MyPlate Basics: A Handout

I've been having so much fun designing new floor stickers for the Nutrition Education Store! As you know, every floor sticker comes with a free printable handout, and today I'd like to share one of the most popular ones with you. How great is that? These floor stickers are perfect for cafeterias, break rooms, wellness fair booths, and even presentations. And handouts are as versatile as they come. The combination of both is one of my favorites because it appeals to a variety of learning styles and presentation formats. This can help make lessons more meaningful and easier to remember. Anyway, back to today's free handout. This handout covers the basics of MyPlate and was designed to go with the MyPlate Floor Sticker. I'll copy the text of the handout below so that you can preview it, then, if you like what you see, keep scrolling for your very own PDF copy. MyPlate Meet the USDA's guide to balanced eating! MyPlate’s 5 Food Groups:

Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed. Fruit and 100% juice both count, though whole fruit has more fiber than juice.
Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. They may be whole, sliced, or mashed.
Grain foods are made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain. Choose whole grains instead of refined grains whenever you can.
Foods like meat, poultry, seafood, beans, peas, eggs, soy, nuts, and seeds are all part of the protein group.
Dairy foods include yogurt, milk, cheese, and calcium-fortified foods. Choose skim when possible and limit options with added sugar.

Food Group Tips: MyPlate advises people to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables at each meal. Make at least half of all the grains you eat whole grains, every day. Variety is the key to the protein food group. Choose options that are low in saturated fat whenever you can. For the most nutrients with the fewest empty calories, choose fat-free and low-fat dairy foods. The balance of foods on MyPlate will help people get all the nutrients that they need in a day. How can you make your plate look more like MyPlate? For more information, visit MyPlate’s home website, http://www.choosemyplate.gov. What do you think? Will this handout be good for your clients? Here's a printable copy of the free MyPlate handout!