MyPlate

As you’ve probably heard by now, the USDA came out with its new food recommendations for Americans and a new picture to go with it: Move over pyramid, it’s time for “my plate.”

The new graphic representation of USDA recommendations looks like a plate divided into 4 sections – fruits, vegetables, protein, and grains – with a glass of milk or dairy on the side. The sections are unequally sized, so fruits and vegetables combined take up a whole side of the plate, with protein representing a smaller wedge and grain larger wedge on the other side.

My first thought when I saw this was: Wow, it features an actual plate. If nothing else, if Americans simply prepared food that could be served on a plate, our food intake would be a lot healthier. In urban areas in particular, like where I live, there are a lot of fast food choices and corner stores that offer cheap and not-so-cheap calories in Styrofoam containers and plastic wrappers. Even if you try to avoid fast food in favor of the grocery store, the challenges are real: Think about it the next time you’re preparing to eat breakfast or lunch, even if it’s in your own home: Are you eating food off of a plate (or bowl), or are you snacking on prepared foods?

When I started paying attention to my use of plates, at home and at work, I was surprised at how much pressure there is to eat something fast and forget the plate in favor of the convenience food. The repercussions have as much to do with our nutrition and physical health as they do with our ability to use meal times to pause, sustain ourselves (think of the word “sustenance”), appreciate, and connect.

And that’s just the way we eat.

The food recommendations represented by the USDA aren’t perfect. Here, for example, is an alternative icon proposed by chef and food educator Monica Corrado, who participated this year in "Chefs Move to Schools," part of the White House "Let's Move" campaign. It represents a  "traditional foods" approach to dividing the plate (1/4 raw foods, 1/4 cultured or lacto-fermented foods, 1/2 cooked foods):

But there’s a lot going for the USDA plate: simple, broad language that encourages the consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, protein (although that’s an interesting category – a “nutrient,” not a food like the others), and dairy (including cultured dairy products) that can accommodate many different diets from the diverse populations of America while making some healthful suggestions. However, as noted nutritionist Marion Nestle points out, the recommendations for foods on the plate are directly at odds with the way that our government subsidizes food and our food industries market it to Americans.

In other words,  the big elephant in the room (on the plate?) isn't the food itself, it's the obstacles to obtaining healthful, sustainably-grown food.

For example, compare the USDA plate with this pie chart below, from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:

As you can see, the USDA recommends filling our plates with 50% fruits and vegetables, while offering LESS THAN 1% support to growing these foods in the U.S. And you wondered why fresh fruits and vegetables seem relatively expensive??

There is so much more that can be said on this topic, including the role that big food industries play in influencing agricultural policy, but rather than rehash it here I will direct you to an excellent article in Grist on the subject, as well as to Marion Nestle's website.

And here's some hopeful news, at least from where I stand: Next semester I'll be working with seven 2nd-year medical students from the UVM College of Medicine on a public health project to study and suggest ways to contribute to a better diet for schoolchildren and their families. The students will look at USDA dietary guidelines, compare it to the latest nutrition research on what makes for a healthy diet, and make recommendations for where kids can use a "helping hand" to get the most nutrient-dense foods, all while conducting taste-tests in the school cafeterias of locally-grown and locally-produced foods. Now that makes me happy.