{blog carnival} 2, 4, 6, 8 - Who Likes the New MyPlate?
Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 9:19PM 
Pre-Game
I was a cheerleader in 1988 at East Highland Middle School. It was a short lived tenure that ended as soon as I advanced to high school. I was never really cut out for cheerleading. While I fancy myself a heck of a good dancer and I can hold my own in front of an audience, the backhandspring was never my friend. So I was “relieved” of my obligation by virtue of a judging panel just before I darkened the doors of Sylacauga High School. Sometimes, others make a change for you, even if you didn’t know a change is needed.
Coincidentally, in those same years, the country was preparing to make a radical change in the way it presented dietary guidance to Americans. The Food Guide Pyramid was released in 1992 just one year before I put on a cap and gown and left my cheerleading days as a distant memory.
Fast forward to June 2, 2011. I have no cheerleading skirt. I have no pom-poms. And now, I have no Pyramid.
But I ate a delicious dinner off my plate tonight, as I do every night. And today, I’m doing exactly what USDA finally says I should do.
Gametime
Throughout the day, I watched multiple Twitter streams on the topic as the visual was revealed, while simultaneously watching the live press conference (and emailing with peers on the topic & answering text messages. Thank goodness I wasn’t talking on my cell phone. We all need some self control, right?)
What I determined in watching all the discussion:
Everybody’s got an opinion. Everybody wants in on the game.
(Insightful, huh? That’s why this is a non-paid blogspace. Who would pay for this?)
There were the usual players...
...the guy in the bleachers yelling that the game was fixed - USDA caved to industry pressure.
...the girl who’s just there because she had to be...she’s really not interested in the outcome - This is an irrelevant image that won’t change anything.
...the team mom who thinks her son is the most brilliant player, ever - This will change the way Americans eat forever!
...and the list goes on.
In the stands
I would suggest that the chatter that all these people offer and the good thing about being a spectator to this sport is that half the value of the game is in the discussion happening around the game. Whether you’re an onlooker, a team player or a disgruntled fan, the conversation about how to help Americans eat better is perhaps more important than the 1hr+ news conference that kicked off the game.
Who could argue that the discussion and dissension about the previous Pyramid didn’t lead to its demise? (and I confess that personally, I’m not sad to see it go. I may acknowledge that the new plate is not without fault, but I have yet to meet a person who sits down to eat a meal shaped like a Pyramid, and certainly not one with simply the appearance of vertical colored stripes? #JustSayin.)
In fact, Secretary Vilsack stated, without hesitation, that he simply did not understand the previous Pyramid.
Secretary... trust me... you were not alone. Depending on which source you read, the average literacy level of most Americans is about eighth grade... and health literacy falls even lower. Expecting people who already have limited knowledge of nutrition and food preparation to be able to extrapolate obscure guidance about nutrients and “food groups” from a rainbow colored geometric shape into what they should put on the dinner table? Missed point.
The First Lady, one of the most recognizable “moms” in the country, admitted to not knowing how to dish up the correct portion size of a piece of meat. Fumble.
These are big problems, folks. Well educated, learned individuals still don’t get it. It’s clearly time for a game changer.
Final Score
Whether you love the new MyPlate or find it to be short of your expectations, you have to acknowledge it is a somewhat radical shift for a group of policy makers who have been consistently accused of being reluctant to change.
My game plan is to focus on a few of the good things about MyPlate:
-The emphasis on low-calorie, nutrient-rich, culinary-versatile fruits and vegetables (and the Secretary’s own admission that there is a renewed focus on revitalizing rural economies to support this type of agriculture. Lord knows the areas of the country I frequent desperately need it.)
-The easy-to-understand nature of the visual that can be explained to our youngest generation of children, my children (who still might have a fighting chance to grow up in an environment of good nutrition habits) and folks who never really “got” the Pyramid to begin with
-The idea that this should “guide” and not prescribe a diet. That’s simply not USDA’s role, responsibility or right. Whether you’re a vegetarian, gluten-intolerant or simply looking to lose weight, the role of customizing a diet specific to your needs has to happen in the consultation of a professional. That’s what Registered Dietitians are for. Don’t know one? You need to. They can turn “MyPlate” into “Your Healthy Life.”
Backhandspring aside, I really wasn’t meant to be a cheerleader way back then. I have been accused of marching to the beat of a different drum - and did so all the way up to the station of “head majorette,” thank you very much. But today, I gladly revisit those days and think about how sometimes being the cheerleader on the team isn’t such a bad place to be. It sounds a little trite, but I’ll give a little cheer in praise of the Plate and gladly send the Pyramid on the long bus ride back home.
The Professional Palate - Regan Jones RD
A big thank you to top nutrition blogger Janet Helm of NutritionUnplugged for organizing the thoughts of many of our peers through a blog carnival hosted today on her blog. Please be sure to visit Janet's site to read her insights and reflections after attending yesterday's unveiling.
Here are just a few of the many RDs who have weighed in to rate MyPlate. Please click through to see what they had to say:
Toby Amidor: Food Network’s Healthy Eats
Elizabeth Ward: Expect the Best
Lisa Young: The Portion Teller
Liz Weiss, Janice Bissex: Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen
Serena Ball: Teaspoon Communications
Shelley Rael: Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well
Marisa Moore: Marisa Moore Nutrition
Rachel Begun: The Gluten-Free RD
Katie Hamm: Healthy and Happy Hour
Elana Natker: A Sprinkle of Sage
Judy Doherty: Food and Health Communications
Chere Bork: Taste Life, With Chere
Marie Spano: Performance Nutrition
Jessica Levinson: Nutritioulicious
Penny Wilson: Eating for Performance
Heather Mangieri: Nutrition Checkup
International Food Information Council: Food Insight
Reader Comments