USDA's new
food plate, unveiled today, makes a great impression. It communicates proportionality in frank terms, just like the original Food Guide Pyramid. The accompanying written messages are clear and well-chosen to focus on the most important nutrition and health issues. The authors wisely did not try to communicate every nutrition science principle -- for a more detailed summary, one can read the
Dietary Guidelines, which are themselves quite accessible. Like the Dietary Guidelines, the new graphic seems fairly vegetarian-friendly, describing the protein group without insisting on meat. The tone is upbeat and not preachy. And the whole thing seems friendly to real foods rather than technocratic food inventions. I give it an A+. Enjoy your food!
| | Balancing Calories |
| | ● | Enjoy your food, but eat less. |
| | ● | Avoid oversized portions. |
| |
| | Foods to Increase |
| | ● | Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. |
| | ● | Make at least half your grains whole grains. |
| | ● | Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk. |
| |
| | Foods to Reduce |
| | ● | Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers. |
| | ● | Drink water instead of sugary drinks. |
I have to say that I am not a fan of the green background-- it allows the green vegetables section to fade away, while the higher contrast colors (purple for protein and orange for grains) stand out more. If I were todesign it, I would also have vegetables to the top left corner, since that's where the eyes start. I'd probably also avoid the odd misalignment of the sections in favor of pie wedges.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, a huge improvement!
Not from the Onion, but has the potential.
ReplyDelete