PRACTICE APPLICATIONS

The MyPlate Message Chronicles

Healthy Eating on a Budget at ChooseMyPlate.gov
A
S DIETETICS PRACTITIONERS,
we know that healthy eating
on a budget is possible. How-
ever, as food prices continue
to rise, householdsespecially those
with childrenfeel the pressure. A so-
lution lies in arming consumers with
strategies to inuence their thinking at
every point in the food decision pro-
cess. The US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Center for Nutrition Policy and
Promotion (CNPP) offers a new addi-
tion to ChooseMyPlate.gov to address
this need. The Healthy Eating on a
Budget webpages are designed to help
more consumers plan, purchase, and
prepare foods at home.
CNPP released MyPlate in June 2011
and has since launched several inter-
active and consumer-oriented re-
sources, such as the SuperTracker,
MiPlato, 10 Tips Nutrition Education
Series, and MyPlate Kids Place. The
latest addition to ChooseMyPlate.gov is
in collaboration with the USDA Food
and Nutrition Service. The Federal
nutrition assistance programs admin-
istered by the Food and Nutrition
Service provide opportunities to reach
program participants and eligible au-
diences with behavior-focused nutri-
tion education and promotion.
In December 2013, the USDA re-
leased a study
1
providing clear evi-
dence that well-designed nutrition
education programs can lead to
healthier food choices by Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
participants. The results of this study
reiterate the critical role of nutrition
education and promotion in improving
the healthfulness of SNAP purchases,
said USDA Under Secretary for Food,
Nutrition, and Consumer Services
Kevin Concannon. USDA and our
partners continue to explore a wide-
ranging set of strategies that support
families as they purchase, prepare, and
eat more healthy foods.
2
ChooseMyPlate.gov provides re-
sources to help more consumers
make nutritious and appealing meals.
The new, consumer-oriented Healthy
Eating on a Budget section of
ChooseMyPlate.gov complements cur-
rent MyPlate resources (Figure 1).
Users are able to explore a number of
topic areas under each theme,
including meal planning and shopping
strategies; low-cost, nutritious recipes;
and basic cooking instructions. Content
includes positive, action-oriented lan-
guage in an easy-to-read format. The
new Healthy Eating on a Budget pages
provide cost-conscious consumers
with resources and tools to make
healthier food decisions.
PLAN, PURCHASE, & PREPARE
The rst part of Healthy Eating on a
Budget, Create a Grocery Game Plan,
encourages consumers to develop a
plan of action before leaving for the
store. By making note of items on hand,
meals they intend to prepare, and their
schedule for the week, consumers
can get an accurate list of items they
need based on their weekly meals.
This information can be entered into
two new interactive worksheets,
Create a Grocery Game Plan: Weekly
Calendar and Create a Grocery Game
Plan: Grocery List (Figure 2). Con-
sumers can enter their preferences into
these worksheets to organize their
grocery lists, allowing for a more ef-
cient trip to the grocery store.
Create a Grocery Game Plan also in-
cludes tips on couponing and navi-
gating the grocery store. In addition to
the content on the website, weve
created a new addition to the 10 Tips
Nutrition Education Series, Save More
at the Store: MyPlate Tips to Stretch
Your Food Dollar (Figure 3). Use this
resource to teach your clients about
couponing and smart shopping.
Shop Smart to Fill Your Cart leads
consumers to information about
where, what, and how to shop for
items on their grocery lists. Main topics
include low-cost food options, reading
the unit price, and comparing nutrition
labels between two foods. In the spirit
of MyPlate, an interactive menu of low-
cost food options is divided by food
group. This feature will be a great tool
consumers can use to meet daily food
group goals without exceeding their
budgets.
MyPlate FAQs
MyPlate Myth: Only fresh fruits and veg-
etables count in the fruit or vegetable
groups.
Any fruit or 100% juice counts as part of
the fruit group. Fruits can be canned,
frozen, dried, or fresh.
Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice is
considered part of the vegetable group.
Like fruits, they too can be canned, fro-
zen, dried, or fresh. The vegetable group is
unique, however, as foods are further
divided into ve subgroups: dark green
vegetables, starchy vegetables, red and
orange vegetables, beans, and peas. Con-
sumers should check the Nutrition Facts
label on packaged fruits and vegetables to
select products with less saturated fat,
added sugar, and sodium.
This article was written by Jackie
Haven, MS, RD, deputy director;
Colette Rihane, MS, RD, director;
Patricia Britten, PhD, nutritionist;
Donna Johnson-Bailey, MPH, RD,
nutritionist; Mark Lino, PhD, econo-
mist; Elizabeth Rahavi, RD, nutri-
tionist, all at the US Department of
Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy
and Promotion, Alexandria, VA; and
Melissa Ciampo, nutrition consultant,
Panum Group, Bethesda, MD.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.04.009
834 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 2014 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Prepare Healthy Meals offers ways to
make food preparation and cooking a
stress-free experience for gatekeepers
of the household. Find kitchen time-
savers, tips on cooking for your family,
healthy recipes, and resources for
nancial assistance in this section.
Menus and recipes are included to
reinforce healthy options.
Figure 1. The Healthy Eating on a Budget homepage.
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
June 2014 Volume 114 Number 6 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 835
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PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
836 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS June 2014 Volume 114 Number 6
References
1. Long V, Cates S, Blitstein J, et al. Supple-
mental Nutrition Assistance Program Edu-
cation and Evaluation Study (Wave II).
Washington, DC: Prepared by Altarum
Institute for the US Department of
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Ser-
vice; 2013. US Department of Agricul-
ture website. http://www.fns.usda.gov/
supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-
education-and-evaluation-study-wave-ii.
Accessed March 25, 2014.
2. Study shows strong nutrition education
can lead to healthier food choices by Sup-
plemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) recipients [press release]. Wash-
ington, DC: US Department of Agriculture;
December 5, 2013.
Figure 3. Save More at the Grocery Store: 10 MyPlate Tips to Stretch Your Food Dollar.
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
June 2014 Volume 114 Number 6 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 837