USDA MyPlate Icon Draws Mostly Praise From Nutrition Experts

The USDA just released a new food icon called MyPlate, which brings portion control into the spotlight. MyPlate replaces MyPyramid, an icon that had grown increasingly complex through its revisions and food group interpretations. First Lady Michelle Obama and the USDA unveiled the new MyPlate as a simple, visual reminder for healthy eating. The MyPlate icon is segmented to show exactly what a nutritious meal should look like on a plate.  On MyPlate's website, www.choosemyplate.gov, the USDA emphasizes several important nutrition messages:

• Eat smaller portions
• Make at least half the plate fruits and vegetables
• Switch to low-fat dairy products
• Avoid sugary drinks

Nutrition experts believe a plate is a good choice because it is a visual reminder of how to eat healthy and in proper portions. “The new icon will help all of us interested in eating well to quickly and easily ‘rate our plate” for good health,” said Kathy Duran-Thal, RD, the director of nutrition for the Cooper Wellness Program in Dallas. “We’ve been promoting the plate concept for over 20 years.”

“A 9-inch dinner plate is the perfect size for eating a proper portion controlled meal. Unfortunately, most dinner plates are now much larger than 9-inches. Proper portions are all about visual cues,” said Duran-Thal. “With dinner plates often the size of platters, diners unwittingly are served too much, and end up eating more than recommended. Healthy Steps simple kitchen tools make plating the food quick, easy and accurate. For example, the spatula that Healthy Steps has is a great visual tool to measure the proper size protein the average adult should be consuming.”

But what about going back for seconds, due to a smaller plate? “If the diner is still hungry when the plate is empty, they can always go back for more veggies,” continues Duran-Thal. “We’ve never met anyone who says their problem with weight management is from eating too many vegetables!”

But the question remains for some people who’d like to follow MyPlate exactly…how do you know how much is too much and how much is not enough?

In 2010, Carrollton, TX-based Jokari/US, Inc. introduced the first-ever complete line of portion control kitchen tools under the brand name Healthy Steps. These kitchen tools measure exactly what is required for healthier eating at home. Healthy Steps portion control kitchen tools are the perfect answer to serving the MyPlate portion sizes properly every time.

To see how the Healthy Steps portion control tools work, watch these portion control videos:

Obesity crisis – portion control: http://www.youtube.com/user/MyHealthySteps#p/u/4/zVIrn4OB8ug

More tips from Healthy Steps: http://www.youtube.com/user/MyHealthySteps#p/u

All of the Healthy Steps Portion Controlled tools are available at www.MyHealthySteps.com.

Examples of the Healthy Steps line include:
Portion Control Protein Server
Portion Control Starch Server
Portion Control Vegetable Server
Portion Control Serving Set 
Portion Control Butter Pro™
Portion Control Cheese Grater
Portion Control Ice Cream Scoop
Portion Control Pasta Basket
Portion Control Salt Shaker
Portion Control Serving Ladle
Portion Control Sugar Shaker

Doug Taeckens, president and CEO of Healthy Steps by Jokari says, “The new MyPlate icon appears simple enough, with portion control taking the lead.  But there is still a lot of guessing as to what a proper portion size is. Healthy Steps tools take all the guesswork out of serving your family healthy-portioned meals. Each of our portion control tools matches the serving size recommended by USDA and FDA dietary guidelines – you’ll be serving the proper portion sizes in no time.”

Currently, the Healthy Steps line has 30 products with MSP ranging from $2.99 to $14.95. The entire line is available online at Organize.com and Amazon. A selection of products is available at many different retailers including Hy-Vee, Garden Ridge, Cost Plus World Market, Zabar’s, Wegmans, QFC, Stop & Shop, Giant Food Stores and Spartan grocery stores including D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare, Glen’s and VG’s Fresh Markets.

For more information from Kathy Duran-Thal, RD, and the Cooper Wellness Program, log on to http://www.cooperwellness.com.

For more information on Healthy Steps portion control kitchen tools, log on to www.myhealthysteps.com for products, recipes and nutritional information. Follow Healthy Steps on www.Facebook.com/healthysteps, twitter.com/healthy_steps and on YouTube. 

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Media Advisory: For more information on Healthy Steps by Jokari or product samples, contact Jane Jarrell at TrizCom, 214-718-4408 or jane@trizcom.com.

About: Healthy Steps by Jokari has built a strong reputation since 1974 and is well-known in the industry for creating innovative products for the home and beyond. The company offers a wide range of mostly patented products designed to simplify everyday tasks, create storage solutions and extend the life of common household products such as carbonated beverages and wine.