United States First Lady Michelle Obama together with the United States Department of Agriculture had introduced the My Plate healthy eating guide to replaced the outdated Food Pyramid which was more complicated. The MyPlate guide was an easier way of determining what kind of healthy foods to prioritize as a part of a healthy eating habits.
My Plate campaign emphasized more on plant-based diet that urged Americans to follow and replaced the more complicated Food Pyramid. On the My Plate campaign people were encourage to supply their daily eating habits with 1/2 of fruits and vegetables and the other half will be divided with whole grain and lean proteins. Suggested on the side was a low-fat dairy such as skim milk or yoghurt.
The new My Plate icon was unveiled Thursday (May 02, 2011 US Time) during a press conference spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin. They encourage the American public to follow the My Plate guide. The project was one of the primary project by the Obama administration to tackle the growing number of obese Americans.
Michelle Obama on her speech was quoted as saying “This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country.” the First Lady stated.
She further adds that “When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work, we’re already asked to be a chef, a referee, a cleaning crew. So it’s tough to be a nutritionist, too. But we do have time to take a look at our kids’ plates. As long as they’re half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we’re golden.” according to the First Lady.
With growing number of obese Americans the My Plate campaign had arrived at the right time. Although the campaign was for the benefits of the general public, the administration was still facing criticisms about the huge amount of budget accorded to the project. It was estimated that the campaign would cost the Americans a whopping $2 MillionUSD to develop and promote the logo. Social Media will play an important role for the said campaign.
Here is a video report posted by cbsnews and posted on YouTube about My Plate campaign:
[youtube width=”650″ height=”450″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh75HvaROm4[/youtube]