We love it!

• On June 2, 2011, MyPlate was  introduced as the new food icon from the USDA.
• It replaces 19 years of the Food Guide Pyramid and MyPyramid.
• The new site for more information is found at choosemyplate.gov.
• MyPlate replaces MyPyramid as the main visual icon for the USDA's messages about "what to eat."
• The food groups: Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Dairy and Protein and all of their rules and guidelines mostly remain the same.

Michelle Obama said, "How could you be more simple than a plate?"Let's take a plate test!We bought a McDonald's double cheeseburger and large fries, which is a meal that contains a total of 940 calories.Instead of eating it straight out of the bag - we put it on a plate! That looks really different. If you were cooking at home, you would not serve portions like that. We have all become accustomed to fast food out of the bags and boxes that the restaurants provide, but it really is a portion distortion. Putting these meals on plates puts things into perspective.We dissected the meal, which revealed whole different story. A tiny pickle (the sole vegetable that wasn't fried in fat) hardly looks like half the plate. And fried potatoes, aka French fries, are not on the MyPlate veggie list (but a baked potato is - see here for the USDA vegetable gallery!) Remember that frying foods often triples the calories from the original ingredient. And this is not a half plate because it is a large order of fries. In fact, all of this dinner failed to fit on a 9-inch plate.Here's our quick MyPlate makeover!An open faced burger or a small burger with salad (very light on the dressing) will total 300 calories and is better aligned with MyPlate's guidelines.See? You save over 600 calories by making a healthier plate!Better news: We have many MyPlate PowerPoint shows, posters, games and more ready for you now in our store!! Thanks to our graphic designers and editors who burned the midnight oil to get them done!New products, including games and posters!Here is the transcript from the intro video: "Introducing the New Food Icon." Want to watch it yourself? Check out this link to the YouTube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEFmSk08LIE.From Tom Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture:For Americans to lead happy and productive lives, it helps to stay healthy and fit and it is really pretty simple. Choose a healthier plate and balance it with exercise -- it all comes down to the choices that we make. That is why I am excited to introduce to you the USDA’s new food icon, MyPlate.MyPlate symbolizes mealtime and the food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein, and dairy – a healthy plate for every meal. It’s easy, and what we eat matters. Overweight and obesity are at dangerously high levels and the Obama administration has worked to support the Americans who want to improve their health, and the plate is a departure from the food pyramid you are used to seeing. It is an easy-to-understand visual that shows how to build a healthy meal based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for all Americans. If you want to learn more about a healthy diet, you can visit choosemyplate.gov to get messages, tools, and how-to materials about healthy eating. This website will equip consumers with information on staying healthy and tips on balancing calories and foods to increase and foods to reduce.I hope you are as excited as I am about MyPlate and the other resources to help Americans make healthy choices and choosemyplate.gov. Next time you sit down for a meal, I hope MyPlate becomes your plate!