About My Plate

My Plate in a nutshell is a quick and easy way for you to monitor how much you are eating. I know you guys remember the food pyramid from elementary school, well My Plate was initiated by USDA to replace the pyramid in 2011. My Plate ensures that you get your daily serving of each food group through out the day. MyPlate  (<= click me) website is a great place to start when learning about My Plate. The website consists of great information to get you started with a healthier lifestyle. Just by click of a button you can see the servings size of each food group plus the amount of calories a person your age should be in taking each day. So lets see, for a typical High School student the normal caloric intake should be 2000 calories, with in that 2000 calories you should include 6 ounces of grains, 2 1/2 cups of veggies, 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of dairy, 5 1/2 ounces of proteins. The My Plate food plan will also give you advice on varieties of each food group so you can keep things interesting.

To the right is an example of what My Plate looks like, its very simple, you want half your plate to be fruits and veggies, and the other half to be grains and proteins, and don't forget to include a dairy product. Now does this mean, NO FATS, NO JUNK, NO FUN? Of course not, all of those things should just be consumed in moderation. Have fun with it, explore new recipes, try a new fruit or veggie. You will be surprised at how easy it is to eat healthy.

Reference: USDA. (n.d.). Calories. Retrieved from Choose My Plate website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

MyPlate Intro Video