June 2, 2011 was the release of the USDA’s “My Plate” which replaces the old “My Pyramid”. I brought this up in my nutrition class yesterday and here is what was discussed in class.
1. “The message is clear – balance at every meal is important.” Now that I have had some experience teaching nutrition to college students, I have come to understand how clueless the public is when it comes to nutrition information. Less is more!
2. “The pyramid was a little overwhelming.” The visual of the plate makes more sense and is more relatable than streaks on a triangle. By the way, did anybody hear about the pink floyd album cover conspiracy? 
Glad we can lay that baby to rest! In my opinion, it kind of reminds me of the old handheld “simon” game! 
3. “Not pictured: physical activity, water, dessert, good fats, knife, spoon” Good observations! The “My pyramid” included some of those concepts and now they are missing- maybe to keep the image simple? By the way, I loved @badbanana’s tweet yesterday “Based on the new guidelines, I need to cut back on the number of forks I eat. I usually eat five or more a day.”
4. “The word protein is used instead of meat“. Again, another great observation! I actually like that it’s labeled “protein” instead of “meat” because we can get protein from so many sources other than meat!
5. ”It’s not perfect but it’s a start“. Well said! You can’t please everybody but this is a HUGE step in the right direction. I like the wordage of “my plate” vs “my pyramid” as well. One of my most embarrassing moments as a teacher was when I called it “my period” instead of “my pyramid”. You can bet that was a mistake I will never repeat!
Will this change what you put on your plate??
Good information, Amber! As a homeschool mom thinking about the health portion of our curriculum this year, this is something I will have to check into more!