8.3: The State of My Plate COY
- Page ID
- 2426
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Learn:
- What MyPlate is
- The food groups that make a balanced meal.
Giveaway:
A snack size fruit or vegetable.
Tools:
- Signage and handouts (e.g. Myplate)/Plates or Napkins
- Images or props of food in all 5 food groups.
- MyPlate print out on a board or plate
- Fruits or vegetables in a container (strawberries, blueberries, carrots, cherry tomatoes etc.)
- Dip in a container (yogurt or ranch)
- Music & speakers (optional)
- Feedback survey, pencils, and collection box
Set-up:
- Display signage/ poster to highlight the goal of your demo.
- spread cutout or props of food from all 5 food groups.
- Put an image of MyPlate on a plate/ board as a guide fro participants to use
- Optional: Play music to attract people to your demo.
Activity:
- Facilitator explain to the participants how to create a meal using the food images/ cutouts that follow the MyPlate guideline, with one item from each of the 5 food groups. Encourage them to create a meal they would make for themselves.
- Have participants show the meals they created and check to see they have a good item from each food groups. Once participated, provide participants fruits/ vegetables to take or eat.
- After the activity, ask participants what they could eat fro breakfast/lunch/dinner that would follow the MyPlate guidelines.
- Ask participants to complete the Feedback survey
Talking Points:
- What is Myplate? It is guide to balance your plate or bowl with the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.
- Explain the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, gains, proteins and dairy from suggested information
- As participants the following questions:
- What are the 5 main food groups?
- What are the recommended amounts of each food group that you should consume in a day?
- How can you follow the MyPlate guidelines at school or at home?

Suggested Information for Café O Yea:
- MyPlate is a guide for how to balance your plate, cup and bowl with the five food groups to maintain a healthy eating pattern of all five food groups which are fruits, vegetables, gains, protein, and dairy. Use this visual when placing food on your plate or in your bowl as a way to be sure you're including all five food groups in the appropriate proportion.
- Fruits: Naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories and have important nutrients (USDA, 2017). The amount of fruits on your plate should be a little less than a quarter of your plate.
Examples include apples, bananas, berries, melon, oranges, lemon, cherries, and pineapples. May be 100% juice, fresh, canned, frozen, or died, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed.
- Vegetables: Naturally low in fat and calories and have important nutrients (USDA, 2017). The amount of vegetables should be a little more than a quarter of the plate. Examples include spinach, broccoli, peppers, squash, carrots, tomatoes, corn, avocado, cucumbers, and peas. May be 100% vegetable juice, raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/ dehydrates; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.
- Grains: Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product (USDA, 2016). The amount of grain should be a little more than a quarter of the plate. Examples include bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits.
- Protein: Provides your body with the energy for your muscles and tissues to grow and heal and keeps your immune system strong (USDA, 2016). The amount of protein should be a little less than a quarter of the plate.
- Examples include chicken, turkey, ham, beef, eggs, salmon, tuna, tofu, edamame, hummus, lentils, peanut butter, almonds, and sunflower seeds.
- Dairy: Help build your bones and teeth and maintains bone mass (USDA, 2016). Place your dairy off to the side of the plate.
Examples include yogurt, cheese, and milk.
- Recipes that may have 3 or more food groups
Resources:
- United States Department of Agriculture. (2017). MyPlate. Retrieved From: www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate.
- United Sates Department of Agriculture. (2017). All about the fruit/vegetable/grains/proteins/dairy group. Retrieved From: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/fruit.
- https://www.choosemyplate.gov/vegetables.
- https://www.choosemyplate.gov/grains.
- https://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods.
- http://www.choosemyplate.gov/dairy.
- United Sates Department of Agriculture. (2017). A brief history of USDA food guides. www.choosemyplate.gov/brief-...da-food-guides.