As most people probably remember, the USDA promoted healthy eating & living via the Pyramid, which was instituted in 1992, and promoted a diet based on a whopping 6-11 servings of grains per day (regardless of refined v. whole wheat status). It had been met with a lot of criticism, and, as of today, the USDA released a new pictoral guideline for healthy eating. It’s about time!! 1992 was 19 years ago- a lot has changed.
The new guidelines come in the form of something more intuitive- a plate. Furthermore, it sounds awfully similar to the guidelines put forth in Wave 3 of the Sonoma Diet, interestingly enough. Here are the rules: half of your plate is filled with fruits and veggies, and the other half is split between grains and a protein. The USDA guidelines also provide for a small cup of dairy on the side. The promote whole grains for your side of grain, low salt, and low fat dairy. I love these new guidelines, obviously! Here is the new plate:
MyPlate
I think that as long as people watch their portion sizes, hopefully it will promote better nutrition.
Also, I can’t believe the E. Coli outbreak in Germany!! Apparently, it’s a mutant strain of E. Coli- which means all bets may be off. Healthy, young people are apparently DYING from E. Coli over there- what a mess!!! It’s usually linked to unsanitary conditions, but why the mutation? I wonder if it’s drug resistant, like some stains of Staph? Is it from the “fertilizer” they use on the veggies? And if that “fertilizer” comes from animals like pigs and cows, were those animals given antibiotics, thus spawning this potentially drug resistant strain of E. Coli??? I guess we’ll find out!
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