It's Official! Make Half Your Plate Fruits & Vegetables

New USDA food icon supports Dietary Guidelines

HOCKESSIN, Del., June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a replacement for its current food pyramid in support of dietary recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 to make half your plate fruits and vegetables.  The new plate icon is sectioned off to show fruits and vegetables as half of the plate, making the recommendation easy to understand.

"This science-based government recommendation to make half your plate fruits and vegetables is a significant and positive step in the battle to fight obesity and related health issues in America.  The plate icon is a simple, memorable way to show Americans the proportion of fruits and vegetables they should be eating at every meal occasion," says Dr. Elizabeth Pivonka, president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), the nonprofit entity in partnership with CDC behind the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® national public health initiative.  "Ever since the 2005 Dietary Guidelines increased the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables to consume daily, which was also the impetus to 'rebrand' 5 A Day to Fruits & Veggies—More Matters, making half your plate fruits and vegetables has been one of the supporting messages of our Fruits & Veggies—More Matters initiative since it's 2007 launch."

The consumer-friendly website, www.FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters.org, offers tips, recipes, and meal planning advice geared towards meeting the goal of making half your plate fruits and vegetables easily achievable.  While on the www.FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters.org site, consumers can take the America's More Matters Pledge: Fruits & Veggies . . . Today and Every Day! The America's More Matters Pledge encourages everyone to make fruits and vegetables half of daily meals and snacks or to simply increase the amount eaten each day because more does matter. The tools needed to follow through with the half-the-plate pledge are also available on the www.FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters.org website.  The site includes a recipe database with over 1,000 recipes, many that can be made in 30 minutes or less, and a Video Center loaded with informational and entertaining short clips that offer fruit and veggie selection and storage and preparation advice and techniques.

Adding more fruits and vegetables to meals and snacks is fun and easy with so many available flavors and  varieties of fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or 100 percent juice.  Increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten everyday, or filling half the plate with fruits and veggies at both meals and snacks can make a big difference in your health and energy level because more does matter. Pivonka says that eating fruits and vegetables is a sound investment in long-term health, and a very inexpensive part of a healthy lifestyle.

Follow Fruits & Veggies—More Matters on Facebook or Twitter to get the latest news on America's More Matters Pledge: Fruits & Veggies . . . Today and Every Day!, Fruits & Veggies—More Matters, and Half Your Plate.

About Produce for Better Health Foundation

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) fruit and vegetable education foundation.  Since 1991, PBH has worked to motivate people to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve public health.  PBH achieves success through industry and government collaboration, first with the 5 A Day program and now with the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters public health initiative.  Fruits & Veggies-More Matters is the nation's largest public-private, fruit and vegetable nutrition education initiative with Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in each state, territory and the military. To learn more, visit www.PBHFoundation.org and www.FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters.org. Follow Fruits & Veggies-More Matters on Facebook or Twitter.

PBH is also a member and co-chair with Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) of the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA), consisting of government agencies, non-profit organizations, and industry working to collaboratively and synergistically achieve increased nationwide access and demand for all forms of fruits and vegetables for improved public health.  To learn more, visit www.NFVA.org.

SOURCE Fruits & Veggies - More Matters