Food Pyramid Dead, Food Plate Lives.

So long food pyramid and hello…food plate and floating cup? To help you understand the food groups and to eat balanced meals, the USDA has unveiled their new nutrition chart.

The redesign reportedly cost a cool $2 million and although is easier to understand, is still flawed in its representation of a healthy diet. The plate is divided into four sections: grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, and has a floating cup representing dairy.

A nice effort put into this project but most people suspect the chart has more to do with food subsidy politics than it does a balanced diet. The major issue here is that the food plate was developed using USDA nutrition guidelines which are so severely flawed that the USDA is being sued for deception.

On the upside, the ChooseMyPlate.gov site that goes with the new chart does contain a vegetarian section where it talks about how easy it is for vegetarians to get their protein. It gives fair credit to nuts, beans, and legumes but it also mentions eggs and dairy as good sources of protein as well. 

The new food plate isn’t perfect but I guess we should just be glad we got rid of the last pyramid monstrosity.