Finally!

No more food pyramid!  Last week the FDA decided to switch their illustration of healthy eating from the food pyramid to the "My Plate" method.  I'm probably one of the only people in the country who is very pumped about this.  What's the difference, you say?  Well first of all, the food pyramid was not exactly correct.  If you remember the old school pyramid, it had grains and starches down at the bottom level indicating that should be your largest % intake.

Then we realized that refined grains (non-whole wheat) was bad for your waistline and bad for your health (hellooooo diabetes).  In comes the new pyramid.

This was bad because ... well ... what the heck does it mean?  Theres a man climbing up the side of a pyramid of food.  I think it tells me I need equal amounts of grains and dairy?  And there's really just food all over the place.  Not helpful.  But now!  I think they've finally got it right:  The Plate Method.

This is a method I have used many times to teach my patients how to eat healthfully.  It just makes sense!  Half of your plate should be filled with fruits and veggies.  1/4 is for your protein (no steaks filling half the plate, please), and the other 1/4 is for your grains, which are preferably whole grains.  And the white spaces in between mean that you should always be able to see empty plate between your food items (perhaps this rule was put in specifically for my family potlucks!)

Anyway, this is super easy to teach patients, and I think that it actually works.  If you make an effort just to fill half your plate with veggies (and they aren't fried veggies), I guarantee you'll be healthier than the average bear!