As a mom, I’m always on the lookout for ways to optimize my children’s nutritional intake so I took notice when First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launced the new MyPlate initiative last week.
Most people concerned about nutrition felt that it was time for the Food Pyramid to go. Too much focus on grains and not enough on fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. The new plate icon makes it easy to understand the proportions. Critics complain that although the new guidelines place an emphasis on eating more fresh food, that it doesn’t provide guidance on restricting sugar, processed or fatty foods. Fair enough, but common sense does have to kick in at some point. It may not be easy to avoid these foods, but we all know that they’re bad for us.
More importantly though, is whether or not the new guidelines are affordable for the average family. The majority of government food subsidies in the USA go into meat and dairy so it’s going to be difficult to encourage individuals to eat healthier without asking them to spend more money on food. In these tough times, that may not be an easy sell.
