MORE FROM HUFFPOST
MORE FROM HUFFPOST
MyPlate
Let's catch up with the rest of the world.
The MyPlate for Older Adults just got a facelift thanks to nutrition researchers at Tufts University with support from the folks at the AARP Foundation. I love this new healthy eating visual because it not only colorfully depicts the five basic food groups: fruits, veggies, grains, dairy and protein. But it also emphasizes other important foods and nutrients that we need as we age.
Are you familiar with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans? You may not be unless you work in public health or nutrition. What about MyPlate? Ring any [dinner] bells for you? If that still doesn't help, you are not alone.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
WHAT'S HAPPENING
As if this sort of comment in a seventh-grade gym class wouldn't be enough to put a target on her, my daughter offered one last comment to a growing chorus of dissenting opinion: "I should know what a fruit is. My dad is a botanist."
Let's cut to the chase. Blueberries, grapes, apples, bananas and grapefruit were significantly associated with lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Fruit juice consumption was associated with an increased risk.
I wish I could stay I'd stayed equally stalwart in my dedication to the plan all week, but that wouldn't be quite true. I sort of lost enthusiasm and dedication, unsurprisingly, just as the weekend hit.
A quarter of Americans eat dinner out at least three nights a week, so for the USDA to systematically ignore this facet of the American eating system is risky.
I tried incorporating two new normal life things into my MyPlate Experiment: restaurants and cooking for a group. They each presented minor challenges, but not as many as I might have suspected.
It turns out that, on a normal day, my stomach could answer "Got Milk?" with an emphatic "No." So I've found myself needing to incorporate extra milk and yogurt whenever possible.
