Fitness Tip of the Day: Wednesday's Website-- Choose My Plate

Today I chose to share with you ChooseMyPlate.gov which is the website that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently updated.  I have to say that I was quite impressed.

From a nutrition standpoint, it's been updated from the old food pyramid--although it's still based on that--to a simpler premise.  This is what your plate should look like:

Half of your plate should be made up of fruits and vegetables, a little more than a quarter should be whole grains and the rest should be lean protein plus a serving of lowfat dairy.  They list all kinds of healthy foods that can make up this plate.  *If you have any health issues, your doctor may have your plate look a little different.

There's also sample menus and recipes, and daily food plans that are based on age--especially when you're not sure how much your child should really be eating--and on total calories--this will vary depending on weight and activity level.

They offer a tip of the day.  The one posted on Tuesday was:  One way to make half your grains whole is to substitute air popped popcorn for another snack.

There's a section on weight management and calories that includes a BMI calculator and another tracker tool that you can download similar to the one on MyFitnessPal.  You can look up nutrition info on food, track the food you eat and your activities, manage your weight, set goals and get reports on your progress. The button near the top of the blog will take you to this tool.

There's also a newsletter you can receive via email, they are on facebook, twitter and youtube as well, so you can follow wherever you are online most.  It's definitely worth checking out.