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You know that to eat a balanced, nutritional diet you need to eat a variety of foods from the food pyramid. But following the pyramid day-in and day-out can be cumbersome sometimes. To help make it a little easier, the USDA has developed MyPlate, a colorful plate divided into different size portions of each of the food groups that are on the pyramid. MyPlate makes it easier to plan your meals each day with the food pyramid guidelines.
When you look at MyPlate, you’ll notice that the largest portion of your meals should be vegetables. This can include a salad, cooked vegetables, or raw vegetables. The next largest portion is grains, which includes breads, cereals, rice, and pasta. You can mix this portion up with fresh bread or rolls, some rice, or pasta. Choose whole grains when selecting these foods. Protein is the next portion you’ll want to fill. This can include your main course of fish, lean meat, or poultry; and side dishes of beans, peas, nuts, and seeds. You’ll want to include a portion of fruit with each meal, such as a fruit cup or cut up fresh fruit, or drinking fruit juice. The final portion to include is dairy. Dairy can easily be included by drinking milk instead of soda, adding cheese, and eating yogurt or pudding made with milk for dessert.
Eating a balanced diet based on the food pyramid doesn’t have to be a chore. By following MyPlate, it can be even easier now.
