MyPlate Nutrition Guide

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You may remember learning about food groups using a Food Wheel or the Food Guide Pyramid before it was replaced by MyPyramid. These dietary guidelines were simplified into a visual information tool that is easy to understand.

Nutritional guidelines provide a foundation for food and nutrition policies, and nutrition education programmes. They are country-specific and not one-size fits all.
What is MyPlate?

MyPlate was developed to make it easier for people to understand dietary guidelines

Personal Trainer. Previous nutrition guides such as the Food Pyramid or the Food Guide Wheel were often too complex for people to use in their daily lives.

MyPlate illustrates the basic foods groups that are important for everyone, at every age and stage. The plate is divided into areas to represent fruits, vegetables, grains and protein foods. A blue circle on the plate represents dairy, which includes milk, yogurt, cheese and calcium-fortified soy products.

MyPlate also offers tips for forming healthy eating patterns that can improve over time. For example, the plate graphic encourages people to choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products instead of full-fat versions. The graphic also encourages people to eat more fruits and vegetables. Over time, this can help lower the risk of obesity and related health conditions. It can also help reduce the amount of unhealthy processed and sugary foods that are eaten.
Food Groups

Foods are grouped into five categories on the Nutrition Guide: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy. You should choose from these groups most often to get the nutrients your body needs.

Each edition of the Nutrition Guide is developed and released every five years based on current science. It is used to help develop and implement Federal food, nutrition, and health policies and programs. It also serves as the foundation for nutrition education materials designed for the public.

Eating a healthy dietary pattern means enjoying a wide variety of foods and beverages that are rich in nutrient-dense nutrients and low in fat, added sugars, and sodium. This eating pattern can be customized to fit personal preferences and cultural traditions. It can also support healthy weight and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Nutrients

Nutrients are the chemical components that make up food. They are essential for good health. You can find information about nutrients on food labels (also called Nutrition Facts labels) on most packaged foods and drinks. The information will tell you how much of each nutrient is in one serving. It will also tell you how much of each nutrient you should get each day. The information is given in a column of percentages called the % Daily Value. This makes it easy to see how much of each nutrient you should be eating each day.

The % Daily Value is based on a daily diet of about 2,000 calories. Your actual nutrient needs may be different. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, jointly issued by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, provide advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, prevent disease, and meet nutrient needs across the lifespan. The Dietary Guidelines are updated every five years. They serve as the foundation for Federal food, nutrition and health policies and programs, including those designed for the public.
Portion Sizes

Eating a healthy diet isn’t just about what you eat, it’s also about how much you eat. People who eat too many calories can develop health problems like obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. In addition, eating too few calories can lead to health problems like malnutrition.

A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat at one time, whether it’s a meal or snack. A serving size is a standard amount of food listed on the Nutrition Facts label and used to calculate the nutrient information for that product. A serving can be different from a portion depending on the type of food and your personal eating habits.

Because American restaurant portions have grown over the years, it’s important to understand how to identify and measure a reasonable serving. For example, you may want to use a smaller plate or measuring cup when eating out or try using the palm of your hand for an at-a-glance way to estimate serving sizes.