{"id":76232,"date":"2012-07-26T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2012-07-26T13:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=76232"},"modified":"2012-09-13T13:02:18","modified_gmt":"2012-09-13T18:02:18","slug":"use-summer-vacation-to-teach-children-about-the-usda-myplate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/07\/use-summer-vacation-to-teach-children-about-the-usda-myplate\/","title":{"rendered":"Use Summer Vacation to Teach Children About the USDA MyPlate"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Len Saunders, MA<\/em><\/p>\n

Children may be away from school and locked into summer mode, but July and August may be a great time to teach them about proper nutrition and healthy lifestyle through the USDA\u2019s MyPlate<\/a><\/strong>.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As informative as the old MyPyramid<\/a><\/strong> used to be, quite honestly, it made nutrition a task to understand for most children. From their point of view, what does a pyramid have to do with food or nutrition? MyPlate does put it into perspective for kids at a level they can understand. They look at the plate, and see the food groups laid out for them in a form of a pie chart, distributing the percentages of the foods needed daily. For children, sometimes simple and basic is more effective to get a message across to prepare them for a healthy future.<\/p>\n

Respected author and creator of the Zone Diet<\/a><\/strong>, Dr. Barry Sears<\/a><\/strong> agrees. \u201cThe earlier dietary habits are instilled in children, the longer they last.\u201d<\/p>\n

MyPlate is divided into five sections. Each section (food group) has its own color, with vegetables and fruits consuming one half of the plate<\/a><\/strong>, while grains and proteins take up the other half. Dairy is off to the side in the form of a cup.<\/p>\n

According to registered dietitian Sharon Palmer<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cThe beauty of MyPlate is that it offers a very simple, take home message – fill your plate with \u00be plant foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.\u0097 You can simply pile up one quarter of the plate with a grain, such as brown rice or whole grain pasta, the other quarter of the plate with a lean protein source such as fish, chicken or beans, and the rest should be fruits and veggies.\u201c<\/p>\n

Summertime is an excellent opportunity to teach children about healthy eating through MyPlate. Here are some suggestions from registered dietician Ann Dunaway, which can make eating healthy and a lot of fun.<\/p>\n