USDA Launches MyPlate Icon

First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin today unveiled the federal government's new food icon, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate is a new generation icon with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.

The MyPlate icon is available to view and download in PDF and JPG formats. The MyPlate video announcement can be viewed here.

"This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we're eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work, we're already asked to be a chef, a referee, a cleaning crew. So it's tough to be a nutritionist, too. But we do have time to take a look at our kids' plates. As long as they're half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we're golden. That's how easy it is."

"With so many food options available to consumers, it is often difficult to determine the best foods to put on our plates when building a healthy meal," said Secretary Vilsack. "MyPlate is an uncomplicated symbol to help remind people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles. This effort is about more than just giving information, it is a matter of helping people understand there are options and practical ways to apply them to their daily lives."

"The new icon is simple and easy to understand, with more emphasis placed on fruits and vegetables," said U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin. "This new tool can be a fun way to help individuals and families make healthier meal choices. I encourage all Americans to follow the new dietary guidelines and become familiar with the new icon because it will serve as a compass to a healthy and fit nation."

Originally identified in the Child Obesity Task Force report which noted that simple, actionable advice for consumers is needed, MyPlate will replace the MyPyramid image as the government's primary food group symbol as an easy-to-understand visual cue to help consumers adopt healthy eating habits consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. MyPyramid will remain available to interested health professionals and nutrition educators in a special section of the new website.


ChooseMyPlate.gov provides practical information to individuals, health professionals, nutrition educators, and the food industry to help consumers build healthier diets with resources and tools for dietary assessment, nutrition education, and other user-friendly nutrition information. As Americans are experiencing epidemic rates of overweight and obesity, the online resources and tools can empower people to make healthier food choices for themselves, their families, and their children. Later this year, USDA will unveil an exciting "go-to" online tool that consumers can use to personalize and manage their dietary and physical activity choices.

Over the next several years, USDA will work with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let'sMove! initiative and public and private partners to promote MyPlate and ChooseMyPlate.gov as well as the supporting nutrition messages and "how-to" resources.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, launched in January of this year, form the basis of the federal government's nutrition education programs, federal nutrition assistance programs, and dietary advice provided by health and nutrition professionals. The Guidelines messages include:

Balance Calories

•Enjoy your food, but eat less.
•Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to Increase

•Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
•Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
•Make at least half your grains whole grains
Foods to Reduce

•Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
•Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Coupled with these tested, actionable messages will be the "how-tos" for consumer behavior change. A multi-year campaign calendar will focus on one action-prompting message at a time starting with "Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables."

"What we have learned over the years is that consumers are bombarded by so many nutrition messages that it makes it difficult to focus on changes that are necessary to improve their diet," said Secretary Vilsack. "This new campaign calendar will help unify the public and private sectors to coordinate efforts and highlight one desired change for consumers at a time."

As part of this new initiative, USDA wants to see how consumers are putting MyPlate in to action by encouraging consumers to take a photo of their plates and share on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate. USDA also wants to see where and when consumers think about healthy eating. Take the plate and snap a photograph with MyPlate to share with our USDA Flickr Photo Group [ http://www.flickr.com/groups/choosemyplate/].

For more information, visit www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. Additional resources include: www.DietaryGuidelines.gov and www.LetsMove.gov. For the MyPlate Graphics Standards (terms of use), click here: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/MyPlate/MyPlateGraphicsStandards.pdf

Cut to the Chase: Jack Sprat can Eat some Fat

Perhaps I should not publish my own theory of obesity since I am not a nutritionist or scientist, but here goes. Banister’s Obesity Theory: People are so confused from conflicting reports about what foods are good for them and what foods are bad for them, they just do not care anymore and eat whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever portions they want. Not too scientific, is it?

Think about it though. Ever since my childhood – the first one – I heard all the terrible things in store for people who eat certain foods, and also early in life I heard the foods we thought were good for us were no longer healthful. The number of foods considered unhealthful continued to grow, and the dangers to our health by eating these foods continued to increase.

After a decade or two being told not to eat certain foods, new research would counter the claims, and all of a sudden we would hear foods we once thought good for us – but were told they were really bad for us – were good for us again. People just do not know who or what to believe.
One of the latest examples of contradictory research comes from scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health who identified a natural substance in dairy products, a fatty acid found in milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, may substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Additionally, this same fatty acid is not linked to a higher risk of heart disease.

While the results of this research require further study, it leads me to believe the foods my grandma and grandpa ate (and they lived to be 98 and 96 respectively) are the foods we should be eating today. There was always plenty of milk and cheese in the refrigerator, ice cream in the freezer, and real butter on the kitchen table.

Additionally they consumed eggs, meat at every meal, and a plentiful supply of fresh cooked vegetables. What they did not eat were highly processed foods and fast foods, and nearly all of their meals were cooked at home. Grandma always said she believed a little fat was good for us. According to the Harvard scientists, it seems my grandma knew what she was talking about.

(Denny Banister, of Jefferson City, Mo., is the assistant director of public affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)

Raw vegetables not always healthier than cooked veggies

Which is better for you: raw or cooked vegetables? The answer may surprise you, says a University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist.

“We’ve always heard that raw vegetables are healthier than cooked because cooking destroys nutrients. In some cases that’s not true,” said Tammy Roberts.

For example, cooking tomatoes actually increases the amount of lycopene, the chemical that gives the tomato its red color. Studies have linked intake of lycopene, an antioxidant, with lower risk of cancer and heart attacks.

“Antioxidants help prevent or repair damage to body cells, which is important for decreasing risk of cancer,” Roberts said. “They are also thought to improve immune function.”

Cooked carrots are richer in beta carotene, an antioxidant that the body converts to vitamin A (also an antioxidant) and that helps promote normal vision, protect from infection and regulate the immune system, she said.

There may also be additional antioxidant activity in cooked spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage and peppers.

The best cooking method for preserving antioxidants is boiling or steaming, Roberts said. Frying is not recommended because the antioxidants break down in the frying process.

In other instances, raw vegetables are better. For example, polyphenols (which are also antioxidants) are lost when you cook carrots. In broccoli, heat damages the enzyme myrosinase, which helps prevent cancer.

Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant found in many vegetables, can be destroyed by heat.

So should we be eating our vegetables raw or cooked?

“Most likely you already have been eating your vegetables sometimes raw and sometimes cooked, which is what is recommended,” Roberts said. “This way you get the best of both worlds. When they are cooked you are getting higher levels of some nutrients and when they are raw you get higher levels of other nutrients.”

For more information from MU Extension on food and nutrition, see http://missourifamilies.org/nutrition/.

Fruits & Vegetables: Better than Supplements

Fruits and vegetables: better than supplements
Many people try to fulfill their nutrition needs by taking dietary supplements. But instead of buying supplements, you might want to head to the produce aisle to meet your dietary requirements, said a University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist.
Fruits and vegetables contain hundreds of phytochemicals that help promote health and prevent disease, said Karen Elliott. These phytochemicals are easily absorbed to provide maximum health benefits. In contrast, common dietary supplements contain large doses of only one or two phytochemicals. Moreover, supplements do not have to undergo testing for safety and effectiveness.
Phytochemicals are natural compounds found in plants. Research suggests that phytochemicals, working with nutrients found in fruits, vegetables and nuts, may reduce the effects of aging and lower the risk of many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, arthritis, cataracts, osteoporosis and urinary tract infections.
Fruits and vegetables that have bright colors – yellow, orange, red, green, blue and purple – generally contain the most phytochemicals and the most nutrients. USDA nutritional guidelines recommend a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Look for these nutrition stars whenever you can:
· Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi and turnips contain vitamin C, beta-carotene, sulforaphane and indoles, which help produce anti-cancer enzymes.
· Berries and their relatives: Blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and grapes (including raisins, juice and wine) are rich in vitamin C, anthocyanidins, flavonoids and ellagic acid, which help fight heart disease and cancer.
· Allium family: Onions, garlic, leeks, chives and shallots are sources of organosulfides, which block cancer-causing toxins, and other compounds that thin blood, possibly reducing risk of stroke and heart disease.
· Red, yellow and orange items: Tomatoes, red grapefruit, watermelon, strawberries, oranges, red pepper, carrots, mango and sweet potatoes are often good sources of antioxidants such as lycopene, vitamin C and carotenes, which fight prostate and stomach cancers.
· Soy, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease, can complement your diet in a variety of forms, including soymilk, soy flour, soy protein isolate, textured soy protein and fermented soy products (tofu and tempeh).
· Tea: A cup or two a day may help prevent heart attacks, strokes and cancers. Tea (black and green, hot or iced) seems to have three to four times the antioxidant properties of some fruits and vegetables due to powerful flavonoids.
A variety of nutrition-related articles from University of Missouri Extension are available online at http://missourifamilies.org/FEATURES/NUTRITIONARTICLES/eatwell.htm.

Fat Gets a Bad Rap

A growing body of research suggests that Americans need to get over their love/hate relationship with fat, and develop a much more sophisticated understanding of what fats are good for you, how much is appropriate, and what fats to avoid.
It’s not as simple as saying all fats are bad, scientists say, because some of them are critically important. It’s certainly not an endorsement of stuffing yourself with ice cream and deep-fried chicken. And if you aren’t planning your diet fairly carefully, it could be that many people would benefit from supplements.
"We’re learning more all the time about the effect of dietary fat on diabetes, heart disease, and even reproductive failure, learning disabilities and other health issues," said Donald Jump, a professor of nutrition with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, and author of dozens of publications in this field.
"It’s pretty clear that the average Western diet is too high in fat, but it’s not that simple," Jump said. "Dietary fat plays an essential role in our health, development and well being. The real issue is that people are eating too much of the wrong kinds of fat, and not enough of the right kinds. The type of fat you eat is very important."
The short version of a complex story, Jump said, is that most diets have too much saturated fat – like in meat and dairy products – and too much "trans" fats, most commonly found in processed foods like margarine or shortening. People also eat too much fat in general. And they often get too little of their fat in the form of unsaturated fatty acids, found to some degree in meats, and at higher levels in nuts or vegetable oils.
And the most scarce fat of all – but one very important for good health – is the omega 3 polyunsaturated fat found at some of the highest levels in fish.
The omega 3 fats have been the focus of extensive research in recent years for their value in preventing heart disease and acting as an anti-inflammatory agent.
"Omega 3 fatty acids will lower blood triglycerides and modulate inflammatory processes," Jump said. "Both of these effects are why physicians prescribe omega-3 supplements for patients with elevated blood lipids and who are at risk for atherosclerosis."
This can be necessary because a common Western diet too often emphasizes steak, pizza and ice cream instead of salmon, sardines and tuna. Too many cookies full of shortening, not enough vegetables sautéed in olive oil.
"The best approach, pretty much everyone agrees, is to develop a more sophisticated understanding of diet, including the right types and amounts of fat, and eat more healthy foods," Jump said.
"But if you are not going to do that," he said, "I would not hesitate to suggest people should consider fish oil supplements to help provide needed levels of omega 3 fat."
Some basic facts about fat:
Dietary fat provides flavor to food, is very important for the absorption of lipid-soluble vitamins like A, D, and E, and provides building blocks for all cells in the body.
Fat helps to maintain cellular structural integrity, regulates cell function and gene expression, and functions as signaling molecules.
The fat composition of foods is complex, and only a few foods such as vegetable oils, fish, and nuts contain higher levels of the unsaturated fatty acids that are comparatively healthy.
High fat diets and obesity can lead to heart disease, diabetes and other serious health problems. But deficiency of essential fatty acids can lead to reproductive failure, poor visual acuity, learning disabilities, skin lesions and other issues. The good fats tend to offset the negative effects of the bad fats.
Most Western diets contain too much saturated fat and too little omega 3 polyunsaturated fat. The latest studies suggest near elimination of dietary "trans fats."
Humans do not efficiently convert omega 3 fatty acids from plants to the forms of omega 3 fatty acids found in our brain and eyes. The omega 3 fats in fish, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essentially the same as those found in the brain and retina. These fats are available in fish, like salmon, and can also be obtained from fish oil supplements.
Proper diet and adequate levels of omega 3 fatty acids is especially important for pregnant and nursing women; brain tissue is very fatty, and proper neuronal development depends upon adequate nutrition. Some manufacturers of baby formula now supplement their products with DHA and another polyunsaturated fatty acid called arachidonic acid (ARA).
A website set up by the American Heart Association outlines the complexities of fat consumption, the foods to eat and avoid, and the overall role of fat in human health, Jump said. Additional information on dietary fat can also be found at the Linus Pauling Institute info center -- lpi.oregonstate.edu /Micronutrient Information Center
About the Linus Pauling Institute: The Linus Pauling Institute at OSU is a world leader in the study of micronutrients and their role in promoting optimum health or preventing and treating disease. Major areas of research include heart disease, cancer, aging and neurodegenerative disease.

The Health Benefits of Nuts

The nutritious advantage of nuts
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Nuts are high in calories and fat, but those calories are loaded with nutrition. "Nuts in moderate amounts daily can make a huge difference in your health," said a University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health specialist.
Studies have consistently linked nuts to a significantly reduced risk of heart disease, mostly because they lower total cholesterol and LDL ("bad" cholesterol), said Susan Mills-Gray. Some research has even shown that nuts may increase HDL ("good" cholesterol).
Nutrients and substances in nuts that have heart-protective benefits include B vitamins, vitamin E, potassium, copper, magnesium, selenium, soluble fiber, arginine (an amino acid that promotes blood vessel relaxation) and sterols (which help lower cholesterol).
In 2003, the FDA approved heart-health claims for the product labels of seven kinds of nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.
Nuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. Nut butters (almond, cashew and peanut) are a healthier sandwich filling than full-fat cheese and most deli meats.
New research indicates that eating nuts daily may serve as an effective tool in weight loss and weight management. "The fiber and protein in nuts helps make you feel fuller longer, so you are less hungry, and that means you may eat less," Mills-Gray said.
Interestingly, some research has found that not all the fat in whole nuts is absorbed – from 4 percent to 17 percent passes out of the body undigested.
"While all this is great news, keep in mind that nuts are loaded with calories," she said. "Even though the fat is healthy, going overboard could lead to excess calorie intake. Limit yourself to a small handful daily, and instead of simply adding nuts to your diet, eat them in replacement of saturated-fat foods."
Consumers should also watch out for the sodium in packaged nuts. Unsalted varieties are widely available.
Mills-Gray offered a quick assessment of the nutritional strength of popular nuts:
* Almonds are rich in vitamin E and calcium.
* Brazil nuts are the best dietary source of selenium; eating three a day provides 200 mcg, an amount found to lower the risk of prostate cancer.
* Cashews are rich in copper and zinc.
* Chestnuts are lowest in calories and contain extremely small amounts of fat.
* Peanuts contain resveratrol, an antioxidant also found in grapes and red wine. They are rich in arginine and contain the most protein.
* Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid, a heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acid.