What Do You Know About the 'My Plate' Eating Plan?

Pyramid in the 1990s. The current guidelines, last updated in 2020, are easier to follow than either of these earlier concepts. The new guidelines can be found at MyPlate.gov, a website

maintained by the USDA.

against heart disease and some cancers. Healthy eating also means including a variety of foods in your diet and watching portion sizes.

grains. The amount of grains you should have each day depends on your age, gender, and how active you are. A 30-year-old woman who gets 30 to 60 minutes of

exercise a day should consume 6 ounces of grains daily. A man of the same age and activity level should consume 9 ounces of grains daily.

vegetables. A person who should consume more calories or fewer calories would need a different amount. Your diet should include dark green leafy vegetables, orange

and red vegetables, dry peas and beans, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables such as asparagus, cabbage, mushrooms, and zucchini.

When cooking vegetables, be sure to steam, roast or microwave them. Overcooking vegetables can make them less nutritious. Also, rinse canned vegetables to decrease the

salt (sodium) content. Raw leafy vegetables take up a larger volume. So you can eat twice as much of them to count as 1 serving.