• Members Home
• Using Your Plan
• Health & Wellness
• Using Your Pharmacy Benefits
• FAQs
• Self-Help Forms
• Newsletters

Bye-Bye Food Pyramid—MyPlate is here!

“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work, we’re already asked to be a chef, a referee, a cleaning crew. So it’s tough to be a nutritionist, too. But we do have time to take a look at our kids’ plates. As long as they’re half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we’re golden. That’s how easy it is.”

Changing from the old food pyramid to MyPlate was necessary because of confusion with the old model.

• There was poor understanding of the old food pyramid and experts think that may be a reason why obesity rates have continued to climb.
• Most people are unaware of what an actual serving size is for most foods.
• The old pyramid implied too great an importance on carbohydrates and didn’t stress enough importance on fruits and vegetables.
• The new model helps people see the amount of each food group they should be eating.
• MyPlate focuses on seven key components:
• • Enjoy the food you eat, but overall eat less
  • Create portion control by avoiding oversized portions
  • Fill half of your dinner plate with fruits and vegetables
  • Make at least half of the grains you eat whole grains
  • Switch from whole or 2% milk to fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk
  • Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals – and choose the foods with lower numbers
  • Drink water instead of sugary drinks

The new Food Plate

A small portion of dairy should be added to the meal such as an 8 oz. glass of milk or a container of yogurt

Grains portion should be similar to the serving size of vegetables

½ of plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables; with the larger portion coming from the vegetable group

Less than ¼ of plate should be protein (portion should be about the size of a deck of cards)