Oh happy day. As of this Thursday, June 2^nd, the Food Pyramid is out the door. (The Food Pyramid was that crazy icon—see below—that did very little to help people understand and learn how to eat well.)

 

This time around, in place of the pyramid, the USDA is serving up a “plate.”    In theory, the new icon should at-a-glance give us a snapshot on how to eat healthfully. Makes sense. We eat off of plates (most of the time) – so a picture of one should mean something.  Let's face it, there is plenty of room for improvement.   
 

Rumor has it the plate consists of four colored sections, for fruits, vegetables, grains and protein.  Next to the plate is a smaller circle for dairy, suggesting a glass of low-fat milk or maybe a cup of yogurt.   Uh oh. Where’s the food?
 

I’ll hold my tongue until Thursday. But if there’s no food on the plate and only colors – we’ve missed the boat yet again. Fingers crossed somebody who knows what resonates with people put food on the plate. 
 

Stay tuned.