Should you follow food categories? Count small calories? How do you know if your child is eating what they should? Enter MyPlate from the USDA, a color-coded visual that is designed to help people visualize the foods they should eat.

The History of Encouraging Healthy Eating

The USDA has been publishing various types of nutrition guidelines for over 100 years, but in 1992, the USDA introduced the Food Guide Pyramid, which allowed people to choose from a variety of foods. The pyramid was divided into six horizontal sections and displayed images of each food group depicted. Next to each illustration was a guideline on how many servings of each food should be consumed daily.

The pyramid was updated in 2005. It was named "MyPyramid," featuring vertical stripes of varying widths, again designed to demonstrate how much food consumers should consume from specific food groups each day. Each food group was represented by a different color.

However, many people still complained that MyPyramid, while an improvement over the first incarnation, was confusing and did not adequately explain what should be eaten and how much. With MyPlate, the graphic shows how a person should use their "food budget" each day—about 30% grains, 30% vegetables, 20% fruits, and 20% protein. A small circle represents dairy.

Robert Post from the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion said, "This has captured the attention of consumers since then, but it hasn't made it so complicated that it can't be solved." "This familiar mealtime is indeed fascinating."

What Should Be on Your "MyPlate"?

MyPlate represents five food groups—fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy—MyPlate breaks down the foods we should eat in proportion, encouraging consumers to "build a healthy plate." To further assist, the guidelines released with the plate include:

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose the foods with less sodium.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Ultimately, the goal of the new MyPlate is to help both Americans and children eat a balanced diet while reducing obesity.

Parents Are Still Looking for Answers

First Lady Michelle said, "This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to pay more attention to the food we eat, and as a mom, I already know how much this will help parents across the country." Obama unveiled MyPlate at a press conference. "When dads and moms come home after a long day of work, we are asked to be chefs, referees, and cleaners. So it's hard to be a nutritionist too. But we do have time to look at it as long as half of it is filled with fruits and vegetables, plus lean protein, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, we are good."

Nevertheless, many parents still feel confused.

Justine Miller, mother of 4-year-old Bella, said, "I know my daughter needs to eat fruits and vegetables." "But do I have to follow what’s on the plate for every meal? What about snacks? It seems too vague. I liked the pyramid because it had specific examples."

Nutritionists are sympathetic.

"When I first heard about the plate, I thought maybe it would be more realistic and more like food, and people might relate to it," said Dr. Caesar Keenan Isoldi from the Nutrition Department at Long Island University CW Post Campus. "But when it first came out, it just had words like fruits, grains, vegetables, and protein, and I was a bit disappointed—I was hoping for something a bit 'realistic,' like a beautiful plate of healthy food. But I know what they wanted to do was to keep it open for interpretation."

Dr. Isoldi said she believes the foods on the plate do not necessarily represent a day's worth of servings, and she wishes they had taken the foods off the plate before putting another one on.

She said, "This just shows a traditional dinner plate." "It's not even lunch or breakfast. I don't think the message to convey is that people should eat this at every meal. They can, but it's culturally different for us."

Dr. Isoldi said one of the problems with MyPlate is that we have gone from a complex message (a pyramid with different lines) to something very simple that people are unsure how to handle.

"On the positive side, if we can get everyone (including parents of 2 to 5-year-olds, of course) to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat, then we have made significant progress."

Expert Tips for Feeding Preschoolers Using MyPlate

Dr. Isoldi said the key to feeding a toddler is to relax.

She said, "Kids in the 2-5 age range often have a poor appetite." "From birth to two years, growth is rapid, but it slows down." The most important thing is to make the most of their diet.

Here are some of her tips:

1. Don't panic. When it comes to food, you want to ensure that your home has a harmonious environment. If you have "food battles" at home when your child is little, you will have them when they are teenagers too. There should be no pressure around mealtimes at home.
2. Desperately hoping your little one will eat macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets? Remember, kids can go long periods without using all four food groups, especially if they have chewable multivitamins five times a week.
3. Involve your child in the process. Every study shows that kids who are involved in food preparation (whether shopping or helping cook) are more likely to eat. Get a chair or stool and let them wash vegetables. Take them to the store and ask what healthy foods they want to eat.
4. Allow "treats"—you can have ice cream and cookies at home! But make it clear to your child that she can only have one treat a day. After that, if she wants another snack, it should be fruit, crackers, or other healthy foods. If you restrict certain foods, it will backfire when they grow up.

1. Talk about healthy foods and their importance. Two-year-olds understand more than they can communicate. Say, "Yes! Today we are going to make a healthy dinner!" and then ask if they want to help.
2. Take it slow. Start with fruits instead of vegetables. When introducing something new, just put a small amount on their plate. Remember, little kids have tiny stomachs, and they often run around. They do need to eat more frequently.
   1. Good snacks include peanut butter on crackers, ants on a log (though remember, this may be hard for kids three and under to chew), pudding (a bit sweet but has calcium), fruit-flavored yogurt, Greek yogurt, reduced-fat cream cheese, and low-sugar cookies like vanilla wafers, ginger snaps, rice cakes, and whole grain crackers. Also good: smoothies made with half vanilla and half plain yogurt, frozen fruit (or fresh fruit and ice), milk, and vanilla; or popsicles made with orange juice or apple juice.

Dr. Isoldi said, "I do think the pyramid established in 2005 confused some people, so this is an improvement. And the biggest benefit is that it gets people talking about food. If it can help people understand that half their plate should be fruits and vegetables, then MyPlate will be successful. These two groups have the most to gain, and that is the advantage we often fail to achieve."