After 19 years the USDA has this week updated food guidelines in a move that makes a lot of sense: a Food Plate. The flagship icon is a color-blocked dinner plate (shown at left) with sections to represent four food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains and protein, with a side serving of dairy. According to Kathleen Zelman, RD with WebMD, "We now have an easy-to-understand layout of what constitutes a healthy meal. Whether you are grocery shopping, packing lunches, or assembling a meal on a plate, the new food plan icon will serve as a constant reminder of the essential ingredients for a nutritious meal -- five easy pieces."
These guidelines are written for the population in general and they are a great improvement over the ambiguity of the iconic 19-year-old pyramid.
But for those of us managing our weight with bariatric surgery by following the high protein diet and Four Rules recommended by our surgeons the new simple diagram needs a few more details. I feel it is safe to say that all of us are invested in a healthier life when we undergo surgical weight loss and we know and learn (and re-learn) that a healthier way of life takes vigilance and lots and lots of hard work. The comprehensive "Choose My Plate" program that accompanies the new plate icon is a terrific addition to our health management toolbox.
At LivingAfterWLS we have spent the hours since the full program was unveiled yesterday pouring over the program and looking for ways to include the recommendations of Choose My Plate into our bariatric weight loss program as well as into the nutritional management for our entire family. We are seeking manageable ways to make the plate icon above into the real-life dinner plate at right- something delicious and healthful and appropriate for our LivingAfterWLS menu.
Today we are sharing what we have learned so far so that you may join us and jump in with both feet to embrace a new and improved way of nutrition management for ourselves and the entire family. You hear me say it often, that we are all in this together. And I think that means taking the best of what we learn from our regulatory governing agencies and applying it to our personal experience and knowledge. So here we go! Let me know what you think of the new food guidelines and how you plan to implement them at your table. Many of you share a goal with me -- to keep the next generation off the bariatric operating table. There has got to be a better way for the future and maybe we are onto it today!
Share your story & tips: Send me an Email Throughout June we will be sharing information and making sense of the new dietary guidelines and resources available to us from the USDA.
Just in case you missed it, we published Cooking with Kaye earlier this week to address the new cooking guidelines for Pork. This is important news for us since we can now cook pork that is moist and succulent and still be within appropriate temperature as recommended by the USDA. For your convenience we have included the feature article in this newsletter or
Link Here for the full free newsletter available in our online archive. We have enjoyed hearing from so many of you already about how you love the recipes from this newsletter. Keep on cooking, Neighbors!
Kaye Bailey
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