Website of the Week

USDA’s MyPlate - http://choosemyplate.gov
Review by Tanya Carr, SWC Library Faculty

This site, formerly known as mypyramid.gov, is supported by the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (an organization of the United States Department of Agriculture), which was established in 1994 to help improve Americans' dietary habits. The primary focus of this organization is to teach and promote healthy dietary awareness to Americans, and "conduct applied research and analyses in nutrition and consumer economics."

The traditional food pyramid icon has been replaced by a user-friendly image of a plate of food, with recommended daily portions highlighted in various colors. Yes folks, veggies get the leading role!

The site includes a handy tool that allows you to look up foods and find out the calories per serving as well as the food group an item belongs to.

Interactive tools include daily food plans that can be personalized for the general population, pregnant and breastfeeding women, preschoolers and children, and weight loss goals. Other fun interactive tools include MyFoodapedia (which gives access to food groups, calories and comparisons), and Food Tracker (which gives feedback on your food and physical activity).

Bon appetite!

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