MyPlate guidelines replace food pyramid

  • Published
  • By Brooke Smith
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  Airmen now have a new guideline for healthy eating. The United States Department of Agriculture introduced the MyPlate approach to balanced eating in June 2011.

The guidelines suggest making half of your plate fruits and vegetables, half of your grains whole grains, varying protein choices and switching to skim or 1 percent milk. It also encourages people to cut back on foods high in solid fats, added sugars and salt.

The MyPlate guidelines replace the food pyramid guidelines. Jill Hinsley, a 19th Aerospace Medicine Squadron member and a registered dietitian at the Health and Wellness Center, says the MyPlate guidelines are more effective than the food pyramid.

"I think it's easier to use because before the pyramid talked about portion sizes and you can't always visualize a portion size," said Hinsley. "I think that the plate helps you visualize general healthy diet." She says it is "more appropriate for the masses" because different people require different portions.

Hinsley encourages the utilization of MyPlate to all Airmen, but said it is ultimately their choice to follow the guidelines.

"I've always felt like my role is to educate and encourage, and whether they choose to apply that knowledge is up to them," said Hinsley. "We were already teaching this before it came out. And so I was excited whenever it came out because it is very applicable to our active duty. And I think that whether their goals are weight loss, whether their goals are sports performance or fitness performance, we can make that fit into their daily routine."

Hinsley says the best feature of the MyPlate guidelines is the balance of food categories promotes lean body mass.

"It creates a picture of balance because you get enough protein, you get enough carbohydrates. And you get the volume that you need by having 50 percent of your plate fruits and vegetables," she said. "So, with the volume you get the satisfaction without overdoing it in any one category, so it really does create that picture of balance. In a lot of my classes we talk about that this picture of balance actually helps promote conserving lean body mass."

For more information, call Hinsley at the Health and Wellness Center or attend classes for weight management, high cholesterol and hypertension. For more information about the food guidelines, visit www.ChooseMyPlate.gov.