Nutrition

Welcome! Have a look around and join the conversations.

Welcome! Have a look around and join the conversations.

Since the 1890s, the USDA has been publishing dietary guidelines. In the 1950s, there was the "Basic Four" food groups - dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables, and grain products. As nutrition research developed, we entered the era of the "Food Pyramid." From the 1970s to 1990s, the Food Pyramid included more diversity of nutrients and foods. It was created to shift dietary focus from providing adequate nutrition to preventing chronic diseases caused by overconsumption. However, over the decades, the traditional food pyramid got more complex, with many subdivisions and finally adding stairs up one side to represent physical activity. In it's final versions, there was so much information packed into the pyramid that is was barely legible.

Then in 2011, the My Plate guidelines were published. My Plate is a simple way to visualize proper ratios when plating food. Notice, half of the plate is fresh produce. Then split the…

You're probably not portioning your food with a kitchen scale or measuring cups before sitting down to every meal. There are may ways to estimate a good portion size for different types of food. Here is one of my favorites because it is so simple, and you carry your measuring tools with you everywhere you go!