Health assignment

FIGURE 10.5 The MyPlate System

The USDA MyPlate food guidance system takes a new approach to dietary and exercise recommendations. Each colored section of the plate represents a food group. An interactive tool at the MyPlate website helps you analyze and track your foods and physical activity and provides helpful tips to personalize your plans.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2013, www.choosemyplate.gov.

MyPlate’s key messages, which support the Dietary Guidelines, include the following:

· Eat nutrient-dense foods. While eating the recommended number of servings from MyPlate, make the most nutrient-dense choices within a given food group.

· Eat seafood twice a week. Replace red meat or poultry with grilled, broiled, or baked seafood twice a week. In addition to salmon, tuna, and other fatty finfish, clams, mussels, oysters, and calamari are all high in omega-3 fatty acids.

· Avoid empty calories. MyPlate refers to calories from added sugars and saturated fats as empty calories. Here are some examples of empty-calorie foods: 35

· Sausages, hot dogs, bacon, and ribs. Adding a sausage link to your breakfast adds 96 empty calories.

· Cheese. Switching from whole-milk mozzarella cheese to nonfat mozzarella cheese saves you 76 empty calories per ounce.

· Refined grains, including crackers, bagels, and white rice. Switching to whole-grain versions can save you 25 or more empty calories per serving.

· Cakes, cookies, pastries, and ice cream. Approximately 75 percent of the calories in a slice of chocolate cake or a serving of ice cream are empty calories.

· Wine, beer, and all alcoholic beverages. A whopping 155 empty calories are consumed with each 12 fluid ounces of beer.

· Engage in physical activity. Any activity that gets your heart pumping counts, including walking on campus, playing basketball, and dancing. MyPlate offers personalized recommendations for weekly physical activity.