MyPlate
MyPlate is a visual guide developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011 to promote healthy eating habits among Americans. It serves as a representation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, illustrating the recommended proportions of food groups on a plate: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy. This model replaced earlier dietary representations such as the Food Pyramid, which was found to be less effective in encouraging healthy eating behaviors. MyPlate emphasizes the importance of incorporating whole grains and a variety of nutrient-dense foods into daily diets. The initiative is supported by a website, ChooseMyPlate.gov, which provides resources and information to help individuals make informed dietary choices. Despite its mixed success in altering eating habits, MyPlate has garnered significant media attention, raising awareness about healthy eating. The USDA continues to promote MyPlate in hopes of improving the nation’s dietary habits and overall health.
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MyPlate
After the end of World War II, the US federal government became increasingly concerned with the physical health of its citizens. In 1946, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a guide to the “Basic Seven” nutrients needed for optimal health, and the USDA continued to research and refine its nutrition recommendations for all Americans into the twenty-first century. In 2011, the USDA released guidelines for dietary consumption called MyPlate, which replaced the previous models, known as the Food Pyramid and as MyPyramid. MyPlate is a health communication campaign, grounded in scientific research about the most effective dietary choices, that aims to help US residents maintain a healthy diet.
Overview
MyPlate is a graphical representation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) set by the USDA, in which a plate broken into sections represents the types of food, or food groups, sized proportionally based on the amount consumers are advised to consume. MyPlate emphasizes that people should consume large amounts of whole grains and vegetables along with healthy proteins, fruits, and dairy products. The MyPlate symbol is displayed on some consumer food products, and it is also promoted and explained at its official website, ChooseMyPlate.gov.
The MyPlate illustration makes the same recommendations in terms of nutrition as the previous USDA illustration known as MyPyramid. The primary difference is in the visual model used—an image of a plate rather than a pyramid—which more directly reflects how people relate to preparing and eating food. Health communication researchers had found that the pyramid graphic was largely ineffective in achieving its goal of encouraging Americans to eat more healthfully; thus, the USDA abandoned that strategy. However, opinions among researchers were divided as to exactly why MyPyramid and its predecessor, the Food Pyramid, were unsuccessful, making it difficult to predict if MyPlate will achieve success in changing the public’s dietary behavior.
MyPlate’s success was mixed. Most Americans do not eat in proportions similar to those that MyPlate recommends, demonstrating that there is significant work to be done to promote the ideas that the graphic represents. However, gaining up-to-the-moment data about the dietary habits of the population is a difficult task, and determining whether there is a link between the MyPlate communication strategy and people’s eating habits is even more difficult. The MyPlate model has received substantial media attention, indicating that people are aware of its existence, even if they do not abide by its recommendations. In any event, the USDA continues to disseminate the image of the plate sectioned into food groups in the hope of improving the health of the nation, continuing a battle that it has fought for more than half a century.
In 2021, the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion began promoting MyPlate not only to Americans, but to a general global population. At that time, it had been translated into eighteen languages.
Bibliography
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“FDA’s New Food Group Icon Encourages Healthy Choices.” Professional Safety, vol. 56, no. 8, 2011, p. 36.
Gavin, Mary L., reviewer. "MyPlate Food Guide." KidsHealth, Nemours, Apr. 2022, kidshealth.org/en/parents/myplate.html. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
Levine, Elyse, et al. “Evaluating MyPlate: An Expanded Framework Using Traditional and Nontraditional Metrics for Assessing Health Communication Campaigns.” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 44, no. 4, 2012, pp. S2–S12.
Luckie, Mark. “USDA Replaces Food Pyramid With ‘MyPlate’ in Hopes to Promote Healthier Eating.” The Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/national/usda-replaces-food-pyramid-with-myplate-in-hopes-to-promote-healthier-eating/2011/06/02/AGRE16HH‗story.html. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
Nessinger, Barbara T. “Not Making MyPlate.” Prepared Foods, vol. 181, no. 2, 2012, pp. 52–53.
Orgel, David. “MyPlate Challenge: Making It Affordable and Easy.” SN: Supermarket News, vol. 59, no. 27, 2011, p. 8.
Rahavi, Elizabeth. "MyPlate Broadens its Reach." Office of Minority Health, US Dept. of Health and Human Services, 29 May 2015, minorityhealth.hhs.gov/news/myplate-broadens-its-reach. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
“What Is MyPlate?” ChooseMyPlate.gov, USDA, www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/what-is-myplate. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.