ChooseRealFood plate first seen on Twitter @yoguruso
This month, the UK introduced the latest version of its Eatwell Guide. This is a graphic, designed by British public health authorities, to communicate a basic framework for healthy eating to citizens. So the Eatwell Guide is, in some ways, the British version of MyPlate.
Below, you can see the two graphic depictions of a nation's 'ideal' diet, side-by-side:
In the US, the USDA's My Plate.
In the UK, the NHS's Eatwell Plate.
The Eatwell Guide gets a bit more specific than MyPlate, showing pictures of the food that might actually be part of each segment on your plate. This makes it easier to take a critical look at the dietary guidelines – in the UK, yes, but also in the US, since the countries have a very similar outlook on the ideal diet to promote health. Both recommended diets are quite low in fat, high in processed grains and other carbohydrates, and in favor of refined vegetable oils over natural fats like butter.
If you believe in real food as the path to health, there is quite a bit about the Eatwell Guide that falls short. For example, the large yellow segment of the plate dedicated to mostly processed, crappy carbs does not seem likely to be helpful advice, especially given current concerns about the global obesity and diabetes epidemics. And there is more to criticize.
But this is a graphic piece. I will respond with a more graphic critique. Below, you will see a quick mark-up I did, in my attempt to ‘fix’ the Eatwell Guide. In a sense, it all comes back to eating real food rather than processed grains and refined oils. Check it out:
Eating well requires some reimagining... real food, more fat.
Although we can't change the Eatwell Guide or MyPlate, we can ignore them. Grassroots change is powerful. Pass the word, mother-to-mother. Ignore the dietary guidelines and EAT REAL FOOD.