Tag Archives: my pyramid

5 Balanced Dinner Menus to Fill Your MyPlate Icon

With the recent announcement that the food pyramid will be replaced by the new MyPlate icon, Americans are more aware than ever that it’s time to start eating their vegetables.

While the plate icon offers a visual, user-friendly guide to help people make better food choices, some of the 2024 Dietary Guidelines, like eating more fish, beans and whole grains, are not addressed.

Before you start cooking dinners based on MyPlate, keep the size of your plate in mind and check your portion sizes. According to the Mayo Clinic, reasonable portion sizes include:

  • One serving of protein should be three to six ounces (three for women, six for men) and about the size of a deck of playing cards.
  • One serving of whole grains should be the equivalent of one slice of bread, 1/3 cup brown rice or 1/2 cup whole-wheat pasta.
  • One serving of dairy is equivalent to an 8 ounce glass of milk or 1 ounce cheese (about the size of four dice).
  • One serving of fruit and vegetables should be approximately 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw.

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Posted on June 14, 2023 by Maris

How to Use the Food Guide Pyramid to Eat Healthier

food pyramidIt’s well known that eating healthy includes increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free/low-fat dairy products. However, even though we know we should eat better Americans still don’t do it. The American Dietetics Association provided a quick breakdown of the basic food groups, what you should eat within those groups, how many servings you should eat, and what counts as a serving.

Whole grains
It’s recommended to consume 3 servings a day.

What counts as a serving?
A one ounce serving equals one slice whole-wheat bread, 1/2 cup brown rice, 5 whole-wheat crackers, 1/2 cup oatmeal. (more…)

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Kinsey