13 Mar Choose Your Plate
Remember that food group pyramid from health class? You know, the one that instructed us to eat 6-11 servings of the bread and cereal food group every day. Well, in 2011 the United States Department of Agriculture and its affiliated groups replaced it with MyPlate, a simplified icon that reflects what a typical food plate should resemble at a glance. And it holds lessof the Grains (now its name) group, and mostly Vegetables. In fact, half of the plate is strictly plant-based, consisting of Vegetables and Fruits. They also recommend making at least half of our daily Grains whole grains.
While eating can be a gratifying experience, it is important to remember why we eat: to fuel our bodies to do the things they are meant to do so that we can live. It takes time to change eating habits, but it is possible.
March is National Nutrition Month.Visit www.ChooseMyPlate.gov for tools to help manage your calorie and fat intake, learn about food labels, plan food shopping on a budget and of course, choose your plate.