Harvard launches "Healthy Eating Plate" in response to USDA's MyPlate

Harvard Health Publishing, in conjunction with nutrition experts at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), has unveiled the Healthy Eating Plate, a visual guide that provides a blueprint for eating a healthy meal. Like the U.S. government's MyPlate, the Healthy Eating Plate is simple and easy to understand — and it addresses important deficiencies in the MyPlate icon.

The Healthy Eating Plate is based on the latest and best scientific evidence, which shows that a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins lowers the risk of weight gain and chronic disease. Helping Americans get the best possible nutrition advice is of critical importance, as the U.S. and the world face a burgeoning obesity epidemic. Currently, two in three adults and one in three children are overweight or obese in the U.S.

Harvard Health Publishing has addressed the reasoning behind the creation of the Healthy Eating Plate in a number of ways. Please see the following links to read more.

Comparing the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate to the USDA's MyPlate
This side-by-side comparison highlights the shortcomings in the government's MyPlate guide, which fails to give people some of the basic nutrition advice they need to choose a healthy diet, and clearly illustrates the additional steps to take for a healthier diet. Read more »

Questions and Answers about the Healthy Eating Plate
Harvard Health Publishing addresses frequently asked questions about the Healthy Eating Plate, including inquiries about the central message of this new guide, how the sections of the plate break down to percentages of calories or servings per day, how alcohol fits into the mix, and more. Read more »

Harvard to USDA: Check out the Healthy Eating Plate (Harvard Health Blog, September 14, 2011)
P.J. Skerrett, Editor of the Harvard Heart Letter, weighs in on the release of the Healthy Eating Plate with a recent blog post. Read more »