This March marks the 50th anniversary of National Nutrition Month! Created in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month is intended to educate the population about making smart food choices and developing healthy eating and physical activity habits.
One of the most distinguishable attributions of eating healthy is the Food Guide Pyramid, which was a nutritional tool created in 1992 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) The pyramid, which was updated to MyPyramid in 2005, was split into blocks, featuring recommended foods to consume on the bottom and foods to avoid at the top.
Due to the food pyramid being based on outdated and inaccurate data, as well as the confusion around the suggested serving sizes for each food group due to people not being able to distinguish accurate proportions, in 2012 the USDA transformed MyPyramid into MyPlate.
The updated nutrition tool poses as a visual of a plate and more accurately represents the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. MyPlate shows the nutritional balance of a healthy diet consistent of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. The new model also allows for flexibility within the recommended options, and even provides healthy suggestions such as ensuring half of your grains serving is whole grains.
Take the time during this National Nutrition Month to start following the recommended MyPlate servings to ensure you are consuming balanced meals that will help you build and maintain a healthy lifestyle.