Pyramid scrapped for imperfect plate 

  

The US government has scrapped the much-maligned food pyramid icon and replaced it with a fruit- and vegetable-rich plate, seeking a simpler way to show Americans how to eat right. While it's a major improvement, the new icon still falls short on giving people the advice they need to choose the healthiest diets.

Visually, the "make half your plate fruits and vegetables" message represents an improvement over the previous nutrition icons, says HSPH's Walter Willett. And it moves Americans towards a more plant-based diet.  

But there are still some fundamental differences between the government's nutrition advice and the latest science on healthy eating--and MyPlate, as a shorthand version of the government's nutrition advice, in some ways falls short. MyPlate does not show that whole grains are a better choice than refined grains, for example, or that beans, fish, and chicken are healthier protein choices than red meat. Healthy fats--key to heart health and to lowering the risk of diabetes--do not appear at all on the plate. Yet dairy is given a prominent place at the table, despite evidence that high intakes of dairy products do not reduce the risk of osteoporosis and may increase the risk of some chronic diseases. Perhaps the greatest problem is that MyPlate is silent on the large portion of the US diet that's junk: sugary drinks, sweets, salty processed foods, refined grains, and the like.

In contrast, the Healthy Eating Pyramid from the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health puts whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and healthy fats in the base. Red meat, butter, soda, sweets, refined grains, and salt are in the used-sparingly tip. 

 

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