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The U.S. “food pyramid” is being replaced with a plate icon that urges Americans to eat a more plant-based diet. Nutritionists had long considered the pyramid deeply flawed because it did not distinguish clearly between healthy foods and less healthy choices.

According to “MyPlate,” half of your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables, with lean protein and whole grains dividing up the other half. Low-fat dairy on the side is also suggested.

CNN reports:

    “Grains, which had been featured prominently as the base in a previous food pyramid, are less dominant on the new plate.”

As you add more veggies to your plate, be aware that many are more contaminated than you probably thought. Random USDA testing found an astonishing 34 different varieties of pesticide residue on a batch of conventional cilantro. The cilantro was the first batch of the plant tested in the USDA’s 20-year program.

Azoxystrobin and captan were found 16 times at levels that exceeded federal limits. Other plants that contained excessive amounts of legal pesticides included imported asparagus and domestic spinach.

Treehugger reports:

    “Some medical experts … are increasingly concerned about even low-level exposure to pesticides, especially in utero.”

Sources:
  CNN June 2, 2011
  Time Magazine June 2, 2011
  New York Times May 27, 2011
  Treehugger June 5, 2011
  ChicagoTribune.com May 31, 2011
  USDA Pesticide Data Program
 

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Even a cursory glance at the new USDA food plate icon reveals it is leaps and bounds ahead of both the 1992 and 2005 Food Pyramids. For starters, it is not a pyramid, it is a plate, which makes it far easier to apply when you’re actually at the dinner table.

There are other prominent improvements as well, such as finally cutting down on grains and increasing the amount of veggies recommended.