The USDA has decided to let go of the traditional food guide system - My Pyramid and adopt a new design, My Plate.



Michelle Obama also favours the innovative food guide system which is child friendly and easy to understand.

The U.S obesity trends are not going down even after constant wellness initiatives by the government.

Hence, experts realize that Americans are eating wrong and not perceiving the recommendations correctly.

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the new design is to “serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices.” My Plate is supposed to help people build a healthy meal comprised of the right ratio of the food groups.



Michelle Obama likes the new design because when compared to the now obsolete My Pyramid, introduced in 2005; My Plate makes it easier for someone to know the food groups and get more of the proper amounts of each in their meals. My Plate is a perfect diet plan for those who want to eat healthy and maintain their health.

In one of her comments she has remarked that parents are already expected to be a lot (chauffer, tutor, cook and more) at home. Expecting them to be a nutritionist is like asking a lot.

Hence, My Plate has been designed keeping layman’s knowledge about food and keeping it simple to understand.

My Plate features a plate with sectioned off portions of different sizes for fruits, vegetables, grains and protein with a small circle resembling a cup for dairy.

It is simple for children to understand and also adapt to portion size and food group as self practice.

If we were to Indianise the USDA’s food plate, it can be done so easily. Consider an Indian thaali with almost equal quartets. Now, each portion represents a food group. A portion of your plate should be vegetable (cooked and raw), another portion should constitute whole grain (chapati/brown rice/dalia/oats), a portion of your plate can hold dals or lean meat and a small cup of yogurt as an accompaniment.

One portion on thaali is for fruits as desserts which can be had with meal or after a while.

The food pyramid will certainly be missed but the plate design is so apt. It is actually perfect because food . is after all, served on a plate and not on a pyramid

Compiled by Divya

DesiDieter Expert