. I’m making myself be more active and get more excercise, as well. My eating habits are the hardest to change. I simply don’t like very many vegetables. I’m a real “meat and potatoes” kind of guy. This is some good information for me to use to try to take care of myself better, especially my heart, so I can be around long enough, and be healthy enough, to enjoy my grandkids some day. [URL removed by moderator]
Good advice, especially about the 1/2 plate of vegetables and fruits. Common sense prevails as always.
Ken Black
This is one of the best information I got. Thanks for sharing this commendable issue on healthy eating plate.
We all have different body types. Some people are carbohydrate sensitive, others are Protein sensitive. The idea is to find what body type you are then you will know what foods are best avoided and which ones to eat.
Definitely exercise it will get you fit as well as toned. Combine this with eating right according to your body type, you are in for excellent results
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Hmm, it is an improvement over the old plate by far. However, I wonder about the insistence on whole grains and the limiting of red meat. This plate is half fruit and vegetables and half protein. Seems there is a whole gamut of problems associated with grains and legumes for many people though.
For the meat, perhaps an insistence on meat that comes from animals that are grass raised and fed over meat from animals in confinement/factory farming would be a nice addition. But given the red meat for most peoples is from those sources, I guess this is best. However, nasty chicken is still nasty chicken.
I do like the idea of the healthy oils. Nice touch. Although canola oil being from a grain, well, I’d like to know more about that. Seems nut and fruit/vegetable oils would be healthier.
Using something like the best mini food processors for chopping up fresh vegetables and fruits from organic farms, preferably, would add to the desirability of such a plate over the “go to the freezer and get the box” so many of us tend toward.[URL removed by moderator]
Eat From Small Plates Such as a Salad Plate
When my little children started eating table food, I brought plastic kid size plates to preserve my china. What I did not realize is that I would also eventually be eating on the adult version of the small plate. It can be hard to put too much food on a small plate. Because I do not like eating from plastic or paper plates, my husband and I eat from the salad plates that are part of our everyday dish set. Of course this smaller plate idea may be a ploy from my husband to do less clean up work after dinner.
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Wow, this is great information regarding healthy eating. I’ve often heard that one shouldn’t drink too much coffee, but this plate just recommends coffee without sugar and just a little milk.
Very nice article.I like It..Thanks to writer.
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in this article you have mention a real information for all ,keep going on
Dear Sir,thanks for this reasonable healthy plate,I have some question about it:
Isn’t it necessary to mention the term”low fat” for milk and dairy?
Isn’t it better to put (fresh or cooked) after veggies?
Why you put limitation for juices?Is drinking more than 1 small glass/day of sugerless friut or vegetable juice is harmful?
Can we put the lean pork meat in healthy protein group?what about the meat of Emu with the least amount of fat and cholestrol among all edible meats?
sincerely yours
Fereshteh
Why limit milk and dairy products? Too much fat?
First of All, I like this article very much…by reading this article I know about the healthy eating plate thanks for sharing your information….
The Lemonade Diet is a safe and gentle way to jumpstart your weight loss program. It is easy to use and the benefits of the main ingredient, lemon, have been scientifically documented. So what are you waiting for? Get the Lemonade Weigh Loss Diet and start on the path toward a healthier, slimmer body.
I’m really glad to see this being done. The obsession with protein and meat has skewed our eating priorities. When I tell people that pizza was originally cheeseless and meatless, for example, they are amazed. They think vegan pizza is weird, when in fact it is pepperoni pizza smothered in oily cheese that is the deviation!
So many traditional cuisines from around the world — including Europe and North America — reflect the time (i.e. most of human history before the 20th century) when there was not the meat and protein obsession.
Hopefully this is a step in the right direction to get us back into more wholesome and healthier eating habits.
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Why exclusion of milk? Bone health, DASH diet – No inclusion of other calcium-rich foods are indicated on the Harvard plate. Poor choice as now cannot use as teaching tool for teens, women, hypertension patients. This is excessive food politics.
Milk wasn’t included for several reasons: There are lower calorie and less expensive ways to get calcium than from milk. Getting lots of calcium in and of itself doesn’t seem to offer much protection against osteoporosis, and too much calcium may be harmful to the arteries. The natural hormones that come with milk may not be the best for human health.
Missing are recommendations for limiting sodium. Perhaps on the next revision?
Look, folks, let’s not argue about every component of this plate. The big bold message (I guess it’s hidden under the plate, like a surprise) is “stop eating junk food.” Every day I see school children getting on the bus with a bag of chips for breakfast. Does it take a trained nutritionist to know that this is wrong? Get rid of fast food and snack food/candy ads on TV and replace them with ads describing this plate. Now THAT’S a good use of taxpayer dollars.
Dear P.J Skerret
What’s the thingy with added, refined, dietary oil? I hear that coronary heart disease is being reversed with low-fat, whole-food vegan fare. That means that we have clinical evidence of clogged arteries opening up with plant-based, no-oil diet? Should this kind of refined, non-whole-food product, such as mechanically pressed oil (olive or canola), really be part of a healthy diet?
Second question does “limit dairy”-advice also include eggs?
I hope I get some clarification on these matters
Thank you very much
Peter
It’s really important to be aware of what you are eating. food can be toxic if it is improperly prepared even if it may seem healthy
SmartSteps, Aurora, Illinois is involved in Early Childhood Education. Our participants are needy Hispanic parents and their birth to age 3 children. We have bilingual Parent Educators going into the parents home and teaching them to be their child’s first teacher through our Parents As Teacher curriculum. One of the components of this program is nutrition. There is a high percentage of obese Latino children in our area.
I agree with an early poster, Sharon Fraser who said: “… develop a plate more specific for low income and Spanish speaking individuals that would have comments as . ” make beans and rice but use brown rice instead. Folks need to be pointed in a direction espically in these times when they are so stressed about meeting basic needs.”
She started to hit the nail on the head and got it part way in. I challenge the fine people of the Harvard Medical School (students and staff) to do better for needy and very young Latino children and their parents.
These children don’t go to the grocery store and pick out the foods they will eat … their parents do! These children don’t cook or prepare their food … their parents do! So, IMHO, the issue is just not about designing a “Healthy Eating Plate” … but more so designing a “Healthy Eating Program” that can be taught to parents and incent them for following it for themselves and their at-risk young children.
I am willing to put my money on the line as a challenge to Harvard Medical School and 9 other institutions to do better.
This is a contest and I will develop guidelines and retain qualified persons to pick the winner. We will follow 100 children on the winners program and compare against a control group of 100 children not on the program. If you are interested, please call me at 630-954-9467.
George Jones
PS: Tom Vilsack is a fraternity brother of mine and I know he would listen to ideas for improvement in early childhood nutrition and education. Our fraternity motto is: “Justice is our foundation.” And in this case it could be modified to “Nutrition justice is our foundation.” to filter out unhealthy input from lobbyists and industry food giants.
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The consumer is so lost and confused that they think a hormone ingested chicken
The healthful eating plate has helped me in serving my family healthier meals. I’m trying to change my children’s mindset regarding eating but it is difficult when they see the junk their friends bring to school and call lunch. Packages of chips, crackers, cakes, cookies, processed meats, and the amount of food served in the lunchroom is, I am sure, contributing to the obesity of these kids. A little more white space around the plate may help drive home that the plate doesn’t need to be filled. Less food on the plate is healthier!
i completely appreciate the healthy plate, diet plate, you name it. it does can give the right descriptiion to people about the right portion of each meal. anyway this is my first time knowing this term. thanks for sharing this to everyone.
This is a good improvement and easy for even children to understand. A suggestion could you develop a plate more specific for low income and Spanish speaking individuals that would have comments as . ” make beans and rice but use brown rice instead. Folks need to be pointed in a direction espically in these times when they are so stressed about meeting basic needs. Thanks for this improvement.
Regards
Sharon Fraser
Health Coach
Boston Globe editorial today endorsed the Healthy Eating Plate — http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2011/09/20/nutrition_why_leave_it_to_usda/
This is an improvement, but also does not clear up the misunderstanding of food. Nothing wrong with grass fed red meat either. Red meat is not our enemy, nor is butter. The consumer is so lost and confused that they think a hormone ingested chicken cooked on the rotisserie with a bunch of MSG is better than a grass fed burger.
I could have forgiven the dairy thing, but recommending canola oil and limiting butter? I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity of that advice. I wasn’t impressed with the USDA’s recommendations, and I’m not impressed with yours.
“Nice Post. It’s really a very good article.
At first look I like this plate. BUT I take issue with the “Limit milk and/dairy” . The whole dairy issue is so controversial, however many , many children and adults without allergies or intolerance to milk sugar can enjoy low fat dairy products daily and what is the downside to that? Better wording might be ” Choose non-fat / low fat milk / dairy. Limit juices (4 ounces /day) (what does small glass mean anyway in a supersize world???) OR “Chose fresh fruit more often than fruit juice.”
with grains: Chose refined grains(white bread, pastries) only occasionally.
Just a couple of thoughts. Anyone else out there care to comment on low fat dairy??
C Dicks RD
I agree….fat free milk is about 90% water anyway, but with calcium, protein, carbohydrates, potassium, and vitamins A & D added many times….many people don’t have time to sit down to a “regular” meal, and a glass of milk with a whole grain and fruit bar is a good alternative. How about the natural probiotics in fat free yogurt that promote healthy digestion?
I’m with you on the dairy thing. I don’t understand why we have to cut dairy for everyone just because many people have an allergy/intolerance. Doesn’t make much sense to take the protein and calcium away from everyone because some have a problem.
As a health educator in Arizona, working to provide nutrition education to students in schools/districts that are predominantly comprised of Hispanic children from under-served and low income families, the change to MyPlate presents another dilemma. Many of these children and their families won’t associate with the MyPlate icon because their diets consist of limited, low nutrition food choices such as ramen noodle soups and sugary bulk breakfast cereals. The question becomes not “do I have all the food groups represented on my plate” but rather, “what food do we have to eat”. These are the food choices families struggling in the current economic climate make, buying cases of ramen noodle soup for cents on the dollar. It’s how families make food ends meet. Nutrition is often sacrificed to stave off hunger for struggling families & easy presents choices that are easy for children to prepare when the parents are absent from the home working at mealtimes. These are very complicated times.
While I appreciate some of the detailed revisions the Harvard group did, I take issue with the substitution water, tea or coffee and reducing milk & diary to ” not necessary” on their revised version of the graphic. Low fat or skim milk is, at minimum, reasonably affordable, highly nutritious food source that should be maintained in households with children, because it offer a calcium rich choice important to growing bones. The research behind this is monumental!
In my personal view, any nutrition education is useless without the parallel of physical activity and exercise education and opportunity for all.
My views are my own and do not represent views held by my employer, colleagues or those I work to serve to promote health and wellness.
Thank you,
E. Schnoll
That is surprising. I thought they would be eating lots of corn tortilla, and beans — at least, 50 years ago that’s how it was when I was growing up. There was always a pot of beans and lots of freshly made tortilla, and when we came home from school we would eat all we wanted. Highly nutritional.
Thanks for your perspective. We are working on different iterations of the Healthy Eating Plate for different cultures and meals.
One issue I have difficulty with is that bodies change as they get older and as such have different needs. The older person is faced with issues of elevated blood sugar, reduced activity levels and greater risk for inflammation-related problems. I alluded to this in a recent blog post and referenced Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid.
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Please explain why the Healthy Eating Plate says “potatoes don’t count.” I get why frying potatoes isn’t the healthiest way to eat them, but there are other ways to eat them, and they have nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin B, potassium, and resistant starch. Also I understand that a number of other countries such as Denmark, Germany, and the UK recommend potatoes in their dietary / nutritional guidelines. So why the difference?
I think the message their going for is that potatoes don’t count as a vegetable. They would be placed on the other side of the plate with the grains due to their carbohydrate content.
I disagree with “Kate” that they authors were trying to include potatoes in the “grain” category. Were that the case, it would also note that corn IS a grain and not a vegetable. Also, quite a few vegetables are comparatively high in sugars (which would include “starch”). Most root vegetables (think beets, carrots, etc.) fall into that category, as do peas. My personal opinion is that potatoes were “discredited” simply because the originators dislike them.
Actually, Kate is right. Due to its macro-nutrient content, Potatoes much more closely resemble a bread/starch than a vegetable.
I actually find it interesting how many people can only drink milk up until when they get older and then it seems to make them sick… I’m one of them.
Cheers;
Sam
While the USDA’s MyPlate isn’t perfect, no one icon will ever be, including this revamped version. We certainly don’t need a Healthy Eating Plate filled with so many negative “don’t” and “avoid” edicts about eating and drinking. Why do so many Americans insist on demonizing certain foods or beverages like white rice, white bread, French fries, potatoes and sugary beverages? Eliminating them from our choices completely will NOT solve all our health/obesity issues instantly.
In over 29 years as a Registered Dietitian, I’ve found that rigid “one-size-fits-all” rules and avoidance of favorite foods/beverages are rarely sustainable habits. Nor are they necessary. I know many people, including myself, who enjoy the occasional sugary lemonade, iced tea or soda, white French baguette and stir-fry with white rice and still maintain excellent health and appropriate weight.
I suggest greater personal responsibility, motivation, discipline and a positive attitude about all foods and beverages. Let’s stop parsing over the icon and start making more of an effort to learn how to eat the right amount of all nutrient-rich foods for our own unique calorie level. Then, we can add moderate portions of treats, decadent foods and sugary beverages. Finally we must balance ALL these calories with more physical activity every day.
Kim Galeaz, RD CD
Culinary Nutrition Consultant to the Agriculture, Restaurant, Supermarket and Food/Beverage Industry including Coca-Cola
If only we could get more people to follow your healthy eating plate. As a Health Coach, I typically advise people to steer clear of too much dairy and to eat high quality foods.
Thank you for this great post!
Ray-
I like your Healthy Eating Plate. I agree it is much more informative than the USDA MyPlate. I disagree, though, with the statement “MyPlate continues this unhelpful trend.”
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines, on which the plate was developed, are evidenced-based. Great effort was made via the Nutrition Evidence Library to support the guidelines. MyPlate is strictly an icon, the USDA has additional materials that provide more information.
There’s always room for improvement but I think it is counterproductive to discredit the USDA.
The USDA has a history of dispensing nutritional information which promotes use of the meat & dairy industry. Ample research shows a linear relationship between dairy consumption & osteoporosis. The countries with the most dairy consumption have the most osteoporosis! — Much more osteoporosis than people in third-world countries who have much smaller calcium intakes. The too-high protein diet of the Western World causes the kidneys to leach out calcium. In general, it is quite questionable whether cow’s milk, which was designed for the rapid growth of a baby cow & is far different in fat & protein %’s than human mother’s milk “does a body good.” To deny the host of evidence against red & processed meats in terms of their influence on cancer & heart disease is to have one’s head in the sand. Thank you Harvard!
I think this is a great idea . . .
We have a plate very similar in the UK call the diet plate, but doesn’t look as clinical, just looks like an average plate with a beautiful image on it has slightly raised areas around where you place the food Regards Chris
Chris — The UK version, is called the Eatwell Plate. Here’s a link to it for anyone interested in seeing this icon.
PJ Skerrett
Here is the link to the Diet Plate (an actual plate) http://www.thedietplate.com/Diet-Plate-Range/Female-Plate.html
I believe this is what Chris was referring to?
As a health coach who promotes healthy eating and weight loss, this model is exactly what I teach my clients to use as a guideline (minus the coffee), in addition to mindful eating. Thank you for making a better visual representation. I will share it with my clients.
Yes this is true!
I totally agree with your findings although I used to drink milk every single day:)) thank u for all your excerted efforts to reveal truths about nutrition because we live in a world so greedy for money undermining totally human health and how severely it’s gets affected.
Are the 2 servings of dairy sufficient for everyone? I’m very confused. I have osteoporosis (heavy doses of steroids during adolescence because of asthma) and have been drinking/eating close to 4 servings a day to try to build up my bones.