Not all plates are created equal. Nor are all healthy plates the true domain of healthy eating. That’s what Harvard nutrition researchers demonstrate in their rebuke of the new USDA guidelines (My Plate) for healthy eating. They applaud the Agency for getting rid of the Pyramid approach to eating but find fault with its newest iteration as being too vague. They believe that there is more to the story than just saying you need to eat foods in these categories. The Harvard nutritionists are not answering to any potential interest group as they speculate guides the USDA in some of its decision-making.
The Harvard study exposes the faults of generalizing food changes as they take apart each segment and enhance the approach with specificity. For instance with proteins they say not all proteins have the same value for eating healthy. They suggest limiting meat intake and choosing other, healthier foods such as fish, poultry, or beans. They define their adjustments as the Healthy Eating Plate.
The Harvard study is not a complaint against the categories but a source of additional information on how that plate should be filled. Specifics matter; not just categories. Let’s break it down:
–Fill 1/2 of the plate with fruits and vegetables and focus on adding as much color and variety. They say, “potatoes and French fries do not count as vegetables” because of their high carb count which create the same sugar high as sweets. Interestingly some reports came out this week favoring white fruits as the healthier fruits. Not this study!
–Put whole grains on 1/4 of your plate. Use brown rice and whole-grain pasta and limit white rice and other refined grains.
–Make a protein choice the final 1/4 of the plate. They say eggs are fine (unless there are some additional health limitations), but red meat and processed meats such as cold cuts and bacon should be avoided.
–Use healthy oils such as olive and canola and limit intake of butter.
–Drink water, tea, or coffee (with little or no sugar) and limit milk/dairy and juice consumption.
The researchers believe that the above specifics further define the overall categories of the new food guidelines and increase the heart-healthy benefits of careful eating. They stress the importance of staying active as an inherent component of any approach to improving lifestyle choices
Now if we could just figure out how to get enough food to people that have little choice in their selections, each of these plate approaches would have greater, long-term benefits.
