Harvard’s Nutrition Guide

In response to the US Department of Agriculture’s nutrition guide MyPlate, which redesigned the well-known food pyramid into a revised visual tool for making healthy eating choices, the Harvard School of Public Health has released its own Healthy Eating Plate. Harvard’s version incorporates the latest in scientific research, addressing what the school calls “important deficiencies” in the USDA’s suggestions. For example, the Harvard plate encourages consumers to limit dairy, limit red and processed meats, and avoid sugary beverages, all of which conflict with MyPlate. Additionally, it does not consider potatoes to be one of its recommended vegetables, due to their high starch content. In their press release, HSPH adds, “a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins lowers the risk of weight gain and chronic disease.”