Harvard Healthy Eating Plate Tries To One-Up USDA's MyPlate, Meets Opposition

Harvard is not a place known for its humility, but taking on the US government is pretty audacious even for the Crimson Horde. But the Harvard School of Public Health apparently considers nutrition a cause worthy of rousing its anti-governmental spirit. On Wednesday, the school announced that it had developed its own "Healthy Eating Plate" in response to the USDA's controversial "MyPlate" guide to healthy eating.

Here's Harvard's proposed model:

The Harvard Healthy Eating Plate emphasizes fresh fruit and vegetables, as MyPlate does. But unlike its government-sponsored rival, Harvard's proposal tells people that they should not drink sugary drinks, that potatoes do not count as vegetables and that bacon should be avoided whenever possible. (That last dour proposal is already being followed by Harvard undergraduates; their dining halls cancelled hot breakfast service in 2009.)

The development team at the School of Public Health spoke with the Wall Street Journal about the thinking behind their Healthy Eating Plate:

The government’s myplate.gov “is simple,” but “maybe too simple,” said Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition and chair of HSPH’s department of nutrition, on a conference call with reporters. “It doesn’t have the details necessary to make healthy food choices.”

The Boston Globe talked to nutrition expert Marion Nestle to get her views on Harvard's proposal. She had some kind words to say, but ultimately disputed its injunction against eggs and low-fat dairy. She ultimately concluded:

“Let me say in sympathy that these kinds of guides are exceedingly difficult to do,” she said. “I think the emphasis on diet quality -- fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats -- is terrific but I’m also a foodie. I care a lot about the way food tastes and its diversity. I want more room for both on my plates.”

This isn't the first time the Harvard School of Public Health has challenged the USDA's food guideline hegemony. Back in the days of the Food Pyramid, the school released its own, rival version of the pyramid, which, like the new Healthy Eating Plate, emphasized exercise, produce and whole grains over red meat and processed carbohydrates. Here's a video explaining that proposal.

Comments

[BostonPublicist]

04:18 PM on 10/17/2011

I am drinking the Omega Water with 100mg of omega 3 (good flavors, sugar free) along with a healthy diet.

[Steveh0607]

09:23 AM on 09/19/2011

I still think Michael Pollan's simple advice is best: Eat real food, mostly plants, not too much.

Buy from your local farmers, shop the periphery of the supermarket, prepare food at home.

Don't listen to the lipophobes or the carbophobes.

Move around a bit.

Enjoy life.

[mothergrace]

03:34 PM on 09/18/2011

What is wrong with these plates is that they are often the product of over thinking.

I think it is fine that we study more and find out more about how our bodies work and facts about nutrition but these plans always have one glaring omission. Maybe two.

One is that you have to tune into what works for you within reason. I don't mean the 17 year old who can load up on junk food with no apparent effect because their metabolism is racing a million miles an hour but rather the person who realizes dairy is/isn't a problem or that they feel better eating meat rather than beans or who can eat more potatoes than their neighbor and still maintain their energy, weight and good blood work numbers.

The second is that you can never break away from the combination of food and movement. People who sat down to a table heavily laden with food, including piles of meat, potatoes, pancakes, eggs, bacon, dripping with butter who then spent the rest of the day on their feet, working, working, working, did not have the same health problems as someone would who ate that way and then sat at a desk.

After making the choice to eat real food, variety, not a huge quantity, tune into your body (food journal?) and move a little more.

[gloriaswanson43]

10:02 AM on 09/18/2011

No real bacon?! Forget that. That is my sometimes special treat. Otherwise it's either veggie or turkey bacon, which just ins't the same.

[mlaiuppa]

03:09 AM on 09/18/2011

Good.

I use Bob's Red Mill bread flour and whole wheat flour for baking my bread.

[Christine Casabar]

09:13 PM on 09/17/2011

I believe what is overlooked is that food is only as nutritious as what feeds the food, i.e. you eat what they eat - plants and animals alike. The good news is that Bob's Red Mill owners have just donated $25 Million - that's right 25 million - to the Oregon Health & Science University to research "nutrition."

[mlaiuppa]

03:07 AM on 09/18/2011

Good.

I buy Bob's Red Mill bread flour and whole wheat flour for baking my bread.

[kkkkat]

06:07 PM on 09/19/2011

Are they paying you guys? This is the third comment about Bob's flour I have seen today. On different articles...Hmm. I eat it too, but you're sort of throwing it out there in a very non sequitor type of way.

[Marsha Hallet]

01:15 PM on 09/17/2011

One more comment:
Harvard has turned the plate over and changed the colors. The position of vegetables and fruits is now reversed and protein is colored orange instead of that ghastly purple. I like the Harvard website (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid/index.html) better than the clickable USDA plate( http://www.choosemyplate.gov) where actionable information is not easily understood or well organized.

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, says the plate "not designed to tell you specifically what to eat. It is designed to tell you the proper proportions." Really? Although too much of a good thing is bad, I think the problem is that people need better education about about just that, "specifically what to eat". Better recipes from the government website, or can we do that on our own?
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/plate-replaces-pyramid/index.html#references

[Marsha Hallet]

12:48 PM on 09/17/2011

Since Harvard made modifications to the original USDA Food Pyramid it is no wonder that they would also attempt to improve the plate. The biggest "improvement" is the elimination of dairy except as a postscript. Obviously Harvard not only does not have bacon for breakfast, they "forgot" milk. They must have a larger endowment than the government to be able to antagonize the dairy industry so aggressively. http://www.knowfoodnow.com/2011/08/will-plate-break-new-controversy-about.html

[FaunaAndFlora]

11:16 PM on 09/17/2011

Harvard's public health department has been accused of creating studies that are favorable towards the seed (vegetable) oil industry, one of their major sources of funding. Based on this new chart, it seems like they're still being kind to their benefactors. Even Walter Willett has admitted there is no evidence that the saturated fat in meat, eggs and dairy is harmful, yet he still insists that we should avoid these foods.

Anyone who wants to destroy their health should follow these charts.

[Ethan Dussault]

10:39 AM on 09/17/2011

I have two remarks. First, it is arguable that any processed oil, even those such as olive and rice bran should, be included at all. Second, the Whole Grains section should be renamed "Starches" which includes whole grains and tubers such as sweet potatoes, yams and other varieties. Of course DO NOT FRY THEM!!! grrr

Potatoes are incredibly healthy. Especially when steamed. The starch makes you fat myth must die.

[Parkite]

11:48 AM on 09/17/2011

Sweet potatoes & yams are incredibly healthy. Regular potatoes can be healthy or not, depending on how they are prepared. Steaming is the best. French fried, not so much, especially when drenched in ketchup. I love good french fries but I rarely eat them. Yukon gold roasted in the oven with onions, garlic , green & red peppers..divine. EVOO is also incredibly healthy.

[Ozark Homesteader]

09:53 AM on 09/17/2011

The Harvard plate is pretty good, but the decision to stop serving hot breakfasts is a tragedy for vegetarians. I relied on the eggs at breakfast for a big chunk of my protein there. Unless the options are better (like organic plain yogurt) than they were a quarter century ago, killing hot breakfasts is bad.

[Ethan Dussault]

11:57 AM on 09/17/2011

Protein Myth.

[Morena]

11:24 AM on 09/18/2011

I've never heard of anyone advocating "killing hot breakfasts". I can think of at least 2 dozen hot metless breakfasts (including eggs), minus eggs for vegans. Most people I know don't even eat meat in the am, regardless of their dietary choices.

[davidthomasphd]

07:26 AM on 09/17/2011

I used to be a meat and potatoes, pizza, ice cream and sweets kind of normal 300 lb guy. My first heart attack got my attention. Now the Mediterranean, My Plate, Harvard approaches work a lot better for me then they used to. Combined with the cardio exercises, so far I've lost weight and inches, and yesterday my cardiologist discontinued my beta blocker prescription. Fruits and veggies are a lot cheaper than beef and fried seafood platters, too. The downside is, you have to shop and cook differently. PS Most of what I thought I knew about food was a combination of "what I like" and the food industry's relentless advertising on TV that pushes stuff loaded with sugar, salt, and fat additives.

[tygr49]

03:00 PM on 09/17/2011

Congrats on changing your lifestyle! That's terrific!

[gloriaswanson43]

09:59 AM on 09/18/2011

This is fantastic news!! One pill gone, that is great!!

[JerryG1]

10:16 PM on 09/16/2011

This makes perfect sense.
FDA squandered credibility with (bad) guesswork pyramid they promoted far too long to far too many with far too much influence from food and dairy industries.
Harvard's looks sound, makes perfect sense.

[mlaiuppa]

05:30 PM on 09/16/2011

I think that is a huge improvement over the original. The original didn't have the supporting data that this one does. Much, much better.

[FOXYROSE]

02:16 PM on 09/16/2011

Everything in moderation! If potatos make you fat, I should be as big as a house instead of 108 lbs lol. I love them in everyway.

[DownHomeFoodie]

02:13 PM on 09/16/2011

How come with every passing year it seems to get harder and harder to define "healthy eating" and "balanced nutrition?" I understand why the old food pyramid had to go the way of the dodo, but now the newest model is already controversial and, potentially, wrong? I've heard from people that the hardest things about weight loss and being healthy is because the thing that was healthy one month is bad for you the next. If you really want people to be healthy, maybe you should stop giving them mixed messages all the time about what "healthy" is. Don't make it harder for them then it already is.

[xeronius]

03:18 PM on 09/16/2011

As far as we can tell, Harvard results are not tainted by lobbying. The model we see from the govt often emphasizes food from industries that lobby hard.