Nutrition Pyramid Clarified

The nutrition pyramid is now called USDA's My Plate. It's a huge improvement over the confusing and hard to understand pyramid from before.
My Plate
My Plate looks just how it sounds, like a plate. The plate is split in half down the middle. The left hand side is half vegetables and fruit, and the right hand side is half grains and protein. There is a small cup of dairy to the top right corner of the plate.
It's a simple update to its predecessor, My Pyramid. And, it utilizes something that we use on a daily basis, the plate, to show exactly how it needs to look.
The Advantages
The one great advantage of My Plate is that it clearly defines how you need to select your food groups. One half is vegetables and fruit. The other half is grains and proteins.

There aren't any measurements to take, or needing to weigh any portions. You see the relationship of the different food groups, and know what to put on your plate.
Also, it's easy to remember. With My Pyramid, I couldn't recall how many servings of each food group to incorporate into my meals. There was just too much information to remember.
The Disadvantages
The picture may be a little too simple. Let's say I was presented with the My Plate visual.
Okay, I can see how my plate needs to look like. But what kind of fruits and vegetables? Do fried pickles and caramel apples count? (Of course not.)
What about white rice and a fatty porterhouse steak? I can make my plate look like the picture, but with what kinds of foods?
When you go to USDA's website, they give more information as to what kind of foods to eat for each category, but that information is not found in the picture. As with any food nutrition guide, it's very useful to use common sense.
Foods that are fried or soaked in butter are not the healthiest for you, even if there is some glimmer of a vegetable hidden behind the breading. Sticking with foods that are lean, fresh, and wholesome are your best bets.
Another disadvantage I find with the My Plate visual is that there is no account for exercise and activity. Maybe the USDA could add a stick figure walking after the meal? Or, running towards the plate?

Nutrition is 75% of the equation to lose weight, but exercise plays a role too. When you include exercise into your daily routine, you'll find it easy to lose pregnancy weight and keep it off too.
All in all the My Plate is a huge improvement over the My Pyramid. The nutrition pyramid had too much information to process.
Use the My Plate picture to build your meals, and remember to stick with the fundamentals of sound nutrition. Lean protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low fat dairy are the building blocks to any meal.

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