The New Food Pyramid is a Plate

As the New York Times puts it: “Goodbye to the Food Pyramid, Hello to the Dinner Plate”.

This pyramid is on its way out.

UPDATE:  Yes, it’s Thursday, June 2, 2011, and as the USDA promised, the new Food Plate has launched in all its glory, which you can read about (after getting prepped below) at Yes, Choose My Plate!.

THE OBAMA administration is about to bury the food pyramid and launch a more relevant, instructive and simpler food plate, to be revealed in all its glory on Thursday, May 2, 2011.

Nutritionists by and large will not mourn the end of the pyramid, for although it has been recognized by millions of American kids and parents, it’s been considered to be too confusing and woefully flawed.  Flawed because it did not distinguish between healthy foods like whole grains and fish and the rather unhealthy foods such as white bread (white anything, really, foodwise!) and bacon.

Could the new food "plate" to replace the "pyramid" look like this?

The detail of this new plate icon will not be revealed till Thursday, but I for one am eagerly awaiting it with the hope that it will, indeed, be clearer and more instructive than the pyramid.

But it might not matter much.

I don’t want to be negative about this, but are Americans’ diets really guided by any food pyramid, plate or even the exhortations of their doctors?

Empiricism suggests not; rather the real influencers seem to be price, convenience and marketing.  The new “plate” will not overcome such powerful instigators.

I hope I’m wrong.

(If you just can’t wait till Thursday to find out what’s good to eat, check out my posts, Diet 101 and A Blueprint for Eating Right.)

Last Updated on March 27, 2015 by Joe Garma

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Joe Garma
 

I help people live with more vitality and strength. I'm a big believer in sustainability, and am a bit nutty about optimizing my diet, supplements, hormones and exercise. To get exclusive Updates, tips and be on your way to a stronger, more youthful body, join my weekly Newsletter. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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