This is the new guide, that it is hoped will encourage Americans to make half of their meals fruit and vegetables as part of a balanced diet.
“When it comes to eating, what’s more useful than a plate? What’s more simple than a plate?” first lady Michelle Obama said at the launch of the new initiative.
“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating,” she said.
MyPlate, which includes colored sections for grains and proteins and a dairy cup beside it, is part of the administration’s push to encourage healthy habits.
Dietary guidelines released in January told Americans to eat more produce and cut salt and fat, and the first lady has led a push to tackle obesity with her “Let’s Move” initiative.
Food industry groups rushed to praise the new guide, which will replace the well-known food pyramid in US classrooms and will be used as part of federal food programmes as well as by doctors and nurses.