Corn not only is part of the rise of diabetes, but the dramatic increase in obesity. Corn is in just about every food we consume. Whether it is corn sugar, corn solids, corn alcohol, cornstarch, corn oil, or just plain ole high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), we are exposed to corn based foods every day. Consider the corn that the beef, the pigs, the lamb, the chickens, or the turkey consumed. We just can't get away from corn.
Most of us would use a lot less sugar if it was cane sugar or beet sugar, but the corn industry has convinced food manufacturers that people will not consume their product unless HFCS or corn sugar sweetens the product. Even the USDA promotes corn-based products. This is as bad as the promotion of “healthy whole grains”. If the farmers produce it, it has to be good for us. Phooey, and double phooey! It is harmful to our health and healthy well-being.
People are beginning to worry about all this packaged concealed sugar. This has given the corn industry cause for worry as HFCS has taken to blame, and now they have petitioned the USDA for renaming HFCS as “corn sugar”. If it is true that HFCS is just sugar and ours bodies cannot tell the difference, as their advertising proclaims, we as consumers need to be as concerned and careful about it as we are of sugar.
Since corn is present in most packaged foods and fast foods, we should attempt to avoid these foods when possible. It may not be possible to avoid all corn products, but most products should not be on our grocery lists. The products like HFCS sweetened soda drinks and most packaged foods should not be on the menu if you are trying to lose weight.
If you doubt what others and I are writing about, do some earnest label study for a few months. Take some of the foods you have on hand at home and read the labels. Many will have HFCS, corn solids, corn oil, or other corn products listed as an ingredient on the label.
Read the following articles for discussions even more definitive that mine. Read this one, and this article. To read what the corn industry is saying and view some of their video ads here.
June 16, 2011
June 15, 2011
Ignorance Is Not Bliss in Diabetes Care
Many people do ignore the treatment and care of diabetes. Many people rely on holistic care for a disease that needs medical care and intervention on the physicians’ side and by the patient. Diabetes has surpassed HIV in mortality rate and together with other non-communicable diseases has become the major cause of mortality in the world.
Diabetes affects the metabolism of the body, the eyes, heart, and kidneys and causes severe foot problems which is estimated to result in 50,000 lower limb amputations every year. This is expected to become 100,000 amputations per year in the near future. Diabetes not only affects the quantity, but the quality of life. Therefore, why do so many people continue to ignore the care and treatment of diabetes?
While the statistics can tell the story, people often chose to ignore them, thinking they can avoid the disease. Many people have the potential to do just that by changing their lifestyle and exercising to lose weight. For some this will work and they will avoid the disease, but for others, diabetes will creep into their lives and can affect them in ways they have not thought possible.
While the main concern of this article is about foot care, this is just a fraction of the problems that face people with diabetes. Unmanaged diabetes can end the quality of life for these individuals. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the physicians to intervene and educate people with diabetes and provide follow-up care to see that they understand the severity of diabetes.
There is a need for patients and the public to know about the importance of diabetes care, wearing the correct footwear, and what ignoring the doctors orders can mean to poor health. Experts can emphasize the importance of counseling by trained personnel, but the patients must learn to adhere to the training and also learn how to care for themselves.
Depression therapy needs to be implemented and the patient needs to learn how to manage diabetes and feel happy about life in general. It can be hoped that ignorance can be wiped out in the future. To assume that everything is okay today is just deluding ourselves.
Diabetes affects the metabolism of the body, the eyes, heart, and kidneys and causes severe foot problems which is estimated to result in 50,000 lower limb amputations every year. This is expected to become 100,000 amputations per year in the near future. Diabetes not only affects the quantity, but the quality of life. Therefore, why do so many people continue to ignore the care and treatment of diabetes?
While the statistics can tell the story, people often chose to ignore them, thinking they can avoid the disease. Many people have the potential to do just that by changing their lifestyle and exercising to lose weight. For some this will work and they will avoid the disease, but for others, diabetes will creep into their lives and can affect them in ways they have not thought possible.
While the main concern of this article is about foot care, this is just a fraction of the problems that face people with diabetes. Unmanaged diabetes can end the quality of life for these individuals. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the physicians to intervene and educate people with diabetes and provide follow-up care to see that they understand the severity of diabetes.
There is a need for patients and the public to know about the importance of diabetes care, wearing the correct footwear, and what ignoring the doctors orders can mean to poor health. Experts can emphasize the importance of counseling by trained personnel, but the patients must learn to adhere to the training and also learn how to care for themselves.
Depression therapy needs to be implemented and the patient needs to learn how to manage diabetes and feel happy about life in general. It can be hoped that ignorance can be wiped out in the future. To assume that everything is okay today is just deluding ourselves.
June 14, 2011
Initial Reactions to Diabetes Diagnosis
How did you react when you were told you have diabetes? Were you shocked? Did the stress level head for the stratosphere? If you did not have these reactions, then you were probably one of the minority who was able to take it in stride and step right in to managing diabetes.
Many people are not prepared, not even wanting to accept the diagnosis and panic panels look out! These people are angry and often denial is next with possibly a dose of depression thrown in. These people are not ready to learn management techniques and make the changes necessary to manage diabetes so that they may live a healthy life.
Then there are the people that know diabetes is serious, but even though they are not prepared, dive into the education, adapt to the lifestyle changes that must become permanently part of their lives. They search out sources of reliable information, glean everything they can from the educators and dietitians, and adapt the information to their lives to be able to successfully manage diabetes.
Then we come to those that ignore what the doctor, educators, and dietitians tell them and search out the nearest health food store for answers. They will try anything to return to the life, as they knew it. If they are early in the diagnosis stage or have prediabetes, they may not have severe problems for a few years, but eventually if they don't change their lifestyle, they will either be back in the doctors office, or in the emergency room and possibly admitted to the hospital. They will wonder what went wrong and will be blaming everyone but themselves.
If they haven't been convinced about the seriousness of diabetes, they will again head for the holistic healers looking for the non-existent cure, convinced that they can be healed without the medications from the doctor. Some will take up exercise and may get by for a few more years before the complications start to take their toll and put them back in the doctor’s office. Then they will wonder from doctor to doctor trying to find the cure they know has to be out there.
Since they are people with Type 2 diabetes, they will continue to look for the cure and become more and more depressed when they cannot find it. I know one of these people, I am constantly being asked who to see, and who has the cure because they see me living a life as I go about my business. I am not running from doctor to doctor looking for the cure, but taking my medications and managing my diabetes to the best of my abilities. I have explained that I am on medications and that there is no cure, but they do not believe me. They say that there has to be a pill that will cure their diabetes and allow them to live a normal life.
I can only tell them that I wish this was so, but until there is a cure, they had better learn how to manage diabetes. Then they trot out that this is the twenty-first century and there has to be a cure. I finally say that the only cure I am aware of may be when I am put six feet underground, but until then, I will continue to read, research, and look for things that I can do to improve my management of diabetes.
I am very disappointed for this person, as this person now has chronic kidney disease and has been denied a place on the kidney transplant list. This alone should be a lesson that you need to manage your diabetes to the best of your abilities. There are other types that chose to ignore diabetes and they all have their motives.
Many people are not prepared, not even wanting to accept the diagnosis and panic panels look out! These people are angry and often denial is next with possibly a dose of depression thrown in. These people are not ready to learn management techniques and make the changes necessary to manage diabetes so that they may live a healthy life.
Then there are the people that know diabetes is serious, but even though they are not prepared, dive into the education, adapt to the lifestyle changes that must become permanently part of their lives. They search out sources of reliable information, glean everything they can from the educators and dietitians, and adapt the information to their lives to be able to successfully manage diabetes.
Then we come to those that ignore what the doctor, educators, and dietitians tell them and search out the nearest health food store for answers. They will try anything to return to the life, as they knew it. If they are early in the diagnosis stage or have prediabetes, they may not have severe problems for a few years, but eventually if they don't change their lifestyle, they will either be back in the doctors office, or in the emergency room and possibly admitted to the hospital. They will wonder what went wrong and will be blaming everyone but themselves.
If they haven't been convinced about the seriousness of diabetes, they will again head for the holistic healers looking for the non-existent cure, convinced that they can be healed without the medications from the doctor. Some will take up exercise and may get by for a few more years before the complications start to take their toll and put them back in the doctor’s office. Then they will wonder from doctor to doctor trying to find the cure they know has to be out there.
Since they are people with Type 2 diabetes, they will continue to look for the cure and become more and more depressed when they cannot find it. I know one of these people, I am constantly being asked who to see, and who has the cure because they see me living a life as I go about my business. I am not running from doctor to doctor looking for the cure, but taking my medications and managing my diabetes to the best of my abilities. I have explained that I am on medications and that there is no cure, but they do not believe me. They say that there has to be a pill that will cure their diabetes and allow them to live a normal life.
I can only tell them that I wish this was so, but until there is a cure, they had better learn how to manage diabetes. Then they trot out that this is the twenty-first century and there has to be a cure. I finally say that the only cure I am aware of may be when I am put six feet underground, but until then, I will continue to read, research, and look for things that I can do to improve my management of diabetes.
I am very disappointed for this person, as this person now has chronic kidney disease and has been denied a place on the kidney transplant list. This alone should be a lesson that you need to manage your diabetes to the best of your abilities. There are other types that chose to ignore diabetes and they all have their motives.
June 13, 2011
Electronic Access Info to Be Allowed to Patients
For once, the patients are being may be given the rights to see who accesses their electronic medical records. If the current plan stays the course, the earliest you will be able to get a record of who accessed you electronic medical records will not happen until after January 1, 2013. Not that you will be able to do much about it, but at least you will be able to see the when and who accessed your records. This proposed right would allow you to see documentation of the particular person who electronically accessed and viewed your health information.
This will mean that any individual that accesses your electronic health records will be documented for you. This will of course include physicians, hospitals, health plans, and other healthcare organizations, plus law enforcement, judicial hearings, public health investigations. A record is currently kept of this information, but until this rule goes into effect, hopefully on January 1, 2013, you as the patient have no rights to see who accessed your records.
This proposed new privacy rule is issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services and appears in the Federal Register. Public comments are accepted until August 1, 2011. If the rule goes into effect, then all privacy rules must be updated and a new copy of the rules will be given to all patients seen on or after January 1, 2013.
The proposed privacy rule is divided into two separate rights for individuals. The first right sets forth an individual's right to an accounting of disclosures, to include the date of disclosure, what information was disclosed, the recipient of the information, and the purpose of the disclosure – for example, law enforcement. The second right focuses on the right to an access report.
The proposed rule would also would reduce the responding time for an accounting request from 60 days to 30 days and the current six years of disclosures would be reduced to three years.
This proposed rule is an important step in the efforts to promote accountability across the health care system. This would ensure that providers properly safeguard private health information. The need to protect peoples' rights (more appropriately patient's rights) so that they know how their health information has been used or disclosed."
Read the article about this proposed rule change here.
This will mean that any individual that accesses your electronic health records will be documented for you. This will of course include physicians, hospitals, health plans, and other healthcare organizations, plus law enforcement, judicial hearings, public health investigations. A record is currently kept of this information, but until this rule goes into effect, hopefully on January 1, 2013, you as the patient have no rights to see who accessed your records.
This proposed new privacy rule is issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services and appears in the Federal Register. Public comments are accepted until August 1, 2011. If the rule goes into effect, then all privacy rules must be updated and a new copy of the rules will be given to all patients seen on or after January 1, 2013.
The proposed privacy rule is divided into two separate rights for individuals. The first right sets forth an individual's right to an accounting of disclosures, to include the date of disclosure, what information was disclosed, the recipient of the information, and the purpose of the disclosure – for example, law enforcement. The second right focuses on the right to an access report.
The proposed rule would also would reduce the responding time for an accounting request from 60 days to 30 days and the current six years of disclosures would be reduced to three years.
This proposed rule is an important step in the efforts to promote accountability across the health care system. This would ensure that providers properly safeguard private health information. The need to protect peoples' rights (more appropriately patient's rights) so that they know how their health information has been used or disclosed."
Read the article about this proposed rule change here.
June 10, 2011
Why Are You Missing Work?
While I had not really thought about it this way, it does answer some questions I was asked by some employers recently, specifically the human resource departments. I attended because the speaker wanted someone with diabetes he could call on. We had prepared for the meeting, but were hit with a few questions that took all of us by surprise. There were four of us on a panel (representing different non-contagious diseases) to answer questions plus the speaker.
This article goes a long way to answer one of the questions and another blogger did a good blog that covered another question. One of the questions was how liberal an employer should be in allowing absences by people with chronic diseases. Most of us had covered absences for doctor visits and other possible related absences. None of us was ready for one question. What about the times when an employee is unable to work a full day, but has no doctor appointment.
We all fumbled with this one. I mentioned depression as one possibility and hypoglycemia as another, but did not realize how much time was being lost. So this survey results article has been sent to the speaker to forward to the employers in attendance.
This survey was recorded from four countries – U.S., UK, Germany, and France and involved 1404 people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes that had reported a hypoglycemic event in the preceding month.
The average loss of workplace productivity on a per person, per month basis from a night-time hypoglycemic event was 14.7 missed hours of work or estimated dollar value of $2,294 per person, per year. It is noteworthy that 22.7 percent arrived late or missed a full day and events occurring during work hours showed 18.3 percent needing to leave work early or miss a full day.
Another piece of information also forwarded to the speaker and then to the employers is this from Diabetes Care via a BD Newsletter. This covers work loss and employees leaving work because of disability after age 55. Rather shocking and large numbers. I had been alerted to this a few days ago by a fellow blogger.
The one recommendation the entire panel agreed should be considered by every employer was having a health screening at least annually for all employees. This would be a preventive measure and could be conducted during the workday and might help catch health issues before they became serious and then with follow-up would encourage people to take the steps to maintain good health. Emphasis was on stopping obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and related health issues.
These studies and the growing numbers of new diabetes every year is creating concern for employers. Some employers are taking positive actions and some are not handling the situation.
This article goes a long way to answer one of the questions and another blogger did a good blog that covered another question. One of the questions was how liberal an employer should be in allowing absences by people with chronic diseases. Most of us had covered absences for doctor visits and other possible related absences. None of us was ready for one question. What about the times when an employee is unable to work a full day, but has no doctor appointment.
We all fumbled with this one. I mentioned depression as one possibility and hypoglycemia as another, but did not realize how much time was being lost. So this survey results article has been sent to the speaker to forward to the employers in attendance.
This survey was recorded from four countries – U.S., UK, Germany, and France and involved 1404 people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes that had reported a hypoglycemic event in the preceding month.
The average loss of workplace productivity on a per person, per month basis from a night-time hypoglycemic event was 14.7 missed hours of work or estimated dollar value of $2,294 per person, per year. It is noteworthy that 22.7 percent arrived late or missed a full day and events occurring during work hours showed 18.3 percent needing to leave work early or miss a full day.
Another piece of information also forwarded to the speaker and then to the employers is this from Diabetes Care via a BD Newsletter. This covers work loss and employees leaving work because of disability after age 55. Rather shocking and large numbers. I had been alerted to this a few days ago by a fellow blogger.
The one recommendation the entire panel agreed should be considered by every employer was having a health screening at least annually for all employees. This would be a preventive measure and could be conducted during the workday and might help catch health issues before they became serious and then with follow-up would encourage people to take the steps to maintain good health. Emphasis was on stopping obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and related health issues.
These studies and the growing numbers of new diabetes every year is creating concern for employers. Some employers are taking positive actions and some are not handling the situation.
June 9, 2011
Victoza for Type 2, Helps Type 1 As Well
Who would have thought of this? People with Type 1 diabetes taking a medication developed for people with Type 2 diabetes. Apparently it works! While this is a very small study, only 14 adults, the results are surprising. We have had Type 1 people take Metformin and this is well documented (but still off-label use).
The people included in the study had well controlled Type 1, but found that they had even better control with Victoza and lost an average of 10 pounds in six months. They also required less insulin. Those that continued this treatment for a full year continued to see improvement and felt much better overall. This is according to the study leader Paresh Dandona, MD, of the State University of New York. Buffalo.
This was reported at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston. Of the 14 adults, all used the insulin pump for their insulin and received Victoza for either one week or 24 weeks. Continuous glucose monitoring showed tight control with insulin, yet all had highs and lows at unusual times.
When Victoza was added to the insulin regimen, the highs and lows were eliminated and after one week the average fasting and blood sugar levels each dropped by approximately 15 percent. Then the added benefits for preprandial insulin decrease of 30 percent and long acting insulin decrease of 32 percent make for further success.
The groups in the 24-week treatment had further decreases in insulin doses and lost an average of 10 pounds. HbA1c levels dropped from 6.5 percent to 6.1 percent. According to Dandona, the patients that have now been treated for up to a year are continuing to have the good effects that they had at the beginning.
Neither Victoza nor Byetta is approved for use in Type 1 diabetes. Dandona says that doctors could prescribe these medications for Type 1 diabetes as “off-label” use, but should only be tried by an endocrinologist specializing in diabetes, and only with careful and frequent monitoring of the patient.
Dandona says the study was done without any drug company support, but that Novo Nordisk is paying for a larger clinical trial. Dandona has asked the National Institutes of Health to support a large-scale study if this larger study yields similar results compared to the pilot study.
Read the report here.
The people included in the study had well controlled Type 1, but found that they had even better control with Victoza and lost an average of 10 pounds in six months. They also required less insulin. Those that continued this treatment for a full year continued to see improvement and felt much better overall. This is according to the study leader Paresh Dandona, MD, of the State University of New York. Buffalo.
This was reported at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston. Of the 14 adults, all used the insulin pump for their insulin and received Victoza for either one week or 24 weeks. Continuous glucose monitoring showed tight control with insulin, yet all had highs and lows at unusual times.
When Victoza was added to the insulin regimen, the highs and lows were eliminated and after one week the average fasting and blood sugar levels each dropped by approximately 15 percent. Then the added benefits for preprandial insulin decrease of 30 percent and long acting insulin decrease of 32 percent make for further success.
The groups in the 24-week treatment had further decreases in insulin doses and lost an average of 10 pounds. HbA1c levels dropped from 6.5 percent to 6.1 percent. According to Dandona, the patients that have now been treated for up to a year are continuing to have the good effects that they had at the beginning.
Neither Victoza nor Byetta is approved for use in Type 1 diabetes. Dandona says that doctors could prescribe these medications for Type 1 diabetes as “off-label” use, but should only be tried by an endocrinologist specializing in diabetes, and only with careful and frequent monitoring of the patient.
Dandona says the study was done without any drug company support, but that Novo Nordisk is paying for a larger clinical trial. Dandona has asked the National Institutes of Health to support a large-scale study if this larger study yields similar results compared to the pilot study.
Read the report here.
June 8, 2011
Why Does Everyone Go Crazy Over Small Studies?
This small study (actually two very small studies) seems to have a life of its own. Every year, it seems to be resurrected and trotted out as a larger authority on the issue. In addition, every year, more and more worshipers are encouraged to join the church according to Carol Johnston, PhD from Arizona State University, Department of Nutrition.
Vinegar does aid some people to manage blood glucose levels. Since there is no funds for additional studies, no one knows how long this works and why it does not work for others. Everyone believes the studies as the gospel according to Carol Johnston on vinegar.
Because some people do have some benefits from vinegar, this is constantly brought back annually to introduce it to potential new believers. After a couple of months, the hoopla begins to wane and more people realize that it no longer works for them. So approximately once every year, the believers present it for new converts.
I am no longer a convert as vinegar worked for about two months and then no more. Therefore, I believe that there was something in vinegar that my body needed and once it had been supplied, I received no more benefits. I will not tell you that it won't work for you, but only to not be disappointed if the benefits do not last long. If you get benefits for a longer period, enjoy them.
Do I use vinegar? Yes, on salads and any food that calls for it. I use any variety that works for me and allows me to avoid the sugar-sweetened salad dressings and other foods that are over sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Other than for a few weeks when I took vinegar by itself to see if the effects worked, once the needs of my body were met, vinegar no longer had any effect on my blood glucose readings.
You can expect to see the push for vinegar about once a year as they try to win new converts, but for those of us that it no longer works for will continue to remind people that what works for one person may not work for others. Yes, if your body needs some of the chemicals found in vinegar, expect to see temporary improvements in blood glucose readings and some people may actually have some long-term improvements.
Read about other articles promoting the use of vinegar here and here. I refer you to my previous blog here. Although most refuse now to put a date on Carol Johnston's studies, at least this one does list two other studies in 2005 and 2006 which were a few years after her studies.
Vinegar does aid some people to manage blood glucose levels. Since there is no funds for additional studies, no one knows how long this works and why it does not work for others. Everyone believes the studies as the gospel according to Carol Johnston on vinegar.
Because some people do have some benefits from vinegar, this is constantly brought back annually to introduce it to potential new believers. After a couple of months, the hoopla begins to wane and more people realize that it no longer works for them. So approximately once every year, the believers present it for new converts.
I am no longer a convert as vinegar worked for about two months and then no more. Therefore, I believe that there was something in vinegar that my body needed and once it had been supplied, I received no more benefits. I will not tell you that it won't work for you, but only to not be disappointed if the benefits do not last long. If you get benefits for a longer period, enjoy them.
Do I use vinegar? Yes, on salads and any food that calls for it. I use any variety that works for me and allows me to avoid the sugar-sweetened salad dressings and other foods that are over sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Other than for a few weeks when I took vinegar by itself to see if the effects worked, once the needs of my body were met, vinegar no longer had any effect on my blood glucose readings.
You can expect to see the push for vinegar about once a year as they try to win new converts, but for those of us that it no longer works for will continue to remind people that what works for one person may not work for others. Yes, if your body needs some of the chemicals found in vinegar, expect to see temporary improvements in blood glucose readings and some people may actually have some long-term improvements.
Read about other articles promoting the use of vinegar here and here. I refer you to my previous blog here. Although most refuse now to put a date on Carol Johnston's studies, at least this one does list two other studies in 2005 and 2006 which were a few years after her studies.
June 6, 2011
USDA Ditches Food Pyramid for a Healthy Plate?
The United States Department of Agriculture laid an egg on June 2. Color it, slice it, and try to understand it, but it missed the target. Fat is still out which is a mistake and giving whole grains over 25 percent of the plate will do nothing to slow the obesity epidemic in the US.
There are already many articles promoting this "new" distribution. Fortunately there are those who see the weaknesses of this approach. Nothing has improved in the overall scheme of food nutrition. There is no standardization or bringing down the serving sized on food labels or improving the label relationships among the different foods. Many mixed messages still need clarification. The largest problem is that one plate size seems to fit all which anyone with diabetes knows does not work. Individualization is the key for best results.
I know that to lose any weight, I do not need 2000 calories, but this seems to be the message - everyone needs 2000 calories per day. The question of portion sizes, fat intake, and energy expenditures are not figured into the equation. Also too many areas are open to interpretation and misinformation.
The need to stop obesity in adults and children is a worth goal, but the plate icon falls short of setting any real objectives. As for the aah ha moment many have written about, I am afraid this is an ooh no presentation. It is doubtful that the "MyPlate" icon will change Americans' eating lifestyle because it is still dependent on personal responsibility. It can only be hoped that the larger picture will eventually catch the public's attention and interest to learn how to make healthier food choices.
The plate design shows a plate divided into four sections:
Red is for fruit
Green is for vegetables
Orange is for grains
Purple is for protein, and then add
Blue as a side dish (or cup) for dairy.
The USDA has improved the portion size from the food pyramid, but a lot is left to be accomplished.
Read the USDA press release here, and a WebMD assessment here. Then take time to read another report here and a report from a nutritional standpoint here. An very interesting blog by Dr. William Davis is here.
There will be many articles and assessments appearing in the months ahead, so be prepared to read both good and bad reports.
There are already many articles promoting this "new" distribution. Fortunately there are those who see the weaknesses of this approach. Nothing has improved in the overall scheme of food nutrition. There is no standardization or bringing down the serving sized on food labels or improving the label relationships among the different foods. Many mixed messages still need clarification. The largest problem is that one plate size seems to fit all which anyone with diabetes knows does not work. Individualization is the key for best results.
I know that to lose any weight, I do not need 2000 calories, but this seems to be the message - everyone needs 2000 calories per day. The question of portion sizes, fat intake, and energy expenditures are not figured into the equation. Also too many areas are open to interpretation and misinformation.
The need to stop obesity in adults and children is a worth goal, but the plate icon falls short of setting any real objectives. As for the aah ha moment many have written about, I am afraid this is an ooh no presentation. It is doubtful that the "MyPlate" icon will change Americans' eating lifestyle because it is still dependent on personal responsibility. It can only be hoped that the larger picture will eventually catch the public's attention and interest to learn how to make healthier food choices.
The plate design shows a plate divided into four sections:
Red is for fruit
Green is for vegetables
Orange is for grains
Purple is for protein, and then add
Blue as a side dish (or cup) for dairy.
The USDA has improved the portion size from the food pyramid, but a lot is left to be accomplished.
Read the USDA press release here, and a WebMD assessment here. Then take time to read another report here and a report from a nutritional standpoint here. An very interesting blog by Dr. William Davis is here.
There will be many articles and assessments appearing in the months ahead, so be prepared to read both good and bad reports.
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