Pyramids sure can last a long time, but nothing lasts forever. The USDA’s Food Pyramid was replaced recently by their MyPlate, a part of first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity. At Fantasy Healthball, we love it for a number of reasons. First, in this age of intuitive, user-friendly symbols and branding, it is very clean, clear, and easy to understand. It is also simple to translate to any language. Finally, we think any new campaign that raises awareness and fights childhood obesity is fantastic as it shines a big spotlight on this key health issues. And, coming from the White House, the spotlight is bright!
At Fantasy Healthball, we use the Food Formation which is based on the original Food Pyramid. It is a way to keep track of the foods you eat by thinking of them loosely tied to a standard defensive football formation. The Fantasy Healthball Food Formation is your defense against poor food choices and unhealthy eating. The Fruit and Vegetable group are your linebackers, for example. From the website:
Everyone knows the importance of linebackers. Jack Lambert, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Lawrence Taylor, Ray Lewis. Along with the linemen, the linebackers are the foundation of your defense. They are your heavy hitters. In our Fantasy Healthball Food Formation, these are the vegetable group and the fruit group. Your body needs a lot of these. Like linebackers, these are packed with power and energy you need to be successful.
The new MyPlate also highlights the importance of fruits and vegetables by dedicating half the plate to them. The other half is grains and protein with an additional focus on low or no fat milk. MyPlate encourages us to avoid oversized portions, choose lower sodium foods, and drink water instead of sugary beverages like sodas. These are all key Fantasy Healthball messages – check out a few of them here.
We recommend sharing the new MyPlate with your whole family. How about taping it up on your refrigerator?! Or taking it with you when you go to the grocery store. It is the worlds simplest and best shopping list! You can even get a personalized plan or take a focused look at how this applies for kids (soon to be updated with MyPlate materials).
Kudos to Ms. Obama and the USDA for taking this issue on. Put it into practice by checking out our Training Camp until the NFL season starts. Check back with us often for more tips and strategies for great health. — Jim Ballard
Posted by Jim Ballard 
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